concrete settee

I love the top one but want to do the same idea but with a quarter circle look .

Reminds me of Henry Mercer a Victorian who constructed a mansion he called Fonthill Castle in Doylestown Pennsylvania totally out of hand mixed concrete and I mean totally, even the furniture..chairs, dressers, tables...etc. He even passed away in his bed made of concrete. I will also mention that the inner walls of the castle are decorated with thosands of decorative tile of his own making. Today, Fonthill Castle is a well visited a historic landmark in the USA. Mercer was quite an interesting Renaissance man in his time much like you are NP in our time I might say.

thank you ls ill take that as a complement lol . you can put polystyrene balls in the mix for insulation and use vermiculite to make the mix half the weight . you should look up concrete houses . I really wish I could do one .

Hi Leigh, what an imagination you have, they look so realistic, Derek.

Hi Leigh,
It's always good to read your posts and blogs because of all the original arty ideas. Love the sofa!

The top one looks like dog biscuits. :0)

ow I didn't make these there real but im going to use the style of the top one with the shape of the bottom one . the top one does look like dog biscuits lol .im going to make it look more like its floating and put led`s under it but youll only see the light . it should look like its hovering at night . im going to put a couple of cushions on it I think and use shiny tiles for there pattern . I mite get some material and press it into the settee part to give it texture . this could all change but time will tell .

love it Noseypotter...i find the old war time sea defences on the beach after storms. i think they filled sacks with concrete to build walls. the mix had lots of little pebbles in it. not the sea has bashed them for over 50 years some of the cement has washed away and now they are showing all the pebbles. i look forward to your creation..:-)

Ls2...i just checked out Fonthill castle..it looks amazing...

Ithink I'd have to have a soft cushion Leigh.......
What a project!

I think ill do it green Sandra and know what you mean . I mite buy hessian material and sew them the right shape for texture but use a sharp sand as I don't want the stones to show through . as for the pillows I havnt figured how to make long lasting soft cement yet lol . what ill do is on the last part ill actually sit on the settee and lean on the cushions while there wet so it looks more real and is more comfy .

i just thought i mite put a figure on it lol who knows .

If youget a minute Leigh google the Scottish village Port William, they have a bronze standing facing out to sea.......very realistic

Pam thats stunning..

ok ill do that thanx .

That will look fantastic, Leigh. I think the idea of sitting on it before it's set is a real inspiration!

thanx melch .

I really like the top one :0)

I really like the top one too cmsue . in fact that's the one im going to do . ive ordered 10 metres x 6` of hession material . I just got to get me mums sewing machine out and measure and the cushions . I mite do different colour ones . anything I cant cut off will rot out well that's the theory and leave a nice pattern .

I hope you'll keep us posted on your progress, Leigh!

of course I will and ill take photos to show how I did it .

Excellent!

I havnt done it yet melch lol .

I know that, Leigh! I'm just looking forward to seeing it! ?

brilliantly simple, and simly brilliant

thanx fran less is more sometimes though its not as simple as it looks . ive bought the hessian . just got too measure the space then sew the sacks the right size . as I havnt used a sewing machine since I was nineteen it should be interesting lol . I think ill have too use re bar across and up threw all the sacks and do a layer at a time . ill use mixed coloured cement dry and hose each layer I think . we will see .

please keep us updated with progress

I will for sure fran .

I love that idea leigh it looks great ,I think I'll bring a nice soft cushion with me next time I'm over ;o) x

lol I have started it and as its going to go green im staining it green . ive got the base down and 5 cushions . turned out I needed all 10 metres and 15 hessian potato sacks which I sewed to size . got the led`s under it . im going to complete it and then do a whole blog on it . you mite be surprised how comfy it will be amy x .

You can sew as well ,even more talent ..you are full of surprises Leigh , I'll try it out one day just so long as you don't bounce too much with all those cushions and make me fall off Lol xx

well as there concrete amy I cant see me doing too much bouncing lol . I used to take my jeans in bye hand until my mum showed me how to use her sewing machine .

Men are better at this kind of thing than we give them credit for when our son was in his teens he spend hours embroidering Ian Maiden Icons across the back of his jackets ,it was so neat a work of art .. .....

im not just a pretty face lol x

im not called nosey for nothing lol

What about your dogs NP, if you still have them? Will there be some dog-shaped spaces for them to curl up in???

deffinatly ive nearly finished it now . ive just got to put the last cushions on . then what hessian I cant cut off im going to help rot off with bleach and a tarp . then ill stain it green and show you all .

if I still have them ? I couldn't be without them there my family and best friends , my pack . they range from 3-8 years old .

SOO looking forward to seeing this NP. Sounds like you have been a busy boy. :-)

ow most definatly Sandra ive got just 4 pieces to cement on and a couple of cushions out of about 25 and ive been drawing and started another sculpture lol . having an open garden june the 14th so got to sort it then decorate the house . I cant wait either lol but I got to take my time .

you take your time...I can wait.. don't want to over do things.:-)

I wont im just on a roll lol .

What stain are you going to use? I have been thinking about adding colour to some pots i made.

This all sounds really good, Leigh - I'm looking forward to seeing the finished article ?

well as its under a weeping cherry and probably not going to get used that often im going to do it green as that's the colour its going to go . me to melch its taken a long time of thinking and planning not to mention building .

Well it's a pretty big project, Leigh. I think you've done it quite quickly, actually, but it probably doesn't feel like it to you! And - as you say - the thinking and planning must have been considerable.

well yes that's the important bit like foundations in a house . im not sure ive managed it yet but im trying to make concrete look like spongy cushions .

It's an interesting idea to make something that is usually soft out of concrete. You must have to think very carefully about the texture. Because it's not just a model of a settee - it really is a settee!

well I got inspired by someone on here who for the life of me I cant remember her name . she made a lovely seating area with cement and some old chairs ow and half a ring off of an old trampoline . she got inspired by some of my older cement sculptures . I bought 10metres by 2metres of hessian for shape and texture as I can rot it out with bleach . I also used 10 old potato sacks . I had to go on me mums sewing machine for 3 days to sew and cut them to size before the build . I couldn't think what to put there for ages .

It's exciting having a project on the go, isn't it? I find even changing the shape of a flowerbed, or rearranging containers etc fills me with enthusiasm.

especially with spring around the corner . ive been wating for the weather to pick up . it is great seeing your thoughts turn to reality .

It certainly is!

im doing the last cementing today .

good luck!

so far so good . I didn't go with the dog biscuit look ie the buttons .

Lol! When I was a child, those buttoned cushions always reminded me of dog biscuits!

lol