Garden furniture for the ages
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Amish square tables and Fenlake chairs -
John Danzer -
Munder/Skiles chair -
Munder/Skiles Almodington Bench -
Munder/Skiles Swan Chair and Ottoman
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If your idea of classic garden furniture is a gnome and a nylon lawn chair, it might be time to take a look at what Munder-Skiles has to offer. The high-end furniture company, founded by garden historian John Danzer 14 years ago, makes classically inspired and original pieces for outdoor use.
Mr. Danzer calls himself an "exterior decorator," a title he has trademarked. That moniker inspired him to start another company, World of Exteriors, which focuses on outdoor design for both residential and commercial clients.
"I hate garden gnomes," says Mr. Danzer, adding that they work only as a colony. "If you have to have them then you better have a lot of them and make a statement."
A master at remaking outdoor space, Mr. Danzer knows what works and what doesn't. He spent years photographing and documenting the gardens he saw on his travels after leaving a job in finance as head of Standard & Poor's in Europe.
"I quit on my 37th birthday and bought two tickets to go around the world twice," he recalls.
His passion for gardens was really in his blood -- his parents and grandparents were gardeners.
"My father was European, so he believed in a balanced house and being outside. We had Thanksgiving dinner outside in Baltimore, where I grew up," he says, laughing.
Mr. Danzer was lecturing about the history of garden furniture before he started making it and became an obsessive collector. He will be at Schenley Plaza in Oakland on May 20 to talk about World of Exteriors and for a traditional English tea co-sponsored by the Garden Club of Allegheny County and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.
"One day I noticed, oh my God, nobody is making Thomas Jefferson's garden bench, or George Washington's fruit tree boxes or the collection Edith Wharton bought," he says.
That's when Munder-Skiles was born. "I am a great believer in if you make it, they will come.
First Published May 11, 2010 12:00 am
