WRAPAROUND BAR/BENCH

green glow

By running a piece of timber under the kitchen window and around the walls, you create a place for drinks, items from the kitchen, and a pot plant or two – all without encroaching on the garden space.

Gather your supplies

• 240 x 45mm H3 treated pine

• 250 x 200 x 6mm black wall brackets

You’ll also need

Square; circular saw; sander with various grades of sandpaper; spirit level; drill; 6.5mm masonry drill bit; 50mm green wall plugs; 50 and 40mm galvanised screws; flat mending plate; clear exterior varnish; paintbrush

Here’s how

STEP 1 Use square to mark ends of each piece of timber for bench on a 45° angle. Cut pine using a circular saw.

STEP 2 Use a sander to remove ridges from timber and get rid of green tinge. Start with a coarse grade of sandpaper to quickly remove timber before switching to finer grades to remove sanding marks.

STEP 3 Set out level for bench on your wall. A comfortable bench height is about 1100mm. Position top of wall brackets 45mm below your bench level. Hold brackets against wall

STEP 5

STEP 4

Fill out the palm box with shade-loving plants, such as cardboard palm (Zamia furfuracea) and lilyturf (Liriope ‘Elmarco’).