8 NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
Garden Seats 
BY MARY H. NORTHEND 
It is a noteworthy fact that with our keen sense of the 
beautiful, we Americans have shown less appreciation of 
the value of garden furnishings and accessories than is 
everywhere evident in foreign countries. There, the 
art of embellishing with bridges, fountains, statues, seats 
and urns is understood to perfection, but on this side 
it is only within recent date that we have been fully 
eognizant of the touch of completeness and distinction 
that these ornaments lend. Perhaps our recognition of 
their worth has grown out of the adoption of the formal 
Italian type of garden; but however this may be, their 
significance has at least been demonstrated to us, and 
today nearly every garden of any pretense whatever 
claims one or more of these little artificial attractions. 
For no matter whether small or extensive, the beauty 
and satisfaction of every flower plot are enormously en- 
hanced by these charming devices, since, as a house is 
cozy or barren according to the style of its decorations, 
so a garden is beautiful or unpleasing in proportion to 
the type and quality of ornaments employed in its furn- 
ishing. 
Of all these garden accessories, seats are probably the 
most important. Supplying a resting place, and thus a 
vantage point from which the garden may be best en- 
joyed, they also give an artistic touch that is quite dis- 
tinct from their usefulness in defining axes, ending 
the walks, or relieving barren places. Indeed, the at- 
mosphere of restfulness and habitation that they con- 
tribute to the scene of nature’s lavishness constitute 
their chief charm. 
In general there are two types of garden seats, each 
with almost innumerable modifications, from which you 
-may make your selection, according to the style of 
earden you have adopted. These are the rustic bench, 
designed for a more or less wild or old-fashioned effect. 
and the more formal seat, usually constructed of stone 
and planned to adorn gardens in which there is an at- 
tempt at a somewhat set plan. Between these two, there 
are, of course, almost limitless adaptations of the one or 
the other, the chief point to be borne in mind being the 
perfect suitability of your garden seat to its setting and 
environment. 
For example, the charming seat built of wood and 
having a picturesque shingled roof slanting over it 
would be out of place in anything but a tanglewood of 
shrubs and trees. With tall vine-like plants on either 
side and a background of masses of trees, this artistic 
nook invites one to rest and enjoy the quaintly planned 
varden that spreads out before it. The borders formed 
of a single row of stones and the oddly carved standards 
that support the potted plants are objects of interest 
that catch the eye from this point of comfort and are in 
keeping with the unusual and old-fashioned effect. Or, 
wishing to linger, the cushioned seat suggests reading 
beneath the shelter of roof and vines. In every way this 
rustic seat fits into the pleasing composition of the scene 
most successfully, for there is a lack of formality and an 
air of freedom and seclusion about it that are de- 
lightful. Could these be attained if such a seat were 
placed at the edge of a lawn, amid flower beds of set and 
regular design? 
Of contrasting character, and unique in its setting 
purpose, is the stone seat without a back, supported by 
carved heads and placed within an arch-like construc- 
tion of similar type of architecture. This seat is not 
suggestive of comfort, as there is no support, and its 
position, without a background, is not restful. But, as 
a part of the formal garden, seen in the picture, it is 
perfectly harmonious. The vines behind the pillars are 
also pleasing while they conceal from the opposite side, 
the purpose of this garden ornament—a line of demar- 
cation between the formal garden and the old-time one. 
For this reason, it was designed without regard to lin- 
gering rests but more particularly for a place whence 
one may gain an extensive view of either garden, enjoy- 
ing it with the comfort of being seated, and also adding 
a touch that gives completeness and cuts the long dis- 
tance. It is curiously suggestive of both the old Italian 
gardens and the Japanese temple entrances—an interest- 
ing as well as decorative feature of a most picturesque 
landscape. 
Even more formal than the above is the ornately 
carved stone seat which is sometimes employed in ex- 
tremely stately gardens, where there is a desire to re- 
lieve the monotony of the surrounding green. There is, 
however, some objection to the elaborately finished back 
and side pieces, since they suggest almost too plainly 
the chair form, a model that is rarely attractive in stone. 
But, if a simpler design is preferred, the two plain 
curved slabs of stone, supported by carved standards, 
may find favor in your garden. Like the other, it is 
placed against a tree trunk, the simplicity of the absence 
of a back fitting into the open front of the garden and 
appealing to the eye. . 
Or a plain, straight slab may be used, its simple sup- 
ports coverd by shrubs. Placed against a hedge at the 
end of a walk, it affords a delightfully secluded resting 
nook upon which one comes unexpectedly. It is best 
suited to a more or less formal garden, where trees and 
plants show careful trimming and where gravel walks 
are scrupulously kept. 
And now we come to the placing of your garden seat, 
which is quite as important to the final outcome as the 
selection of the type. For there are many points to be 
considered in this connection. First, have you decided 
upon the most artistic place? That is, does the seat fit 
into its setting with relation to the composition of the 
picture? Is its position justified by comfort? Have 
you provided for a good view as you rest in your gar- 
den? The answers to these questions supply the salient 
facts to be uppermost in your mind when you are weigh- 
ing this subject. Of course you will find that there are 
really no hard and fast rules to be followed. All de- 
pends upon your taste, your knowledge of art, your 
aim. You will discover, however, there is much less — 
chance of wrong placing in a garden where positions are 
fixed by the formality than in a picturesque scheme of un- 
marked distinctiveness of type. In the latter case, seats 
must be so placed as to give the impression of inevitable- 
ness, but in both instances, care and thought are neces- 
sary to attain just the right position and effect. A 
happy blending of view and harmony is illustrated in 
the twin seats having circular outlines and the pergola 
top. Filling a space that would otherwise be barren, 
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