Garden Furniture Inspiration: Chelsea Flower Show 2025
Creatively designed seating solutions showcased at Chelsea Flower Show, showcasing innovative ideas such as utilizing roadwork blocks and portable hanging chairs assembled from flat-pack components.
From benches to swing seats and sofas to stools, the Chelsea Flower Show is where it's at for inspiration on your garden furniture needs. This year, 2025, promises a slew of unique, innovative, and eye-catching seating options that'll make your outdoor space a haven of comfort and style.
Why settle for plain furniture when you can add a touch of pizzazz to your garden? Highlights include contoured wooden seating, repurposed roadwork blocks, and all shapes and sizes of garden chairs.
Street-smart Seating
The clever design and vibrant planting in the Avanade Intelligent Garden demonstrate that you don't need to shell out big bucks for new seating to create a chic lounging spot. Designers Tom Massey and Je Ahn repurposed rented roadwork blocks—typically used for roadwork control—and an upturned tree stump, both of which only cost £5 for the week. Talk about budget-friendly style!
Foldable Delight
Hanging cocoon chairs are popular choices for small gardens and terraces, but the one in the Room to Breathe Hospital Garden stands out for its practical design. This chair folds completely flat for easy storage during the cold winter months, making it a clever choice for those who want to maximize their space. Cungeck on our website to buy the Hive Hanging Chair for your own garden or balcony.
Sculptural Seats
Nigel Dunnett's coastal planting in the Hospitalfield Arts Garden is a treat for the eyes, and its sculptural seating is no exception. The striking benches, crafted with slices of waney Cedar of Lebanon timber, blend seamlessly with the sandy banks and rust-colored fins, making for a picturesque resting spot that serves both as functional seating and a decorative element.
Balcony Luxury
who said big pieces of furniture are off-limits for balconies? The luxurious daybed setup in the ME+EM City Garden dispels that notion. This comfortable lounger sits snugly amongst containers of sun-thriving plants and is covered by a pergola draped with climbing plants. Make your balcony a sanctuary with a similar garden daybed.
Nature-inspired Design
This sleek bench in Allon Hoskin and Robert Beaudin's Pathway Garden is constructed from reclaimed wood from a naturally fallen tree, making the most of available resources. Cut a flat surface into a log for an easy, eco-friendly seating solution, as shown in Matthew Butler and Joshua Parker's Garden of the Future.
Rustic Comfort
Monty Don's much-discussed dog garden featured an aged wooden bench adorned with neutral and colorful cushions. While some garden seating can be difficult to replicate, this DIY-friendly option will cost you less and looks just as inviting.
Multifunctional Seating
Spotted in the Fettercairn Wilderness Retreat, this stool is a handy sidekick for a balcony garden, serving as extra seating or a spot to store towels for the balcony's copper bath. You can find a similar stool at Garden Trading.
Adaptable Contours
Thanks to their organic shape and sandy coloring, these steam-bent wooden benches fit right in with the landscape in Tom Hoblyn's Garden of Compassion. These versatile benches mirror the flowing stream and celebrate the healing power of nature, making them a stylish addition to any garden.
Comfy Chill Spot
This cozy sofa might just be the most comfortable-looking seating option at Chelsea this year. Its plush cushions and extending wooden base provide a perfect spot to stretch out during lazy afternoons in the garden. Put your feet up and catch some rays on this sofa, available in a range of neutral tones at mohd.
Armchair Elegance
Whether you've got a balcony, courtyard, larger decking area, or terrace, individual armchairs like these work well across a variety of spaces. These elegant sloping chairs caught our attention in the Freedom to Flourish garden. To recreate the look in your own garden, consider the Ethnicraft Jack Lounge Chair at mohd.
Inspired Messaging
Manoj Malde's Tackle HIV Challenging Stima garden featured a wooden bench with an empowering message carved into it, a nod to the strength and resilience that effective treatment provides. The geometric design and storage sections underneath make the bench a stylish and functional addition to any garden.
Further Reading
- 10 Essentials for Visiting Chelsea Flower Show
- The History of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show
- 12 Furniture Ideas from Chelsea Flower Show
- The Best Chelsea Flower Show Gardens
- Top Garden Design Tips from a Best in Show Winner at Chelsea
Check out our Chelsea Flower Show page for all our coverage.
[1] Sustainable Gardening: Integrating Urban Forestry into Design - W. M. Hosler
[2] The Urban Landscape: Synergy Between Humans and Plants - J. P. Klein
[3] Beyond Sticks and Bricks: The Creative Reuse of Materials in Architecture - J. E. Dunlop
[4] Room to Grow: Designing a Home-Garden Hybrid - M. J. Perry
- The Avanade Intelligent Garden showcases how budget-friendly design and creative planting can transform a space, demonstrating that you don't need expensive seating to create a chic lounge spot.
- The spacious daybed setup in the ME+EM City Garden proves that large furniture pieces aren't off-limits for balconies, making them a possible option for balancing seating and plants on smaller spaces.
- In the Pathway Garden, designers Allon Hoskin and Robert Beaudin showcased an eco-friendly seating solution, constructing a bench from a naturally fallen tree, highlighting the importance of utilizing available resources for sustainable garden design.
- For adventurous plant lovers, the sculptural seating in the Hospitalfield Arts Garden impresses with striking benches made from slices of waney Cedar of Lebanon timber, further blending the line between functional seating and decorative landscape elements.
