Monday 10 June 2013

An Orange bench mystery


I can never get enough orange. If I had a fairy godmother I'd conjure myself a Sunshine and Magic bench like this one:



 www.etsy.com/shop/fantasycrafts


An orange bench is a wonderful thing. 


 http://blogs.gonomad.com/traveltalesfromindia/

This one is at the Jamia Millia Islamia University campus in New Delhi. But in fact, I have never seen an orange bench I didn't like. 


Look at these gorgeous pumpkins on an orange bench! 

 http://www.flickr.com/people/elijahgarcia


I think I must have started my life on an orange bench and grown into it.


photo by Ashleigh Peak at www.ashleighpeak.com

Nowadays I put on my favourite orange t-shirt and have a blissful orange day.


image from www.ebay.com

No one is interested in your favourite colour, Seashell. 

Oh, hello, Eddie. I should have known you'd have something to say about orange. 

For those of you who don't know him, Eddie is my Inner Editor. He has a way of popping up and 'helping' me edit posts. But there is a fine line between help and interference.

Normally you introduce me as a primate. That's very important. Here's a picture of me at work. 




Eddie, I wasn't expecting you on this post. I asked Lady Brassica to help out on this one. I don't think your help is needed.

So where is she then? If she's going to be an editor, where is she?

Well, admittedly she hasn't turned up yet. Apparently she is stuck in an airport somewhere.


 http://www.etsy.com/shop/cricicis


I see you are showing airport seating here. Is this relevant?

Well, yes, I think it is. Because as I said, Lady Brassica is at an airport and these are Herman Miller airport seats. They're something special, apart from being orange. 

This bench by designer Alisa Looney is called Contact. Look how people come together on an orange bench.


photo by Pam McDonald

I expect Lady B has some important contacts and some very playful connections.


photo by Pam McDonald


Speaking of airports, and purely by coincidence, there is a bench by designers at Orange 22 called Flight. This is the Flight coffee table, but you get the idea.


 http://wwwdesignlab.com

Very nice. Where is the airport? 

Orange County, California. 

Pathetic link if you ask me.

I didn't ask you. 

Lady Jessica Brassica is partial to orange too. She wears it to make an assertive fashion statement. Here she is with her future daughter-in-law, Tamsin, who is also wearing orange. 





It has to be said that Tamsin is less suited to orange than Lady B is.

This looks like those netty things they sell fruit in.

Well, yes, the orange dresses are from the Tourbillon de filet collection, which translates as swirl of net. They were designed by Lady B's personal designer, Joop, from Overbearing in Holland. 

Oh yes, they know a thing or two about orange in Holland.

If you're a regular reader of Bench Site you may have seen the gorgeous orange Amsterdam bench in the Alphabet of Dutch benches. 

Or this brilliant knitted bench by Claire Anne O'Brien in Ireland.


http://www.claireanneobrien.com 


What could possibly lead you to believe you have regular readers? 

Eddie, I'd appreciate your support here. 

OK, don't get your knickers in a twist.


 www.brodieneill.com

I see what you're doing here. Twist, right? And this is the E-turn bench by Brodie Neill. What a beautiful sculptural bench; all twists and turns and flowing, dynamic angles. It reminds me of a ribbon unravelling into eternity.

This bench reminds me of the bars I used to play on as a child. 



 www.reddoorantiquestupelo.com


That's sad, Eddie. I don't like to think of you behind bars.

I wasn't behind them. I was on them. Haven't you ever heard of monkey bars?

I have heard of monkey bars, yes. We used to have them in the park. And by the way, here is an orange park bench.


 www.parkbenchsource.com

That was not a smooth link. You can't just say Here is this bench, here is that bench. Booooorrrrrring. 

Sorry, Eddie. I'll try to do better. It's just that blogging has its ups and downs. 

Like this orange seesaw bench by Didi Dunphy. It rocks! 



 www.modernconvenience.com

These benches deserve better than silly puns. I think you'd better read up on the finer points of editing.

Funny you should say that. Here is a bench made of books. 





It's by Derrick Method at Derrick Method Designs in Indianapolis. Maybe one of them is a book on editing blog posts. 

These puns are threatening to spiral out of control.

I know. Sorry.




This isn't a bench.

No. It's a spiral of oranges. They drop down from the top floor to the floor below, where there is a guy who squeezes them into orange juice. Cool, huh?

This isn't a bench. 

It's orange though. And they're real oranges.

Yes. But this isn't a bench. And have you noticed that the print here is red rather than orange?

I have, yes. I was hoping readers wouldn't notice.

OK, I'm going to show you two benches, both by the same designer. First, here is the Kirv bench by Alex Moore. 


 www.mooredesigns.co.uk


Wow! 

And here is the low curved bench, also by Alex Moore.


 www.mooredesigns.co.uk

Great benches, both of them. But what is your point, Eddie?

