The beach chair – practical furniture for the garden
It’s a cult item on the North and Baltic Seas – the beach chair. A total of around 70,000 specimens adorn the German sea coasts between Sylt and Usedom. The trendy piece of furniture reliably protects beach visitors and vacationers from rain, wind and sand. It also ensures that sensitive skin is protected from strong UV radiation.
All these properties make the beach chair a perfect piece of garden furniture that also reliably does its job away from the coast.
The beach chair – a typical German phenomenon
Why the beach chair only appears on German coasts has not yet been clarified. Beach chairs are observed much less frequently on the beaches of Denmark, England, Poland and the Netherlands, although the climatic conditions differ little from those here.
In English and French there is not even a word for the beach chair. You help yourself with the German expression. Nevertheless, the furniture finds its followers all over the world. Traditional models such as the Hanse beach chair, among others, find buyers around the world. This is also due to the fact that the beach chair has developed into trendy garden furniture with a pronounced aha effect.
Brief history of a cult piece of furniture
The first beach chair is attributed to Wilhelm Bartelmann (1845-1930), the Rostock court basket maker. In the spring of 1882, a society lady suffering from rheumatism visited Bartelmann’s workshop to order a seat that would protect her from the fresh breeze during her stay on the Warnemünde beach. The result was a single-seater topped with a plain awning.
The master quickly developed a two-seater, which he provided with a few extras such as a side table and footrests. This version is considered the original model of the beach chair. However, it was the inventor’s wife Elisabeth Bartelmann’s business idea that brought economic success. She realized that a seasonal commodity the size and weight of a beach chair was hard to sell. That’s why she quickly opened the first beach chair rental at the Warnemünde lighthouse, which was to be followed by many more along the entire East and North Sea coast by the turn of the century.
Construction and functioning of a beach chair
The typical beach chair made in Germany is a compact construction with a width of approx. 1.2 meters and a height of 1.6 meters. It consists of three elements:
- Desire: The lower part and structural basis of the beach chair is made of either wood or plastic.
- side panels: The two side parts are screwed to the trestle and are equipped with a carrying handle.
- Hood: It combines the back part and the roof. It is hung on the trestle and is movable.
These days, beach chairs come with a variety of extras for convenience.
Beach chair in the garden – vacation on the doorstep
In the meantime, the beach chair enjoys a large fan base. It has managed to conquer gardens, balconies and terraces as seating furniture. Inland, the beach chair extends the outdoor season both at the beginning of spring and in late autumn.
It always offers a comfortable place to read and relax, rest or dream. However, the beach chair is also exposed to weather conditions in the garden.
Location wanted
Usually a place is to be found for the beach chair where it can stand from the beginning of March to the end of October. The piece of furniture weighs up to 100 kg and moving it around is difficult.
At the sea, the beach chair is usually directly on the sand. This is not recommended in the garden. Here the water does not run off as quickly as on the coast. The result is mold and rot. Weeds grow quickly and spoil the appearance. In addition, the four-legged friends from the neighborhood like to use the sand for their needs.
That’s why we recommend investing in a pedestal. This can be a simple brick construction. Good experiences have been made with a covering of wooden floorboards. Wood is a natural material that suits the ambience in the garden. In addition, it dries quickly, so that no waterlogging can form.
care tips
The material determines the maintenance effort. Wooden components should be treated with a natural hardwood oil once a year. Plastic parts are more weatherproof and are simply washed off with a little soapy water. Most of the seat cushions are washable. In winter, storage in a shed is recommended.