Rock Furniture: Evolution Far Beyond Flintstone Decor!
by
Adele Kurtz
2 Materials
2 Hours
Easy
If ever you come to our oasis, you'll find dozens of planned clean places to sit, enjoy the scenery and relax comfortably.... but you will only see store-bought furniture on the decks.
We dig them out, carefully position and arrange rocks to invite you to linger and dissolve into nature.
It's not as casual as you might think! Or as spontaneous as it looks.
Every functional piece is designed to blend into the surroundings, optimize the views and fit your tushee to a tee.
Imagine yourself in these chairs and benches. Set a glass of vino on one of our pedestals or tables. This is a slice of heaven that the finest stores could NOT furnish.
God provided the basics, and we use our creativity to make it all sweet and comfy.
Today's Bench Seat:
1) Found three rocks and brought them to a garden that overlooked a pretty view. Dug two into the ground so they were about the same height.
2) Placed the third, a long flat rock on top.
Rock Bench with mulch & border
3) Extended garden border so that bench sits within, under a large Arnold Honeysuckle.
I cleaned off the dirt with a hose and liked how the black popped.
4) So I accented that by adding black mulch beneath, blended into my garden, and placed dark rocks around the edges.
stable, comfy, lookin' at the views
4) After a little wiggling and adjusting, it's stable enough for sitting and admiring the views.
Wanna see what else I've done this way?
Low milky-quartz bench with sparkly crystals
Rescued this long rock when crews were widening the highway.
Destined for pulverization. Someone actually helped us load it into the back of the station wagon.
Propped it atop a few rocks for a new life.
Large pond-side lounger
While excavating our pond we found this big-old sandstone piece.
With a massive scoot we positioned it over another rock, and pivoted it to get the right angle.
Takes a natural shape that fits my old body well.
Bring a pillow and a beach blanket and you could rest here for hours.
Favorite seat in the house
A rock with a natural butt-scoop overlooking the creek
I ordered the excavator to move this monster to this spot and planted around it so that I'd get plenty of shade and pretty views year round.
See picnic last frame.
Lichen-adorned table or high-seat
Three stacked rocks make a very nice perch.
Our entry table: Milky quartz and volcanic rock
Loved the contrast of matte volcanic rock against the sparkle of milky white quartz with crystal formations.
So it's handy at the base of our stairs for grocery bags or temporary station for clippers etc.
BTW: Three legs will support just about any weight.
And just one pebble in the right spot could be the difference between toppling or staying in place another hundred years.
Sometimes you just want to raise a rock, and balance it...
like this 3-Legged Table:
1) Upcycled 3 cast iron rods by burying deep into ground.
2) Laid heavy flat rock over top.
Sturdy enough to handle > 50 pounds easily.
In this case I already had two legs, and just needed to add one more.
3 Legged Table 2:
1) Two Aspen Trunks left rooted, cut with heavy loppers to table height
2) added third leg with a metal rod buried deep into ground
3) Added another flat rock over top
Sturdy enough to handle my weight.
In this case, I stacked three rocks into a triplet, to handle your seat and a lunch and a small child.
Gotta make a spot to admire your best views: Waterfall seating
Carefully stacked
Nature's Way
Sometimes it's too good to stay outdoors:
Brought this pedestal inside to place under our daughter's wood-burnt rascals...
And stacked a natural slab of lichen-encrusted petrified wood over another petrified fossil with a natural scoop for a light.
See prior Hometalk post
https://www.hometalk.com/diy/build/furniture/highlighting-the-great-outdoors-inside-33004738?r=2
Did you know that lichen is NOT an animal, a vegetable or a mineral, and certainly NOT a moss?
It's a venerable old combo of two species kingdoms with some forms believed to be among the oldest living organisms on our planet.
One more example of why Rich and I love and appreciate rocks!
A perfect invitation ...
For us, Naturalized seating is the ONLY way to go!
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 5 comments
-
Wow is right ! Total Shangrala !
-
Looks just like my favorite stream I spent my childhood near...shangrala !!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
how beautiful !! idyllic paradise !! were your waterfall and ponds there in the first place or did you construct them ? xxx