Philip Koomen Furniture ~ Sustainable Furniture Design in Wood ~ Garden furniture | Sculptural Furniture | Unusual Garden furniture | Garden Tables | Garden Seating | Benches | Pondlife Bench

Original Pondlife bench

instead of using sweet chestnut thinnings as firewood we use them to create these wonderful reeds in combination with a cedar of lebanon seat

This very large Pondlife bench was made from sweet chestnut thinnings and cedar of Lebanon from Oxford University woodlands (Bagley Woods and Nuneham Courtenay University Arboretum). We developed a sustainable way of using thinnings which would otherwise have been destined as firewood

Three highly sculptural benches, pondlife, slither and sunrise or scallop

sculptural garden bench ~ sunburst or sunrise bench aka scallop bench

garden bench, an example of our often unusual garden furniture shapes. This is a detail of the sunrise or sunburst bench aka scallop bench

tactile sculptural bench to seat many people at the Hay Festival

sculptural yet functional bench providing seating for many at the Hay Festival

wave and splash bench in American tulipwood

Wave and Splash (a 20 ft sculptural bench in tulipwood) was the centre piece at the Guardian Hay Festival 2009
This is an example of how we create sculptural, yet functional, garden furniture
You can view the reception of this innovative application of tulipwood as a show wood at Hay, on this youtube clip.

2 u bench

Two u bench in English oak

oak garden furniture in sculptural yet functional form; we call this the figure of 8 and was first exihbited at the Henley Festival
Figure of eight bench garden seating in oak

Plank chairs in yew

Six sided oak garden table

refectory style garden table made in local oxfordshire elm

Refectory style garden table in elm

The original "Pondlife" bench (shown at the top of this page) was produced in 1998. It has been described by The Independent as "organic and wildly eccentric" and by Channel 4 as "absolutely beautiful". The Pondlife bench began as a one-off experimental flight of fancy, exploring the relationship between furniture and sculpture. The design aims to create an object that transcends its functional purpose, engaging the user and observer in an unusual aesthetic and tactile experience.
Pondlife benches are made from locally and regionally sourced timber. A semi-bespoke range means clients can usually commission a bench that meets their needs. One-off variations can also be produced.

Semi-bespoke range – a guide
• The semi-bespoke range is made from green sweet chestnut thinnings and air-dried cedar of Lebanon (for the seats)
• They are suitable for exterior use only
• Size: different sizes are available: single seater (72cm wide), 2 seater (127cm wide), 2¼ seater (138cm wide), 2½ seater (150cm wide), 3 seater (190cm wide)
• Durability: sweet chestnut and cedar of Lebanon have been selected for their natural durability
• Fixings: stainless steel 15cm coach screws
• Finish: the benches are finished in Tung oil, a natural durable finish that can be revived with subsequent coats of oil
• Patina: wood exposed to the elements will develop a grey patina, a self protective finish. Alternative finishes that preserve the natural wood colour may be an option
• Individuality & uniqueness: the 'reeds' are hand-carved; each bench will therefore have its own character. Every bench is numbered
• Delivery: by carriers, at cost

Some of the processes involved in producing a Pondlife bench
Felling	Felled thinnings	Split banana thinnings	Band sawing	Reeds quartered and eighted	Spoke shaving the reeds	Shaped reeds
Sanding	Shaped, sanded	Oiled reeds	Reeds are positioned and pre-drilled	A finished Pondlife in situ	Pondlife table	Back to back

Philip Koomen Furniture ~ Garden Furniture