Our Design Process for
Handcrafted Garden Swing Seats

Lucy Young and the language of movement

Some of our most recognisable design cues come from an artist’s eye.

Lucy Young is a Dorset-based seascape artist, drawn to coastal light and the sense of movement you feel more than you see. Her early sketches helped shape design ideas that would go on to influence the collection - including the development of the Heart back as a distinctive style within our swing seat range.

It’s fitting: a swing seat is a study in gentle motion - a small, repeating arc; the hush of chain; the way time loosens. Lucy’s coastal perspective keeps our design language grounded in nature: calm lines, soft curves, and details that feel considered rather than ornate.

Comfort first, always

A Sitting Spiritually swing seat is designed to feel right before it looks right.

That means:

• proportions that invite you to settle in (not perch),

• arm shapes that naturally take the hand,

• a back design that supports rather than decorates,

• and a gentle, balanced swing — the kind you don’t notice until your shoulders drop.

It’s quiet luxury: the garden becomes the sanctuary, and the seat becomes the place.

Five back styles, five different moods

Choosing a back style is surprisingly personal. It isn’t only about measurements — it’s about the feel, the character, and how the seat inhabits your space.

We offer five back styles across our swing seats - Fan, Curve, Heart, Slat and Swirl - and each brings a slightly different presence to the garden.

• Fan — the most classic, and the one many people fall for instantly: refined, balanced, quietly timeless.

• Curve — softer and more architectural; a gentle profile that suits structured planting and calmer palettes.

• Heart — a touch of warmth and whimsy; often chosen for meaningful gifts and favourite corners.

• Slat — clean-lined and understated; beautifully simple in more contemporary gardens.

• Swirl — expressive and decorative; a statement detail that still feels elegant.

Sizing: our swing seats are made in1–4 seat options, so the proportions feel right whether you’re creating a solitary reading spot or a place where family gathers.

Designs that evolve from real gardens

Many of our best ideas have come from customers and designers asking, could you…?

A garden designer’s brief led to the first version of what became our Swinging Day Bed — and once it existed, the requests quickly followed.
The same is true of the details people now associate with Sitting Spiritually: drinks shelves, carved inscriptions, inset motifs, and small personal touches that make a piece feel like it belongs.

We listen, we refine, and we keep the result calm.

Materials chosen for the long term

We build in timber because timber belongs outdoors — and because it ages with grace.

Across the collection we use:

• Prime European oak for natural pieces, chosen for strength and character, weathering from warm tones to a soft silver patina.

• Accoya for painted finishes, selected for stability and longevity outdoors.

• Western Red Cedar on selected designs, with its own lighter feel and outdoor resilience.

Throughout, we use marine-grade stainless fixings, because the details matter when a piece lives outside year-round.