Lawn Furniture

Lawn Furniture

The second group of outdoor living rooms comprise the sport balcony, the detached tea house, the marquee, the little canopied pavilion, the terrace and the pergola. These bear more relation to the garden than to the house. Much care should be taken in their situation. Choose a spot where the cool summer breezes may blow through and where there is some background of trees or shrubbery. Pavilions set in the middle of the lawn lose their raison d'etre, seclusion and shadow.

As to their furnishings, a tea house may be very pretentious, of concrete or brick; or simple and inexpensive, of wood or awning. Its background may be the garden wall; in fact, there is no better place for it than the corner of the garden where is afforded a vista of the grounds. If the walls are of stone or rough brick, let the furniture have some of the same rough nature.

The old-fashioned hickory furniture, while durable, is neither comfortable nor easily moved about. It finds its best place in the midst of flowers and shrubs, for it seems then to be a part of them. Natural oak or cypress is the best furniture for the tea house, as it withstands the weather and takes on a lovely gray tint, contrasting well against the red background of brick. Continental painted iron furniture is also suitable, especially when it is finished in a hard, durable enamel and decorated with some pretty French peasant design. Using these with wicker furniture in green, an unusual and serviceable grouping results.

In a tea house it is always advisable to have settees along the back or on either side, to hold the occasional overflow of guests. Too many chairs are in the way and make a chaotic appearance.

On the walls and posts may be hung wall brackets for plants. These come in many attractive designs - zinc-lined and with semi-circular base. Above is a plain lattice or a lattice decorated with a vari-colored parrot. These lend a note of charm, especially when ivy is trained up the lattice. Adding to this paradise of flowers and fragrance could be flower baskets of wicker hung between the posts or a hanging flower holder of lattice fashioned in the shape of a bird cage with a bird carved in the lattice, or, better still, a bird cage itself of painted wood gaily decorated.

A marquee with iron uprights and striped awning is simple and inexpensive. In many cases no floor is required, the turf sufficing. It were wiser, however, to provide little wicker footstools to guard against dampness. Striped awnings give a gay touch of color in the garden. They come in striking combinations from the expensive painted ones of orange, brown and green stripes, to the cheaper woven varieties of green and white. Some are painted green on the underside, shedding a soft, subdued light.

Canton furniture is the best to use in these canopied pavilions. It is light, cheap and durable, and has rather a look of the East, especially harmonizing with the gay striped awnings.

A simple way of making a little garden pavilion is to stretch a canopy from the garden wall. This, of course, forms no protection in rough weather, but at least it affords a shady resting place. A long settee with drawers under the seats provides a place to tuck away cushions and covers in case of a shower.

The terrace and pergola are an elaboration of the canopied pavilion of the garden wall. The terrace brings to our mind peacocks and urns and garden hats and high tea in England. They are the amphitheater of the garden, and from them the garden is a thing of vistas. Their centers of attraction may be a sundial amidst the flowers, or a bird bath or a marble or terra cotta bench and a beehive within hailing, but not calling, distance! Best of all is a fountain as the center or the culmination of the vista. A marble bust may be placed against the green background of a hedge, and always most lovely is a marble vase or urn. Terra cotta jars, similar to the oil jars of Sicily, make a good silhouette. All garden effects are a matter of silhouette and color massing. Terra cotta vases are not expensive. Their substitute, blue and gray ironware jars, well set in a simple garden, add a note of distinction. The desirable point is always the beauty of outline. Large Italian and Spanish glazed vases are wonderous things in a garden, but alas! bring prohibitive prices.

Little outdoor nurseries or playrooms are a boon to the children. There they have no restrictions against picking flowers or trampling lawns. Small movable pavilions and playhouses are easily and cheaply procured, and with a sandbox and sturdy furniture they take their place in an out-of-way corner of the garden.

Next Page: Roof Gardens.