Pallet Furniture... What a Solution!

28/06/16

At BWL we’re super excited about our first store opening (soon!). There’s so much to do, but we’re getting there! Behind the scenes, there’s a hive of activity selecting products to arrive in our shop, in time for the summer. This time of year, the shops are bursting with more summer products than you can shake a sandy spade at, the question is….. what to buy? How do you successfully mix all those gorgeous bright colours into a cohesive look in the garden? The temptation is to just go big, bright and bold but that look doesn’t always sit right and can look disturbingly busy. So if like me, you’re getting ready to do some light entertaining this summer, ad hoc BBQ’s are generally our thing, then read on.

Firstly, pallet furniture. One of my larger suggestions but don’t panic, it can be as cheap or chic as you want to make it. Most places will give you pallets free, just ask nicely. They normally come in 2 basic shapes, square and rectangular. Stacked up, they offer the perfect depth for a super comfy seating area. The ground need to be level of course and weed free, the last thing you need is a nettle tickling your knees. You can choose to leave them disconnected for ease of movement or screw them together, but be warned, they’re heavier than they look. They look chic and trendy left unclad, but I preferred mine to blend into our decking so just on the parts you see when the cushions are on, mine was clad with decking wood. You can arrange them any way you like, I went for an L shape look but you could also have one run of pallets down the side of your garden.

Next thing is cushions. The larger the better, going back to the conundrum of colours, here’s what I’d advise. Keep the large cushions plain, add scatter cushions for colour and effect. Now when I priced up have them custom made, it was a small fortune. I’m the kind of wife that does first, and asks husband later, so not making a dent in the bank balance was a priority. It was a real problem, I had this amazing L shape outdoor sofa but couldn’t afford to put cushions on it! Then one day, whilst strolling through my local village on market day I came across a pet stall with huge, plain, waterproof cushions! Zipped, good quality and the perfect thickness……originally made as pet beds but now given the more upmarket lifestyle of pallet furniture cushions, at a fraction of the price of custom made ones. You would never know and I hope you’ll agree after looking at the photos, they look great. In terms of maintenance, I sanded the part you sit on and lean back on, not until smooth but just to remove loose bits that may cause splinters. I also gave mine a paint with clear decking oil, just to preserve it a little more, but certainly not essential.

Cheap, even free in some cases, easy to assemble and perfect for lounging around on all summer!
 
Happy pallet hunting guys, the most rewarding summer project I’ve ever done.