As much as I like working in my garden, what I really love is watching others work—squirrels furtively ferrying nuts to hideouts, bees on a tight schedule in the lemon tree, ants with plans. A comfortable garden bench is key to my surveillance efforts. Here are 10 wood garden benches (with deep seats and armrests) to keep you in the garden all afternoon.
Above: Danish designer Povl Eskildsen’s teak wooden Windsor Bench measures approximately 63 inches long (also available in a shorter length). For more information and prices, see Solpuri.
Above: Made in Italy, a teak Notting Hill Garden Bench is about 60 inches long and comes in a choice of finish (either pickled or natural teak). For more information and US distributors, see Ethimo.
Above: Designed by Aurelian Barbry for Skagerak, a Plank Bench 144 is about 57 inches long; $1,247 at Finnish Design Shop.
Above: A teak Sahara Garden Bench is 47 inches long; $689.99 at All Modern.
Above: From Scandinavian designer Skagerak, a teak Drachmann Bench with a cross-back design is 65 inches long; $1,899 at Horne.
Above: From Danish designer Povl Eskildsen, a Kingston Teak Bench is 52.5 inches long and 24.5 inches deep; for more information and pricing, see Gloster.
Above: With simple, modern lines, a Monaco Teak Outdoor Garden Seat from British designer Barlow Tyrie measures 47.25 inches long and is $1,995 from Didrik’s.
Above: A 46-inch Lancaster Eucalyptus Wood Garden Bench is $152.69 from Wayfair.
Above: An acacia wood Applaro two-seat bench is 48 1/8 inches long, available in brown or white; $95 at Ikea.
Above: The Protected Teak Two Seat Garden Sofa at Terrain is $998 and comes with a cushion.
Before you choose outdoor furnishings, see Your First Outdoor Furniture: 5 Mistakes to Avoid and our curated design guide to Decks & Patios in our Garden Design 101 section. For more reasons to lounge around outdoors, see: