The Floating Bench

Every piece is made by hand, so sizes can vary by a centimetre or two. The figures below are the largest you should plan for. If you are laying slabs or a base, wait until your piece is delivered and positioned, then set them to its feet.

• Two seater: 145cm wide
• Both: 80cm high, seat 55cm deep

The Floating Bench was created in response to a gap in the market for contemporary, sustainable hardwood garden furniture, and its design still feels remarkably fresh. Its defining feature is the gently curved back rail, which appears to float unsupported while remaining robust and comfortable to sit against. That sense of lightness is central to the piece: the open back frames the garden beyond, while the crisp, sleek lines bring a refined contrast to softer planting and sit equally well in more contemporary outdoor spaces.

For all its visual clarity, this is not a bench designed only to be admired. The curved back is shaped through steam bending in native oak, giving the piece both strength and a softness in use, while the generous proportions make it feel welcoming and relaxed. The result is a bench with a sculptural quality, yet one that remains grounded in comfort, craftsmanship and everyday enjoyment in the garden.

• Design Guild Mark, The Furniture Makers' Company
• Shortlisted, RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden Product of the Year
• Featured in two RHS Gold Medal-winning gardens 
• Selected for Liberty's Outdoor Living Collection
• Featured in BBC coverage 

Choose your size, finish and details above and order online, or call Nick on 01297 443084 if you would rather talk it through. Ordering online does not lock anything in: we call every customer within a few days to confirm placement, access and the finished specification before your piece goes to the workshop.

Most pieces are made to order in four to six weeks. As yours nears completion we send you a photograph from the workshop, then book a delivery date with you. Cushions, covers and other additions can be added later – many customers live with their piece through a season first.

Buying from overseas? See international delivery – we deliver to Europe, North America, Australia and beyond.

Guarantee. Every piece carries our five-year Sitting Spiritually guarantee, and painted Accoya pieces are built on timber guaranteed by its manufacturer for 50 years above ground. Our first seats, made in 2004, still sit in our Lyme Regis garden: the five years is a floor, not a ceiling. If something is wrong through our fault, we put it right at our cost. Full terms are on our guarantee page.

Care. Clean the timber a few times a year with sugar soap or our wood cleaner so algae and dirt do not settle in the grain, and avoid a high-pressure washer, which raises the grain. Leave new oak unoiled for its first two to three years while the natural tannins wash out; after that, a feeding oil once a year in spring keeps it nourished. Our refurbishment kit has everything needed. Painted Accoya needs only a wash down. More in aftercare and maintenance.

In the first season. Fresh oak releases tannin when it rains, which can mark new paving (Indian sandstone especially) until it has washed through – stand the feet on something for the first few months. Small dark marks around screw plugs are a reaction between the tannin and traces of iron in water; they are cosmetic and weather in.

Later on. If a piece has been left for a few years, our workshop can collect, restore and return it. See the refurbishment service.

Material contrast is at the heart of The Floating Bench. Crafted in natural and scorched oak from sustainable sources, it brings together the warmth and grain of natural timber with the depth and drama of a darkened, scorched finish. This treatment does more than create visual definition: the innovative use of scorching, sometimes referred to as Yaki-Sugi, also offers natural weather protection, while a low-solvent oil and wax finish helps the timber stand up beautifully to the British climate.

What makes the timber story especially compelling is the character it gives the bench. The scorched surface has a richness and texture that feels more layered than paint or stain, while the natural oak back and arms keep the overall design light, balanced and tactile. Together, these finishes give The Floating Bench its distinctive identity: striking enough to make an impression, yet restrained enough to feel at home in a calm, considered garden setting.

Your finished seat is delivered with the same care with which it was made. We work with Richard and Kevin of Saturn Removals, a trusted specialist team who our customers speak of immensely highly. They understand our products, our standards and the importance of a calm, unhurried experience on the day.

Ahead of delivery, you will be contacted directly to confirm a convenient date and time slot. This conversation also allows us to discuss access in detail - from driveways and garden paths to positioning - so everything runs smoothly on the day.

On arrival, your seat is carefully carried into your garden and installed in the exact position you have chosen. The team will assemble and set it up on site, ensuring it sits level and swings freely. Before they leave, you are warmly invited to take a seat and gently sway - making sure it feels exactly as it should. Only when you are completely happy do we consider the installation complete.

It is a considered service, designed to make the final step of the journey as reassuring as the first.

The Floating Bench sits at the heart of our collaboration with Simon Thomas Pirie - a partnership shaped by a shared appreciation for craftsmanship, material integrity and more contemporary forms of outdoor furniture. As part of the Simon Thomas Pirie Contemporary Range with Sitting Spiritually, it brought a fresh design language into the collection: cleaner lines, stronger architectural presence, and a more design-led interpretation of how seating can live in the garden.

That collaboration gave rise to one of the most distinctive pieces in the range. Since its launch, The Floating Bench has been shortlisted for RHS Chelsea Garden Product of the Year, featured in two RHS Gold Medal-winning gardens, appeared on BBC coverage, and gone on to receive the prestigious Design Guild Mark from The Furniture Makers’ Company. Earlier recognition through Liberty’s Outdoor Living Collection and praise as a “design classic of the future” only strengthen its pedigree. It remains a bench of real substance and quiet confidence - unmistakably contemporary, yet entirely at ease in the landscape.