We decided that this was the year that we should look into more shows and events to let people know that we are located right here in Little Rock, Arkansas. After a few conversations, half a dozen emails and a couple of phone calls, we chose to attend the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds, and we are glad we did!
We wanted to stick with the theme of the show and display some of our Savannah Benches and our Versailles Planters that have been very popular with our outdoor customers.
Our Classic Savannah Bench is one of our signature pieces that we are very proud of. The Savannah Bench features incredible detail throughout its construction. We use mortise and tenon joinery with working pegs. This allows us to build the entire bench without the use of metal connectors or screws anywhere.
We featured various benches that ranged from four feet to ten feet in length. Our painted finished benches were made of maple, while our stain finished benches were made of black walnut.
We had enough room in our booth to display a Versailles Planter that was empty. With this planter, we were able to show how the planter itself actually works.
Our Versailles Planters are built with a steel frame and concrete panels. We displayed the empty planter with one of the panels removed to show how easy it is to remove the pins and swing open the straps.
Our Versailles Planter is a modern take on the planters created by landscape gardener Andre Le Notre for the Garden of Versailles in the 17th century. They are as attractive and functional now as they were when originally designed for King Louis XIV, but updated with modern materials for durability and affordability.
We also brought a pair of our "Duck Chairs" to the show. These chairs are a custom request from someone that wanted a duck themed chair for his hunting cabin. About twenty two pieces make up this beautiful chair that features a duck design in the back and all the way around the seat. These particular chairs are made of pine by request, but they can be constructed out of almost any species of wood The ducks can be changed to any design, logo, initial or almost anything else you can imagine within reason. We are very excited to expand this chair line. In fact, we already have a "big boy" version in the works that will be wider and taller than the original!
We also used the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show to debut our new product, the Clarendon Bed Swing.
We were extremely excited to show off the Clarendon Bed Swing for the first time. The swing is built of solid teak wood, and put together with mortise and tenon joinery. Every slat and rail is cut so that it fits into its proper place. This allows us to assemble the bed without any screws, nails or other types of metal fasteners.
We built the bed with the outdoors in mind. Teak wood is valued for its durability and water resistance. It is common to find teak wood in products around water, such as boats, decks and exterior construction. When it comes to teak, you can choose to let it age with the weather, or you can maintain it to keep its fresh milled look. Either way, teak is a wonderful species for outdoor use.
The bed measures 80" wide, 44" deep and 22" tall. It was designed to fit a twin mattress. Judging by the many smiles we saw from the visitors that tried it out, the bed proved to be very comfortable and relaxing.
The Clarendon Bed Swing is designed to hang from ropes that are attached to custom metal eyelets found on the corners of the rail. Since the ceiling is not accessible inside of Barton Coliseum where our booth was located, our craftsmen designed a custom pergola for our display.
The pergola measures 112" wide, 78" deep and 105" tall and is built of western red cedar. It was a beautiful compliment to our display as it tied the entire package together.
The slats on top of the pergola were designed so that they fan out from the center in a symmetrical pattern. We then added three curved cross braces for extra detail.
Cantilevers were part of the design of the pergola for added stability. We also threaded the rope that supports the bed through the cantilevers. This gave us a very clean look that literally tied both items together.
We are very happy with how the Clarendon Bed Swing and Pergola turned out and we are anxious to get it added to our list of products.
As with everything, we can custom build the Clarendon Bed Swing to any size you wish, and we can construct it out of almost any wood species you desire. The bed swing may be modified into a bench, or it can be increased to a size that can hold a king size mattress! And, if you need something to hang it from, we can custom build a pergola to match!
We named the bed swing and pergola after the town of Clarendon, Arkansas. Just North of Clarendon, the Cache River joins the White River. And, since the pergola was joining the bed swing, we thought Clarendon would be an appropriate name!
We had a wonderful time making new friends and showing off our new products at the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show! Follow us on social media to find out where we will be next!
