On warm summer days, can you beat an evening in the garden listening to the birds and watching the sunset? It’s one of life’s simple pleasures, especially if your planting and hard landscaping includes unusual points of interest. Fantastic examples were exhibited in a showcase of garden sculptures at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Why Include Sculpture in Garden Design?
Do you have artworks in your home? For most of us, they are an essential element of interior design and an opportunity to reflect our personality. A painting can set the tone for the décor, and a large vase, dish or lampshade provides a desirable focal point in the room. So, why not take this concept into your outdoor spaces?
When you find a sculpture that works with the scale and proportions of your garden and resonates with the planting, it is a delight. This addition provides height, depth and a fixed feature among nature’s seasonal changes. It is an effective way to add character and draw the eye.
Garden Sculptures by Michael Clancy
Lounging leopards and colourful cheetahs offer a taste of the elegant, stylised creatures constructed by British sculptor Michael Clancy. As a qualified RIBA architect and artist, he merges the two disciplines to design 3D representations from flat sheet metal. The folded metal and geometric design results in instantly recognisable animals that sit proudly in any garden setting.
Michael Clancy ensures every design is easily scalable. Therefore, the coated stainless steel or raw corten steel sculptures work in a small courtyard or expansive public spaces and private grounds. In addition to a collection of feline forms, Michael has created swan and dog sculptures. Many have integrated lighting to illuminate the geometric shapes in the evening or when they are positioned in shady areas of the garden.
Planning a Chelsea Flower Show Stand
When planning his stand for the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Michael Clancy created a model from cardboard. This included a backdrop, protruding doorway and garden bar area, with sufficient space to showcase his works. For the final version, he wanted neutral materials that wouldn’t distract from his artworks.
We were delighted that he specified Shou Sugi Ban® charred timber, in a mid grey tone, for the core structure of the stand. This was blended with mid-grey gravel and border paving for a quality finish. Simple foliage completed the setup, ready for the sculptures to take pride of place. This was Michael Clancy’s third exhibit at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show and not the first that he’s used our timbers! His prior experience means he nailed the display.
Michael’s works have also featured in other exhibitions, including the Cotswold Contemporary Art Summer Sculpture Show, John Lewis Odney Club and RHS Partner Garden, Doddington Hall in Lincolnshire. In an interview at Chelsea, he stated that flowers could be his next inspiration, so we look forward to seeing future exhibitions of his work.
Shou Sugi Ban® at Chelsea & Beyond
This was not the only time that Shou Sugi Ban® has been specified for a Chelsea Flower Show stand. Our timeless charred timbers have proved the ideal material for several garden designers. For example, our traditional blackened timber was selected for Botanical Rhapsody, a Chelsea Houseplant studio exhibit in 2022. In 2023, thin slats of our charred timber provided fencing for the winning Balcony Garden, Feels Like Home, designed by Rosemary Coldstream.
We have also supplied Shou Sugi Ban® to a professional florist with a stand at the Rutland Flower Show in August. It will be wonderful to see photos of the finished floral display.
If you would like to know more about our range of handcrafted charred timbers for garden landscaping, garden buildings, exhibition stands or artworks, please get in touch on 01494 711800.
Exterior Solutions
Exterior Solutions Ltd is a Buckinghamshire-based family business, specialising in charred timbers in a range of colour and texture finishes. Shou Sugi Ban® is our brand of high-quality, sustainable and low-maintenance timbers that are suitable for external applications. You are welcome to download the brochure from our website.