Home and Gardens

Companies like Oxley’s and Haddonstone concentrate on making beautiful, timeless pieces with the purpose of enhancing the customer’s enjoyment of their gardens over the very long term. In Oxley’s case; luxury aluminium garden furniture and in Haddonstone’s; beautiful garden, landscaping and architectural cast stonework. Mankind’s desire to create pieces like these dates back to ancient times, truly enhancing the beauty of our gardens for decades.

From the very first civilisations people have created gardens for the same reasons that we do today, to produce beautiful spaces and bring enjoyment to all that use them. Amongst the earliest gardens were those created by the ancient Greeks, the Babylonians and Persians. Our imagination of these was properly first represented in renaissance art, which has influenced our image of the bucolic gardens from the ancient world ever since. How real these artistic visions of gardens of the past are, we don’t know, as most have long ago disappeared.

One we do know about was created by the Roman Emperor Hadrian at his astonishing palace in Tivoli, near Rome, during the second century AD. These magnificent gardens were liberally enhanced by stone statues and benches. Some of these beautiful works of art still exist, so it is reasonable to assume that from the earliest time the beauty of nature in gardens has been enhanced by purpose made human art.

The great estates of the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries such as Versailles, Blenheim and Chatsworth all had brilliantly designed gardens which incorporated statues and works of art carefully positioned to enhance the views of nature. With specific seating areas made to best enjoy these sweeping vistas.

In today’s hectic world, carefully placed pieces of art in the natural environment allow us to accentuate and better appreciate nature itself. Creating your own garden, your own outdoor space, with your own choice of art is one of the most creative pastimes. Being able to enjoy this space with your friends and family in an area specially designed for you brings immense joy.

Both Haddonstone and Oxley’s are traditional companies that make mostly classical pieces which strongly complement nature and fully enhance the outdoor environment. Most often the inspiration for the pieces made is the same natural world that these pieces will inhabit. Foliage, flowers and animals appear in many of the designs that both companies create. The Barrington furniture range from Oxley’s, for example, is inspired by herbaceous borders and is designed to be at home among the flowerbeds, a beautiful example of how luxury garden aluminium furniture can enhance your natural garden. Haddonstone’s cast stone designs are also heavily inspired by the natural world. Many of their traditional planters feature foliage and fruits, whilst their water features encompass dolphins, lions and lotus leaves. Likewise, their extensive range includes designs with nature in mind. Their craftsmen produce bird baths and bird tables to support their clients’ feathered friends, and their fountains and pool surrounds are ideal for encouraging insects, birds and marine life into the garden.

These pieces must not only enhance the natural environment but also stand the test of time. What you design and place in the natural world has to last, otherwise nature will take it back. Companies like Oxley’s and Haddonstone are inspired to make as their forefathers did, creating things that will not be badly affected over time. Our gardens should be filled with beautiful products made from natural and sustainable materials, which is what Oxley’s and Haddonstone strive to do with each piece they create.