Our Design Process

When Sitting Spiritually founder Martin Young first started making swing seats, he had a distinct interest in Feng Shui. The need for soft corners, swirls and curves influenced his ideas right from the outset. This is epitomised in the Kyokusen Swing Seat, the distinctive curved oak creates a stunning frame that remains one of our most popular swing seats. We have always tried to produce something that is not just nice to look at, but something that is a joy to sit on.  Read more about the background to the Kyokusen here

Our designs are inspired by our customers.  The range has developed over the years by being asked by customers, or their garden designers,  whether we would consider a particular design.  The Swinging Day Bed, for example, was the result of a garden designer, working on a garden in the South of France, asking us to design a Day Bed specifically for their client. Working with them and their brief, we developed the idea into what we thought was a fantastic idea and they agreed.  Once we had made it, it generated a lot of positive feedback and subsequent requests for more, so with the garden designers blessing, we added it to our range.  Since when we have introduced it to our range and it was our flagship product at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2017.

The additional features that have become synonymous with our garden furniture range like drinks shelves, inset ammonites, carvings and inscriptions are all a result of customer requests. We’re proud that our range is inspired by customers; we are always listening to feedback and shaping them in to new ideas. 

Why do we choose to build our Swing Seats with timber?

When looked after properly, wood improves with age and doesn’t deteriorate over time. Take any of our oak swing seats for example; when it first arrives it’s a wonderful tan colour. Over time and with the British weather taking it’s toll, it morphs itself in to a lovely and majestic silver colour. It’s the same with the Western Red Cedar we use. Providing you keep it clean and look after them, wooden swing seats will always improve with age. Wood is a natural, softer material to create swing seats with compared to the likes of metal or plastic.

What difference does the wood actually make?

We use Oak, Western Red Cedar, Pine and Accoya. Accoya in particular is an interesting one as it is an engineered and totally rot-proof wood, which naturally sounds ideal for garden swing seats. However, when we tried to paint it we found it didn’t have that perfect finish that we insist on for our seats. We therefore decided to keep it just as a natural unpainted finish which has proven popular with many people. Each wood has its own distinct features that make it unique.

Oak is the hardest, the toughest and has the greatest impact resistance – but it’s also the most expensive. Western Red Cedar is a durable softwood commonly used to make cedar shingles for roof tiles. 

We’re always open to trying new materials or types of wood for our swing seats. Walnut for example is beautiful timber but you can’t use it for outdoor garden furniture.

Where Our Swing Seats Are Made: Working with Local Businesses

We have a strong belief in working with local businesses and local people and focus very much towards that. We have 5 joiners who all work under license for us within about a 5 mile radius of our base in Lyme Regis, Dorset. Those haven’t changed in over 5 years now.

One of the fortunate things about living in the South West of England in this little part of the world is there are three main industries: agriculture, tourism and building. Therefore, if you’re in building and running your own joinery business, you have to be good at it. This provides Sitting Spiritually with some fantastic access to local tradesman and businesses to make our swing seats.

We're immensely proud of our local roots and will always seek to keep our business here in the South West.