Photos by Angela Shoemaker
Comfort Squared
This thoroughly modern nickel-chrome bench with brown velvet upholstered seat measures 22 by 45 by 20 inches, and is available at Bittners, 731 E. Main St. (584-6349, www.bittners.com), for $1,100. Matching stools run $585 apiece.
Break It Down
This oh-so-practical Victorian-style wire bench actually folds up for carrying or storage. Forty-five inches wide, 37 inches high and 18 inches deep, it’s available at the garden and interiors store Digs, with locations at 731 E. Main St.(589-3447) and 109 Chenoweth Square(893-3447). The bench sells for $345; a matching fold-up chair goes for $195. Benches at Digs range from $300-$3,000.
Good-Mood Swings
Amish Hills, 1001-C Breckenridge Lane(893-8100, www.amishhills.com), carries a large selection of solid-wood indoor and outdoor furniture handmade by Amish artisans, including four- and five-foot-wide porch swings in Adirondackor straight-back style. No porch? No problem — the store also sells support frames, such as this 6?-foot-tall, seven-foot-wide swing arbor. The four-foot red cedar Adirondackswing is $596, with the arbor, also in red cedar, priced at $936. The price range for swings and supports is $192-$936.
Woode’s Stock
The meticulously crafted work of furniture maker Woode Hannah can be found in lobbies and offices around town, including this hand-worked bench in one of the meditation rooms at Norton Kosair Children’s Hospital. (Hannah also did one for Kosair’s chapel.) It stands 34 inches high, 44 inches wide and 20 inches deep, and cost $4,500 to build. To commission a bench, as well as a bed, dining table, coffee table or cabinet, contact Hannah at Woodworks Inc., 819 S. Floyd St., Suite 102(566-6096). Prices for his custom work begin at $1,500.
Sitting Pretty
The artistically handcrafted “Butterfly Bench,” made by the North Carolinablacksmith company Cricket Forge, has been a top seller since it was introduced in 1999. The bench comes in three sizes (small, medium and large) and two colors (verdi and periwinkle). Shown here is the 53-by-74-by-36-inch medium size in periwinkle. It sells for $3,000 at Wallitsch Nursery and GardenCenter, 2608 Hikes Lane(454-3553, www.wallitschgardencenter.com). Other benches there go for $100-$3,000.
Willowless Wicker
The vinyl “wicker” glider shown here, with colorful striped cushion, sells for $600 at CasualLiving & PatioCenter, 12234 Shelbyville Roadin MiddletownPlaza(245-0155). Called a “two-seater,” it measures 36 inches high, 50 inches wide and 22 inches deep. A matching chair glider is priced at $400. The price range for all of the store’s full gliders is $600-$2,000.
