For the last several months I've had the image above saved on my computer. When I first came across it, I had one of those, "I want to go to there" moments and it's been lingering around my thoughts ever since. There's 5 main reasons why I love it so, can you guess what they are?
1. The Giant Sweet Swing of Goodness: So straight up, there's no denying it, that swing is dope. Although it's curvy lines might appear intimidating for homeowners to make themselves, wood can be manipulated slowly when kept wet (Google it!). Likewise, a flat platform, although not so cradle-like, would be an excellent stand-in and is easily conceived.
2. There's Lighting: So no one is really looking at anything other than the cool swing thing, but the posts of this set up are actually lit and would give a nice romantic glow at night. What? You say they'll attract bugs? I'm sure there's a bulb made to deter them, no worries!
3. The Plants Below: I'm a big fan of yards that take care of themselves and the plants below this set up create just that. There's no weed eating to be done with a string trimmer and it makes the space feel even more set apart from the rest of the world than it already is.
4. Pillows: Even if you think pillows have no place in the outdoor world (which I totally get living in the Midwest with constant weather changes), These bad boys make the space feel soft even though the surface of the swing is hard, unlike softer rope hammocks you might be used to.
5. Everything Within Reach: So there's the swing, sure, but there's also a little pond and a table for drinks and snacks near by. Often times hanging out in a hammock and catching up on your reading is great, but what happens if you get hungry? Going inside is just too far (I only slightly jest), so having a spot to keep things handy or being able to dip your toes in the pool is nice. If you're recreating the look at home, try a nearby cooler or small table to keep things in reach.
I didn't really need 5 reasons to justify this space being awesome, after all, there aren't many who are even still reading this since you have already started day dreaming about lounging about in such a magical space. That said, when you pay attention to the comfort that small details provide, it's amazing how much more inviting a space can be!
Image: Asset.Soup
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Comments (29)
sick.
I love that you just referred to the pillows as "these bad boys." They're definitely cooler for it.
I could do without the suspension, but I love the unique space this creates.
Beautiful! But how do you maintain the plants under the hammock?
It's a beautiful photo but a rather useless post for my purposes.
Fabulous! Now, how do I build this for my yard? Where's Ana White when you need her...
Mosquitoes love laying their eggs at the water's edge. Is there enough light to maintain the lush growth of the mat forming shrub beneath? Cool idea, though...with modifications.
Love the 30 Rock reference x 1000.
Haha at leslie242!
There's definitely enough light for something like sweet woodruff, and all you need to keep the mosquitos at bay is one of those all-natural mosquito deterrent rings like you would use for a rain barrel.
Don't forget the barn-like post and beam construction. Very industrial and loftlike, while adding texture and warmth that steel could never match.
I'm loving the lily pond, but not the hammock. All it would take is a sudden shift in body weight to fling everyone into the pond. Plus, the plants under that hammock will get very scraggly very quickly since there's little to no light available - if you want the lush full look like the one seen there, you'd have to remove the hammock every time you're done with it.
If this were in my yard, it would be Spider Spa Central. Le sigh.
It looks cool, but there are some things I'm not understanding, for starters, how do you get to it? Wade through the pond? trample the plantings around it? balance on the ledge surrounding the pond? I'm sure I'm missing something obvious because I always miss something obvious. Also, it doesn't look long enough to lie on and if you were to sit on it you would struggle to keep yourself somewhat upright. It looks cool, it just doesn't seem very useable.
What I really want to know is... where is it? Are there more pictures of this place?
KayinKCMO, if you look carefully there are black blocks in the water that look like steps or a pathway and there's another black block at the far end of the hammock. So maybe you're meant to "walk on water" and then climb onto the hammock from the end?
nothing like this has ever even occurred to me. But its so cool!
I love the hammock swing but prefer no plants under it. Not near a pond too (I taste very sweet to our dear friend, the mosquito).
Do these spammers think we are complete idiots? Seriously....
@dancedancekj, you're absolutely right, there's not enough light to grow anything there unless the hammock is removed each time you're done with it. Woodruff wouldn't cut it, too delicate. Nothing would for that matter. And trampling the foliage will shorten the life of anything planted. Not sure how practical this is. Looks lovely, maybe just put gravel under it.
It's fabulous. I thought at first that the hammock was made of a striped material on a bent wood frame and my son pointed out that it was wood. I don't care that it's impractical, it's beautiful and serene and I wish I could have this in my life.
I love it, but I'm wondering what the scale is. It might be tough to get comfy on it if it isn't big enough.
Anybody interested in doing a post on hammocks? That's an alternative to this that I might actually be able to afford! (And I'd like to request some examples of hammocks with stands--we have a condo--and ones that aren't too pricey.) My honey fell in love with his sister's hammock when we visited her in Provence and I'd love to get him one of his own.
To address some of the issues commenters have raised:
1. Being made of solid wood that thing is probably pretty heavy, so the whole body-weight-shifting problem isn't as serious as you might imagine.
2. As for the issue of light, I'm pretty sure that this photo comes from an Australian H&G style TV show. Our problems usually involve too much light rather than not enough, and locally at least there are any number of ground covers that would thrive in such a well-shaded position.
3. If there are goldfish in that pond, mosquitos won't be an issue. Mine gobble up mosquito eggs as quickly as they can lay them.
Two more reasons why this image works. One, the ground-level pond frames the hammock and improves the sense of space and serenity around it. And two, the giant pine tree in the background keeps the hammock structure from looking overscaled. Imagine if this hammock frame was the tallest thing in the yeard, and suddenly it appears ridiculous and vulgar.
Reason n.1 should be because you can jump into the pond straight from the hammock swing!
There ARE five reasons. Plural.
To all the people that raised some practical objections:
1. There are stepping stones on the side of the hammock with a raised step clearly visible on the right of the hammock.
2. The hammock itself is clearly made of lattice wood. So light do filter through unless you through a blanket over it and you leave it there the all season.
3. There are such things as ground-covers for shade/half-shade. The left one could be Pachysandra terminalis and the the one in the right Tiarella cordifolia or Heuchera micracantha. There are many more options.
Great small walled garden!
I am fairly sure that this design is by Aussie gardener Jamie Durie. He is all about making your garden/outdoor space an extra "room" of your house. You might have seen him on Oprah making over a whole bunch of balconies that could be seen from the Harpo offices.
What's the big deal....You don't have to copy the exact design. Isn't this just for inspiration to get ideas to create what would work in your own backyard? Not every design is going to work in for everyone.
Goldfish can work well, or use gambusia or wild-harvested canal fish to control mosquitoes in planted waterscapes. They're smaller, plainer, less messy, and tougher.
Very very nice. And glad to see i'm not the only one who uses Tina Fey's "I want to go to there" line.
I love it!