Can you spot the difference in these two benches?

Yes, of course. One is curved and the other one is . . . kirved. 

But colourwise. Can you see that one is red and one is orange? Therefore one belongs here and the other one doesn't.

You're too hung up on colour, Eddie. You need to find a nice bench and chill.


 www.etsy.com/shop/printsbystellachili

This bench is white.


Are you paying attention, Eddie? Under this white bench it says Take a deep breath and relax! 

How can I relax when I am editing a post about orange benches and it's full of white benches and red typeface and fruit?

Look, here's a nice big comfy orange bench where you can put up your feet and chillax. 

This lady recommends it.


photo by Monica Matthews

This is a sofa.

There's a fine line between a sofa and a bench. Let's say it's a bench.


Is the bench in captivity? It looks like it's tied up and can't get away. 

You're really stressed out, Eddie. 

Yes, I tend to over think things.

Monkey with Skull, 1893, Hugo Rheinhold

Maybe you should try some meditation?



 www.wikimedia.org/jardindesplantes

Or camping? You could drive around Paradise Island and camp on the beach somewhere. 

Here is a nice orange VW van with a bright orange bench that pulls out into a bed.


image from VWT4 forum


I'm not the camping type. I like a more substantial shelter.

OK, how about this then?


photo  by Sheila B.

Eddie? Eddie? 

Come on, keep your shirt on!



 www.etsy.com/shop/unknownarts

I think that was one pun too many. 

Eddie, like Elvis, seems to have left the building.

And now I'm getting pressed for time. I'm inclined to think you'd call that Bench Pressed. 

This is the Arched Incline Bench from Watson Gym in Somerset. They make all kinds of gym equipment, including bars. 



 http://watsongym.co.uk


I wonder if they make monkey bars? 

But maybe Eddie's right: I'd better stop with the puns.

As it happens, it's lucky Eddie was here because Lady Brassica still hasn't appeared to help me with the post. Apparently she's stuck in Orange County with her Young Male Reader. 



© Sandy Matzen | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Must be a waterproof book.

I can imagine them on a racy orange bench like this Alto Duo bench by Danetti Interiors. 


http://www.danetti.com



But what's this? 

Miggy is telling me she has just seen Lady B right here in Fribble on an orange bench with a certain Garçon Orange.




Gosh, this really is an orange bench. You can either sit on it or eat the oranges. 

You may remember Garçon Orange. He's the Younger Self of the formidable French chef Jench de Bench from Potirons. And Jench's house just happens to be orange.


 www.lejardinetdesigns.com


Jench and Garçon left under something of a cloud after a disastrous job on editing my Edible Bench post. Here they are before everything went wrong.





And afterwards, though I denied it, some people suspected I turned them into (orange) soup.  




It was thought that Garçon was living in Rotterdam, a good place for people who are partial to orange. 




But now Garçon Orange is back and Miggy is telling me to put two and two together.

Two what? Two oranges?

Miggy is telling me not to be stupid. What would Lady B be doing with Garçon?

Well, what does Lady B do with anyone? Maybe Garçon is a Young Male Reader? Maybe they're reading Clockwork Orange. Or Oranges Aren't the Only Fruit. Or Tangerine Dream. Or Gone With The Satsuma.

Now Miggy is telling me that she saw Tamsin down on the Esplanade with Garçon.




What's going on? 

Miggy says she smells a conspiracy here.

Personally, I can't smell one. 

All I can smell are oranges.



© Chrissie Shepherd | Dreamstime Stock Photos
Credits

Coloured benches! Dontcha just love 'em? If you enjoyed the orange benches you might want to see some romantic white ones. Or some bright red ones. You might like some silver and gold ones. And if that's not enough, there are some very, very depressing blue ones for Blue Monday

The Orange Sunshine fairy bench is from Linda Dennis in Oklahoma, who makes exquisite garden miniatures. She believes that if you believe in magic, you will find it. She's influenced by Irish fairy tales and 'the little people'  so maybe it's not surprising that she makes fairy garden miniatures, witches, and gothic miniatures. Orange Sunshine and Magic is actually sold but you can see loads of other fairy benches in different colours on her etsy site at www.etsy.com/shop/fantasycrafts 

The New Delhi bench is called Orange Bench on a Sunny Day. It was photographed in 2009 by Mridula Dwivedi at Jamia Millia Islamia University campus in New Delhi. Mridula is a travel writer, professor, and nomad. She writes a terrific travel blog at www.gonomad.com/corp/mriduladwivedi/html I first saw her Tales from India at http://blogs.gonomad.com/traveltalesfromindia/

The pumpkins on an orange bench are from the Flickriver site of Eli and Anne-Marie. They claim they're not photographers; they just love taking pictures of neat stuff. And golly, do they photograph some neat stuff! My favourites are the shelves of stuff, especially the Pyrex dishes. Brings back a lot of memories when I see those.  http://www.flickr.com/people/elijahgarcia

You knew the Ashleigh Peak photographs weren't me, didn't you? Ashleigh Peak is a professional photographer in Memphis, Tennessee. She specialises in photographing babies and children, including her own. She photographed baby Foster, one of her clients, as a newborn and then again as a six month old in August 2010. Ashleigh's website is at www.ashleighpeak.com 

The Bench dot t-shirt was on ebay in January 2013 for 99 cents. If I had known that, I would have sat up all night waiting to get it and offering a whole lot more than 99 cents. 

