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47 
is one of a lighter touch. As a type they 
may be considered more useful than stone 
seats in that they are more readily adapted 
to all kinds of gardens. Their lines may 
be gay or severe; they may be built up so 
solidly as almost to achieve the effect of 
stone, or they may be slender and graceful 
to the point of fragility. Being more easily 
formed they may be made more comfort¬ 
able. And being easily constructed into 
any shape, they can be made to fit any lo¬ 
cation in the garden for which a seat is 
desirable. A circular seat about a tree, for 
instance, can be accomplished with very 
little trouble in design or construction, just 
as a bay in a wall, hedge or lattice—a bay 
that is curved, many-sided, or rectangular, 
may be filled snugly with an especially 
made seat or with a grouping of several. 
Wooden seats should be chosen in de¬ 
signs which will reflect the spirit of the 
garden and suggest the architectural treat¬ 
ment of the house. It will be noticed in 
the illustration on the top of page 46 how 
well the furniture combines with the arbor 
in which it is placed, and it follows that 
the arbor is satisfying partly because it, in 
turn, reflects the style of the house to which 
the garden belongs. 
Colors are not safe in garden seats. 
When painted they should be done in white 
or in a shade of cream or gray just off 
white. There is always the danger that a 
green or any other positive color will clash 
with the colors of foliage and flowers. A 
natural wood stain or weathered finish, on 
the other hand, will harmonize with all its 
natural surroundings. 
The placing of garden seats is a matter 
of practical esthetics which deserves care¬ 
ful consideration. In addition to the fact 
that there should be symmetry to their 
arrangement in the garden, it is necessary 
that they be located in such a way that 
they will extend the interest of the garden. 
Seats at each end of a long path, for in¬ 
stance, will do much more than provide a 
balanced effect when viewed from the center 
of the garden. They will lead us on to 
each end of the path. Seats should not be 
allowed to jut out into the path along which 
they are placed, but should be provided 
(Continued on page 98) 
One comes upon the Chinese Chip¬ 
pendale manner in garden furni¬ 
ture with surprise at its very evi¬ 
dent fondness for life in the open 
A lattice, curved seat and shaded 
table form a splendid unit to end 
a paved and perennial-bordered 
path. Designed by Elsa Rehmann 
An unusually fine ma¬ 
sonry seat and retaining 
wall combined designed 
for a Greenwich, Ct., 
garden. Ellen Shipman, 
landscape architect 
