A stand for a potted epiphyllum in our garden. The plant is placed in a cluster of other larger plants, and needs to be raised above them. Outdoor furniture takes a beating from the sun and daily over-spray from misting plants. I build outdoor pieces on the substantial side, and they last far longer than anything we can buy. Like all of my outdoor furniture, it is made from 2x redwood with galvanized screws, and is designed to be built with simple tools.
I start with sketches, then make large scale drawings like these at left to understand how the piece comes together and solve any problems.
As a response to recent water restrictions, we decided to install shades for our garden. These articles show the process I followed from initial studies to finished shades.
Plants are mostly bromeliads and tillandsias (air plants). Our garden is well established, with little room available for installing poles in the ground or attaching shades to the house.
These are sketches of different concepts, developed as I talked to different manufacturers, researched materials and explored options.
We decided that it was too intrusive to have anyone install them-too many plants and not enough room-so I built and installed them myself. We selected a coated pvc mesh that is 50% open for filtered sunlight. Shades are royal blue-the major accent color in the garden. Supports are steel tube with stainless steel marine cable and hardware.
They are designed like kites, light members braced by thin strings.
The tall structure is a 2 story deck that we built about 10 years ago, but that’s another story.
san diego design, cartoons, architecture, furniture
made from 2x redwood with galvanized screws, and is designed to be built with simple tools.
