21 garden seating ideas from prehistoric to futuristic

Despite a torrential rain last night, producing the briefest dip in temperature, we’re enjoying a ridiculously hot and humid summer here in southwestern Ontario. Our flower beds are parched and our lawns are going KFC–golden and crunchy. There’s only one thing to do: go sit somewhere in the garden with a chilled glass of wine and toast the weather. It is what it is. But where to sit and on what? Wanting inspiration for a new place to hang out, I trolled through my photos and realized there are seats and seating sites for every garden design imaginable. Here are 21 garden seating ideas ranging from the prehistoric and to the futuristic. (Click on any photo for more details including where and when each photo was shot.)

The Cro-Magnon look

It’s amazing what can be done with found wood, boulders or slabs of stone. Though a 3-seater “couch” carved from a single massive log might be a bit too much for some folks, thinking big (even in a small garden) can be that touch of drama a garden needs. And using reclaimed materials is always a good idea.

A huge log has been carved into seating for garden furniture.

This massive log 3-seat ‘couch’ got plenty of attention at the display by Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds (part of the 2014 Canada Blooms show) got plenty of attention.

A wood chip path leads to a log bench in a woods.

This simple log bench was placed in the centre of a large patch of ground cover in woods with a wood chip path leading up to it invitingly. Shot July 2015 during a Toronto Botanical Gardens tour in southwestern Ontario.

Stone slabs make a throne-like garden seat in an exhibit featuring garden decor ideas at your front door. Shot at Canada Blooms, March, 2016.

Stone seating looks naturalistic in a forest setting.

These locally sourced stones are clearly for garden seating but look almost as if they sprang out of the earth just as they are on this very spot. Shot at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, June, 2016.

The Express Yourself DIY look

You might recognize these three photos from a series of posts I wrote last year about Keppel Croft Gardens in Big Bay, Ontario. These gardens are a labour of love by a couple who bring creativity, humour and a big dose of DIY ingenuity to every feature in their gardens. The trellised archway is furnished with a bench on one side, a crystal chandelier and, on the other side, a vase filled with fresh flowers on a shelf beneath a domed mirror within a gilded sun ray frame. Very posh. The garden bench surrounded by a three panel screen will get shrouded by greenery as the season progresses, thanks to the sweet peas trained up the wire screens. When you enter the Thyme Garden, you approach a small stone wall looking more like garden sculpture than garden seating until you see the other side.

A latticed archway provides garden seating.

A trellised archway with crystal chandelier provides a shady place to rest before proceeding into the next garden. Shot July, 2015, at Keppel Croft Gardens, Big Bay, ONJuly 2015

A garden bench is backed by a screen on which sweet peas are growing.

This bench will become more and more private as the sweet peas growing up the screen shroud it in leaves and blooms. Shot July, 2015, at Keppel Croft Gardens, Big Bay, ON

A garden wall looks like sculpture and provides garden seating.

Approached from behind, this quirky bench looks like a combination garden wall and sculpture. Shot July, 2015, at Keppel Croft Gardens, Big Bay, ON

The Garden Seating With A View look

These shots were also taken at Keppel Croft. The terraced lawn is bolstered by fieldstones in a style evocative of the many, many farm fences in this area. This is a great example of making a dramatic seating area where no drama originally existed. The stone acts as a semicircular frame around a patch of lawn just large enough for the two chairs and helps to create the terraced garden that overlooks nothing more than a swath of field that has been replaced with turf. Simple. Grand. Perfect.

Two garden chairs are placed on a terraced lawn lined with a stone abutment.

The stones used to create a terraced lawn echo the stone fences so beloved in this farm country. Shot July, 2015, at Keppel Croft Gardens, Big Bay, ON

Garden seating overlooking a lawn and field.

Garden seating on a raised area makes the view all the more dramatic. Shot July, 2015, at Keppel Croft Gardens, Big Bay, ON

The Perfect Finishing Touch look

I don’t think these gardens would be quite as interesting or inviting if they didn’t have a place to sit. The seating adds something. Is it purpose? An eye-catching shape?

A weathered wood bench can barely be seen in a garden setting

Along a meandering pathway, this weathered wood bench blends into its setting. Shot at Reford Gardens, Quebec, August 2014

Stone steps subtly point the way to garden seating at the top of a garden on a steep slope.

Rustic stone steps winding up to the top of this garden on a steep incline draw attention to the seating at the top of the slope. Shot at Reford Gardens, Quebec, in August, 2014.

A patio with pergola and garden seating is flanked by flower beds.

A small patio with a pergola at one side is flanked by flower beds providing lush privacy for garden seating in a small garden. Shot during the Woodbridge (ON) Horticultural Society garden tour in June, 2016.

The Tradition With A Twist look

The rectangular gazebo looks so refreshing compared to the predictable circular or hexagonal shape. On the porch, the usual Adirondacks or woven wicker chairs are replaced with seating that looks both modern and vintage.

A rectangular gazebo provides shady shelter for garden seating.

A nice twist on the traditional gazebo, this rectangular shelter provides shady seating and acts as a segue between two gardens. Shot July 2015 during a Toronto Botanical Gardens tour in southwestern Ontario.

Two wooden chairs on a porch have pillows matching the flowers in the garden alongside.

One corner of a long porch spanning the width of a grand home shelters two wooden garden chairs with yellow pillows that complement the garden. Shot on a Toronto Botanical Garden tour near Creemore, ON, in June, 2016.

The Have It Both Ways look

At the back of this large garden is a wooded hillside. A creek bed at one side is so steep that the water (when there is water) cascades into a waterfall. But even in this drought, the garden looks amazing and these two close by but very different seating options offer spots to stop and take in views of the creek bed, now looking more like a ravine or rock garden yet still spectacular. Set on the trimmed lawn and surrounded by carefully tended beds of herbaceous perennials, the formal garden bench looks right at home. Farther up the incline, the muscular design of the metal-framed hammock works well against it’s natural setting. Two moods to choose from, just steps apart.

A close-up of the former creek and waterfall. Shot during a Toronto Botanical Garden tour in southwestern Ontario, May, 2016.

A hammock is sited on the edge of a garden to take advantage of a view of a creek.

You can see that the hammock has been sited to take full view of the creek and waterfall. Shot during a Toronto Botanical Garden tour in southwestern Ontario, May, 2016.

The Future Is Here look

OK. The shot that looks like a still from a creepy horror movie is actually of an art installation. No one is suggesting you sit on a straight back dining chair, each facing away from the others, to contemplate the scenery around you. But I love the idea of creating a seating area in a naturalized setting simply by adding a raised deck that wraps around a tree and floats over the area. The result would look a bit futuristic and a bit tree-fort-for-adults. Add a few (comfortable) seating options and you’ve got a great place to kick back and chill. The leaf-shaped pool loungers, on the other hand, were around a real pool in a real garden. They just happen to look like what the Jetson’s would have around their pool, if the loungers levitated, of course.

A deck built around a tree in a wooded area.

This work of art was an entry in the International Garden Festival exhibit at Reford Gardens, Quebec, in August, 2014. Although the chairs look pretty uncomfortable, I love the idea of building a raised deck around a tree in an untouched area of the garden to provide a simple yet dramatic seating area.

Three pool lounge chairs look like leaves.

These luxurious lounge chairs could be mistaken for modern art. Shot during a Toronto Botanical Garden tour in Niagara On The Lake, ON, May, 2016.

The Green Peace In The Grey City look

This urban garden in Toronto is surprisingly peaceful given that a residential street lies just beyond the evergreen hedge. A low-lying water feature encourages visitors to look down rather than up at surrounding buildings and the bubbling water acts as white noise in this bustling neighbourhood.

Two folding wooden chairs provide garden seating next to a small water feature in an urban garden.

These wooden folding chairs are complementary in size to the small patio and water feature. Shot on a Toronto Botanical Gardens tour of metro Toronto in June, 2015.

Wooden garden seating around a small water feature in an urban garden.

It’s hard to believe that just beyond the hedge surrounding this garden seating area is a residential street. Despite being only a few meters from parked cars lining the street, this spot looks private and tranquil. Shot on a Toronto Botanical Gardens tour of metro Toronto in June, 2015.

The No Garden, No Problem look

These two garden seating areas ignore the fact that there aren’t the usual garden elements like lawn and flower beds. Just add plant containers, a piece of wood used like garden sculpture, or a trellis covered with potted clematis and seats with that “I’m in a garden!” look and, voila, you have a relaxing retreat, no actual garden required.

A stylish garden seating area is created in a small area next to a fence.

A small area at one side of a garden next to the fence is turned into a stylish seating area. Shot during the Woodbridge (ON) Horticultural Society garden tour in June, 2016.

Formal garden seating furnishes a small area between a house and garage.

A small side garden between a house and garage provides garden seating with containers of plants in lieu of flower beds. Shot on a Toronto Botanical Gardens tour of metro Toronto in June, 2015.

The When In Doubt, Go bright look

Whether you’ve got lots of space or not much, using a bright colour can give garden seating that wow factor. I was never keen on eye-popping garden furniture until I saw these two gardens. I’m sold.

Upholstered chairs offer garden seating in a small patio by the side of a home.

No space? No problem. This garden seating arrangement, at one side of a home, multi-tasks for socializing or dining. A small outdoor bar area with a small, built-in wood oven can just be seen at the far right. Shot during the Oakville Garden tour, June, 2016.