Whether a patio or garden is large or small an outdoor bench is a perfect furniture piece to sit and enjoy the view of the great outdoors. There are some really creative designs out there that can make your patio totally unique. How much better is it to enjoy these outdoor experiences from a seat that is not only beautiful but comfortable as well? A bench makes the perfect seat with the extra space it provides to place a book, a cup of coffee or a basket full of flowers, herbs or vegetables. Outdoor benches run the gamut from modern to traditional, from natural wood to plastic, metal or even foam. Read on to check out these 27 unique designs.
Creative Bench Designs in Wood
Lee Jaehyo is an international sculpture who uses his sculpting skills to create more than just art pieces, he also creates a series of furnishings from burnt log chunks called the Wooden Sphere Collection and within this collection is a range of gorgeous benches. Source
Chainsaw carvers also use their craft to create unique and very sculptural outdoor benches such as this Reading Bench by Rob Beckinsale.
The Ripples Outdoor Bench is an StH design that began as an indoor bench before changing its attire into an okoume or gabbon wood, chosen for its ability to withstand humidity or light rain. Horm
This Teak Ox Cart Axle bench has a more rustic appearance thanks to its carvings and upcycled parts. The Garden Furniture Center
This fun bench is made from resin and oak wood. Designed by Ingrid Michel and Frederic Pain it is called the Akene after a dry fruit that has only one seed. While named after the Akene fruit its visual is based on the maple seed and its propeller wings that help the seed fly through the air far from its mother tree. Binome
Unique Benches made from Stainless Steel
The Bridge bench is a backless straight or curved design made with a stainless steel frame and an FSC Ipe hardwood plank seat. The pairing of the two materials creates the perfect balance of warm and cold and the use of stainless steel makes this a great choice for ocean front properties. Forms+Surfaces
This Designer edition outdoor bench is also made from wood and stainless steel but in this case the wood is hornbeam and is inset into the frame rather than being placed on top. So much the same and yet so completely different. Officitta
This Perforated Stainless Steel Bench by Officitta has side arms that swoop outwards like welcoming arms. It’s a happy design and who isn’t happy when sending time in a garden or on a patio?
This Stainless Steel Modern Building Bench is a fun backless design with tapered wedge shaped sides. Source
Propane Tanks Upcycled Into Creative Benches
Boasting a pop art red lip shape, who would ever guess this gorgeous outdoor bench was made from a discarded propane tank? Colin Selig, the designer, has quite the imagination, which is not surprising since he studied metal sculpting at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. LocalHomeSpot
It’s amazing how many different bench designs Colin Selig can get out of discarded propane tanks.
The steel from the propane tanks are cleaned, sandblasted and then coated with zinc, which is a rich epoxy primer. Once dry the benches are then coated with an industrial urethane color. These upcycled benches are 99% post consumer recycled – awesome! Source
Concrete Benches for Your Patio, Deck or Garden
This cement garden bench is a gorgeous minimalist design that still has a strong geometric visual with its “mark of Zorro”. Source
Just as functional and also made from cement, this Lyon Beton Concrete Green Flower Stand – Horizontal is a double duty design with its asymmetrical planting void. Crib Deluxe
Outdoor Benches Created Out of Plastic
This has to be the most fun outdoor bench ever made! Called Attackle! It even rocks a fun name. The shape is high art with a twist and references the famous Jeff Koons Balloon Dogs. Fatboy
Folly is designed by Ron Arad. It is a large bench that from a distance could easily be mistaken for an art installation but up close, it is definitely a comfy cozy place to hang out and enjoy some fresh air. Magis
BDLOVE is a 100% waterproof bench that is designed not only to sit on a patio or in the garden, but is also designed to float around in a pool Designed by Ross Lovegrove it has a heart beat shaped backrest surrounded by bench seating that sits up to 10. BD Barcelona Design
The And bench is a loopy creation by Fabio Novembre that was designed to represent emotional turbulence so anotherwards it’s a great place for date night! It’s also a modular design that can be increased to whatever length you like. Vondom
Unusual Outdoor Benches that Light Up the Night
Did I mention that the And bench is also a light? What a beautiful display of function and art all in one well lit composition. Source
The Meteor Garden Bench by Arik Levy has its muse in glowing space rocks that have crashed through our atmosphere only to find themselves on your lawn or patio. It’s a cool concept for a cool piece of furniture. Serralunga
The Bright Stones Collection by Giancarlo Zema Design Group is made from translucent eco-cement with veins that come to life with fibre optics and LED technology with RGB, which enables you to choose the color of the LEDs. LocaLHomeSpot
Wildly Unique Benches Made from Coated Foam
Designed by Pieter Jamart, the Strawseat outdoor garden bench brings a bit of a farm ho down right to your own backyard and since its coated foam, its actually lighter then a straw bale. Sixinch
The Male & Female benches where the brainchild of Jan De Cuyper and since they are individual benches you can just as easily have a single bench or a Male and Male or a Female and Female, another wards all inclusive. Source
The Sixinch Letters Collection of coated foam outdoor benches by Pieter Jamartcome in every letter of the alphabet with 26 different color choices.
There is also a Sixinch bench designed to look like (and called) Arrows. Designed by Jan De Cuyper it has arrow ends, short rectangles and curved sections to create the directional arrow of your choice.
While letters, arrows and people icons are grown up designs, Sixinch also has a coated foam puzzle bench that any child would love to play with and since the puzzle pieces fit together, its modular too!