The Herman Miller Airport chairs postcard is from Leah Ammerman, who has an intriguing array of paper products in her shop at etsy. The Herman Miller airport chairs can be purchased as postcards, notecards or bookplates. Leah clearly knows a thing or two about chairs. Herman Miller was a Michigan man who became famous as a mid-century furniture designer/producer. Leah's shop is at http://www.etsy.com/shop/cricicis

Alisa Looney's Contact bench in Cannon Beach, Oregon is one of the many bright and brilliant Orange Benches from last summer. The bench is made from recycled steel and is powder coated. The designer describes a bench as a place for people to gather, pause an connect with each other. The contact bench was created to nurture relationships and to inspire new possibilities of playful connection. The photograph of the bench and its explanation are by Pam McDonald from Boise, who has been a stained glass artisan for over 30 years, with work in Las Vegas hotels, churches and elsewhere. Her website is at http://www.StainedGlass4u.com and her work also features in the World Oceans Day story on Benchsite.  

Orange 22 Design Lab, directed by Dario Antonioni, makes an eco-friendly collection of furniture called Botanist Lines. The image of Flight shown on the post is actually the coffee table version rather than the bench. The designer of Flight is Margo Chase, who explains her inspiration as the freedom of flight. In keeping with the socially responsible ethos of Orange 22, Flight is made from recycled metal alloys and sales benefit the Sierra Club  http://www.botanistseries.com  

Lady Brassica's beautiful net minidress is from Joop's Tourbillon de filet collection, made at his studio in Overbearing in Holland. Tamsin's orange dress is also made by Joop, though you can see why Joop is frustrated with trying to design dresses for Tamsin. He finds it very hard to deal with her large green feet so for this outfit he decided to give Lady B equally large green feet and he's pleased with the result; he intends to launch his groen voet collection later in the summer. For other dresses in the collection, including Tamsin's wedding dress,  see http://benchsite.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/romantic-white-benches.html 

The Dutch orange bench referred to is on the Leidsegracht in Amsterdam and is flanked by two Amsterdammertjes, which are placed to keep cars from driving or parking on the narrow sidewalks. The photographer is Anton, an Amsterdammer who enjoys sharing Amsterdam-related photos and information at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dutchamsterdam/  Anton and Janet publish DutchAmsterdam.com, an online guide to Amsterdam, as well as a source of Amsterdam-related news items at http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl  

The brilliant orange knitted bench is by Claire-Anne O'Brien  http://www.claireanneobrien.com Originally from County Cork in Ireland, Claire-Anne O'Brien lives and works in London producing textiles for furniture, space and product. Specialising in constructed textiles, material properties and textile technique are explored through hands-on experimentation. With a sculptural approach, Claire-Anne investigates form, construction and scale through textiles. Shows include London Design Festival, Milan Furniture Fair, Wool Modern and Spinexpo. In 2011 she received the Future Makers Award from the Crafts Council of Ireland.  

Brodie Neill's sculptural E-turn bench is handmade in lacquered fibreglass. It was made for Italian designers Kundalini at http://www.kundalini.it  E-turn's wrap-around form suggests eternity and explores an endless line of 3 dimensional space. Its twists and turns are reminiscent of a ribbon and its formation is dramatic from all angles. Brodie Neill now works in London at www.brodieneill.com

Eddie's favourite bench is from Red Door Antique in Tupelo, Mississippi. Golly, I'm thinking of that Bobby Gentry song about Billy Joe McAlister jumping off the Tallahatchee Bridge. Wasn't that in Tupelo? And didn't Brother marry Becky Thompson and buy a store in Tupelo? Surely not Red Door Antique? I'm getting carried away here. The owner of Red Door Antique is Linda Hale, who says that it's a small shop that's big inside.  www.reddoorantiquestupelo.com 

Park Bench Source is in Montgomery, Alabama. They have a LOT of commercial and residential benches made of steel, wood and aluminium. You can find any colour you like, and any design. You can have a logo on the bench. The orange welded wire one shown costs $645 and is available from www.parkbenchsource.com  

