Seat walls are becoming more and more popular, and it is no surprise why. These trendy multi-use hardscape features can not only enhance the visual effects of your Lake Forest, IL, outdoor living space, but they can double as functional features as well. Seat walls serve a necessary function, create focal points, help resolve issues with problem areas such as sloping, drainage and erosion, as well as provide safety barriers. Here is why you may want to incorporate seat walls into your landscape design.
Have a Seat
Seat walls are an ideal way to provide the kind of seating that can last a lifetime. Outdoor furniture can become worn and weather-beaten, eventually needing to be replaced. This is especially true with our unforgiving winters, and our higher-than-average precipitation rates. By incorporating a seat wall into your landscape design, you are creating a comfortable spot for a break that won’t have to be protected from the elements. Seat walls are wonderful additions around patios, at fire pit locations, around a grill, along a fence line, and for raised garden or flower beds, just to name a few location possibilities. Plus, these stunning designs can accommodate more guests than most typical patio furniture and they can be accessorized with cushions or pillows for added comfort and style.
Related: Make An Outdoor Fireplace The Focal Point Of Your Northbrook, IL, Landscape Design
Creating Focal Points
Seat walls are also a great way to bring attention to your favorite outdoor areas. Seat walls work wonderfully to define outdoor spaces and transform them into eye-catching and inviting places, inevitably creating an extension of your home. Placement of a seat wall around a water feature, such as a fountain or pond, is an excellent way to highlight that location. Additionally, if you have an amazing view from your property, adding a seat wall can frame in the area and create a picturesque place to relax and enjoy that view. A fire pit is another example of where a seat wall can be idyllic. The wall will reflect the heat that radiates from the fire and makes a warm and cozy environment. Incorporating a seat wall into your landscape design could not only enhance the value of your property but improve the quality of time you spend outside.
Addressing Problem Areas
Using a seat wall as a retaining wall can be a perfect solution to control flooding and erosion, while doubling as extra seating. Retaining walls are utilized to keep soil in place, and divert water flow to prevent flooding and erosion. This works exceptionally well at locations where there is sloping and elevation changes. By converting an existing retaining wall into a seat wall, or having a new seat wall installed, you are safekeeping your property from erosion and flooding, maximizing the use of those hard-to-landscape areas, while enhancing functionality.
Related: Landscaping Services: When Do You Need Paver Maintenance In Lake Forest, IL?
Adding Safety
If you have a raised patio or any areas of uneven terrain, a seat wall could be the answer. Placing a seat wall along the border of a raised patio, or at areas where there are elevation changes, can form a safety barrier to prevent falls. Additionally, a seat wall can be utilized to keep guests within certain areas of your property and out of the areas where there may be a concern for their safety or the safety of your landscape.
