The garden can often be overlooked when it comes to putting your own stamp on your home, but with just a few considered updates you can transform your patch into a little paradise where you’ll be longing to spend all your free time. We might be biased but we think the green slate from our Honister Slate Mine, the last working slate mine in the England is truly stunning and adds a unique touch of beauty to any outdoor space, elevating your garden to the next level.
Where Does Our Slate Come From?
Slate, a metamorphic rock, is formed over millions of years deep within the earth from clay, shale, and volcanic ash. The mineral content and more specifically the mineral structure and grain size influences the colour of the slate resulting in a variation in the look of slate in different areas of the UK and indeed the world. The mineral composition deep within Fleetwith Pike in the Lake District is such that the slate has a beautiful and unique green hue varying from olive to deep green resulting in an incredibly stunning and rare natural stone.
Why Is Slate Expertly Suited for Use In The Garden?
Known by several names including Cumbrian Green Slate, Westmorland Green Slate and Lakeland Green Slate, the 450-million-year-old Honister Green Slate is renowned for its durability, easy clean low maintenance and stain and heat resistance. Additionally, each piece of slate will have individual characteristics allowing for truly one-off pieces which are soft to the touch, naturally antibacterial and look equally as at home in a traditional country cottage garden or contemporary minimalist garden setting. Also importantly, slate is reusable and recyclable meaning if you would like to update the look of your garden at any point in the future slate is a fantastic eco choice.
Ideas For Incorporating Slate in Your Garden?
With the multitude of amazing qualities of slate, the natural stone lends itself beautifully to garden tables, benches, sundials, water features, monoliths, bird baths, bird tables and sculptures as well as house names, house numbers and larger signs for residential, commercial, and industrial properties. The possibilities truly are endless but one of our favourite ways to use slate in the garden is with garden tables and benches.
Slate Garden Tables and Slate Garden Benches
When it comes to garden furniture it can be difficult to balance the aesthetic with functionality. With extremes of weather from summer heat to winter frost and snow and not forgetting the rain that, let’s face it, in the UK is a common occurrence anytime of the year, wooden garden furniture is prone to colour fading, cracking, and warping. Synthetic garden furniture can alleviate some of these issues however there is a possibility of chemicals leaching into the environment and depending on the material they may not be recyclable at the end of their life. Investing in slate garden furniture means you’ll be investing in a piece which will blend seamlessly with the natural beauty of your outdoor space. Slate won’t weather meaning it will look stunning year after year and is incredibly low maintenance to look after; to clean garden slate all you need is simply soapy water and a cloth. Durable but with a softness to the touch, slate garden furniture is incredibly tactile as well as naturally antibacterial making it an ideal choice for garden tables and garden benches and as slate can be recycled it is a fantastic eco-friendly option.
At Honister Slate Mine our exceptionally skilled craftspeople create green slate garden furniture showcasing the natural beauty and colour variations of the rare Honister Green Slate. With each piece of slate varying with regards to its stunning green hue colour and striations, your garden furniture will really be a one-off masterpiece, the centrepiece to your outdoor entertaining area or that quiet corner of your garden reserved for you to read a book, have a morning coffee, or just take in nature for a few precious moments.
If your perfect garden setting is snuggled with loved ones around a firepit, wrapped in a blanket and toasting marshmallow on sticks or enjoying an evening tipple being mesmerised by the flames then Honister green slate garden furniture will be the ideal accompaniment. Being heat resistant, slate has been used for centuries as fire surrounds and hearths and lends itself perfectly to garden furniture which will be placed close to firepits and BBQs. And if for you, your perfect outdoor entertaining setting is a central table with tea lights and candles twinkling like fireflies at dusk on a summers evening then you can’t go wrong with slate. Never again will you need to worry about whether the candles are damaging the table beneath or making sure the delectable feast prepared for you and your loved ones is placed on place mats, you can simply spend your time enjoying the delicious food and gorgeous company.
Bespoke Slate Garden Furniture
As the stunning hue and markings on every piece of slate is wonderfully unique, your slate garden table or bench will be beautifully individual and a truly one-of-a-kind slate garden feature. However, you can also opt for our bespoke service where our exceptionally skilled craftspeople can bring your vision to life, creating a decorative slate garden piece that will compliment your garden design seamlessly and gorgeously and give you a distinctive one-off piece of furniture, you’ll love for years to come.
When it comes to Honister green slate garden benches with options such as sleek and contemporary or a more rustic raw edge and texture you’ll be spoilt for choice when deciding on the look, particularly as you can also add lettering and dates to make your bench more personal.
When it comes to choosing the perfect garden furniture which will stand the test of time and suit your garden aesthetic and add a unique and personal touch you really can’t go wrong with Honister green slate garden tables and benches.
If you already have the design in mind or equally if you’re looking for slate garden ideas, we’d love to talk to you and create a beautiful slate piece for your garden.