The seesaw bench is by Didi Dunphy at www.modernconvenience.com  She has other interesting rocking benches, including the Kissing Jim bench which features elsewhere on Bench Site. Find out how Mungo and I met in http://benchsite.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/gambling-on-love-in-las-vegas.html

Derrick Method is a furniture designer and artist in Indianapolis, Indiana. His current work uses sustainable and repurposed materials: he had a solo show of furniture created from reclaimed discarded library books. As well as furniture, he also creates prints, paper, books, and Shaker boxes. Derrick Method's SCB orange bench is made from reclaimed book covers and walnut.  www.derrickmethodesigns.com

I photographed the spiral of oranges at the V&A museum in London in May 2013 when I went there to see the David Bowie exhibition.  Although there are many wonderful things in the museum, I liked the oranges best of all. And the orange juice wasn't bad either. 

Moore Designs is a collaboration between husband and wife team Kim and Alex Moore in West Sussex. Metalsmith Alex Moore makes beautiful contemporary outdoor furniture such as curved metal benches from marine grade stainless steel. The benches are polished or powder- coated for hard wear and come in different colours, including orange. Besides the circular bench and the low backed curved metal bench shown here, Moore Designs make garden obelisks and a variety of accessories and gifts. www.mooredesigns.co.uk

The print of the white bench on orange is from Stella Chili, who lives in Nicosia in Cyprus. Stella is a graphic designer who likes to make things out of any material she has to hand. Besides handbags and accessories, she makes prints for her shop at www.etsy.com/shop/printsbystellachili  

The big orange sofa/bench was photographed by Monica Matthews in California. Her friend Maria highly recommends it as a place to relax. Being a primate, Eddie is understandably a bit sensitive about the whole zoo/captivity thing but he doesn't need to worry; despite the ties, this bench is at a furniture store and is free to go any time.  

The Buddist monks were photographed on a bench in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris in May. The photographer was Very Quiet (yes, that's the name) and I found the photograph at  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jardin_des_Plantes_May_2009.jpg
Eddie probably doesn't see the relevance of this to the post and as he was so stressed out, I didn't think I should point out that they are wearing orange. 

The campervan was seen on the VWT4 forum where people post stuff they have done to their VW campervans. Nice to see somebody else likes orange.

The watersports shelter is a photo taken by Sheila B. in Cyprus. Many of her photos feature on Bench Site; this one just happens to be orange. 

The orange bench and birds shirt is from Dan at www.etsy.com/shop/unknown arts  He does all kinds of shirts in all colours with all kinds of messages. This one just happens to be orange. It is no coincidence that this shirt is orange. 

Watson Gym manufactures quality, custom-built gym equipment at its factory in Frome, Somerset. They make dumbells, grip bars and, of course, bench presses. The Arched Incline benchpress is designed to give an intense chest workout by placing the chest high and in the perfect position for all forms of dumbell and barbell pressing. Its design puts a natural arch into the back and puts the load more onto the pecs and away from the triceps. It sells for £390 and is available from http://watsongym.co.uk

The handsome man on the rocks in California is by Sandy Matzen at Dreamstime Stock Photos  http://www.dreamstime.com/handsome-man-on-rocks2-stock-photo-imagefree215730

The Alto Flat Duo bench is by Danetti Interiors in Fleet, Hampshire. They have a whole range of contemporary furniture, including stylish benches in different styles and colours. This particular bench is no longer available but there are plenty of others at http://www.danetti.com 

The bowl of oranges is by Chrissie Shepherd at Dreamstime. http://www.dreamstime.com/oranges-in-ceramic-dish-free-stock-photos-imagefree239848

Jench's house is in Potirons in France. The pumpkin garden house was designed by Dallas Arboretum. The image is from Karen at www.lejardinetdesigns.com  Details of the garden house can be seen on her blog. Garçon's flat in Rotterdam is from the fantastic colouring book Fantastic Structures by Steve McDonald. 

The full story of Jench de Bench and his younger self, Garçon Orange, can be seen at http://benchsite.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/edible-benches-with-jench-de-bench.html  Having read about the Edible Bench debacle you'll be able to make up your own mind about what Garçon might be up to. Ami ou ennemi? You decide.



My lovely friend Fenestra and her dog Fudge on an orange bench at TK Maxx

If for some reason orange isn't your colour of choice, we have lots of other colours here on Benchsite. Romantic white benches, for example. Or springy yellow ones. Maybe you'd prefer red? If you're in a holiday mood, how about blue benches for Blue Monday? Or black benches for Black FridayPretty purple benches? No problem. There are sunny yellow benches for spring and sparkly gold and silver benches for parties. There are 50 shades of grey and pink benches to coincide with the release of That film. For more uplifting, upcycled benches see the green ones at http://benchsite.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/recycled-upcycled-repurposed-benches.html  Oh come on - somewhere there must be a colour you like!









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