Designer Desire: Richard Shimell

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This week, I saw a tree linocut print created by Richard Shimell which I loved so much I went in search of more of his work.

We have an absolutely huge sycamore tree in our front garden that we take pleasure in observing on an almost daily basis. We see the way it ebbs and flows with the seasons – its bare-branched silhouette in the winter; the array of birds and insects that use it for food, nesting and shelter in the spring; the auburn leaves and whirligigs carpeting the ground beneath in the autumn. His studies remind me of this reassuring, annual cycle; the trees are the stars of the show!

Here he is giving a little insight into his practice:

I started printmaking late in life. After a career in journalism, I joined the Dartington Print Workshop as a complete beginner in 2010. It was a steep learning curve, but I stuck at it and eventually started selling my prints. I became a member of the Devon Guild of Craftsmen in 2016.
I live in a wooded landscape on the edge of Dartmoor, so am lucky enough to be surrounded by trees. I have a small studio at home with my own Hawthorn press.
I’m drawn to the simplicity of silhouettes and the complexity of branches. I enjoy all stages of the making process, from drawing to carving to printing.
I also make books, using my prints on the covers and enjoy experimenting with other forms of printmaking, including drypoint, collagraph and etching on lino.

You can purchase his works on his own website and select galleries in Devon, Cornwall, North Yorkshire, Norfolk, The Lake District and others.

Modern garden patio ideas

Thinking of having a modern patio installed in your garden? Well look no further. In this short guide, we’ll discuss various ideas that you could take into consideration for constructing a modern garden patio.

Please note that while laying a new patio is usually fine to undertake DIY, you should only do so if you have the right skills and knowledge. It’s important to take certain safety steps. In addition, some garden patio ideas will be easier to pull off than others for most people. If in any doubt, you should hire a professional.

Modern garden patio design options

First, we’ll take a look at the various garden patio ideas in terms of design, before moving on to other topics such as patio furniture and patio lighting. The following ideas are inspired by the use of different materials such as pea gravel or stone.

Chequerboard design

To achieve this look, you can merge pea gravel with somewhat larger pavers. These elements combined in the right way can create an eye-catching chequerboard design. The pea gravel is pretty much the equivalent of grout as far as the design goes with the pavers being added on top of the gravel to create the desired effect.

Circular patio design

Pea gravel could also be used to establish a rounded patio. You may want to add water features or/and plant pots to this construction to give it a more visually appealing look. A circular pea gravel patio with patio slabs around it can create a winning contrast. Overall, you’ll create an eye-catching aesthetic with this design if you carry it out successfully.

Poured concrete patio

There are different ways of using concrete to create a good-looking, modern garden patio. That includes using concrete pavers along with additional materials. However, there are other ideas worth considering such as a poured concrete patio.

Concrete patios usually consist of blocks being laid down beside one another. However, you could pour concrete slabs into place as an alternative, which is the idea being discussed here. You might also be interested in acid washing to create an attractive finishing touch.

Ways of giving your poured concrete patio some extra flare include:

Green ground cover being added (e.g. thyme or camomile) in the spaces between the patio slabs.
Surrounding the patio with pea gravel or other small stones. This could ideally be done with stones of varying colours.

Irregular stone patio steps

Natural stone can create a fantastic look for any modern patio. Of course, many who wish to have natural stone steps installed as a patio will simply choose ones with a matching size. However, you could try to be a little fancier and choose V-shaped stones with a more curved end.

How exactly you go about this will depend on your preference, but once the stones are secure to walk on, the possibilities are near endless in terms of how you arrange the steps since irregular designs can come in many forms. If you get a little stuck, consider asking a professional gardener for some ideas.

Raised patio

If you’d prefer a raised patio, some ideas worth considering are a raised block patio, raised small step off patio or a raised island patio.

A raised block patio involves:

Merge blocks/slabs (ideally those made of concrete) as a means of creating a large slab (i.e. the actual patio)
You could give the edges a clean look or decorate it with things like ornaments, water features or/and even a suitably-sized hedge.

A raised small step off patio consists of:

Add a small step at the edge of a large block patio for some extra value. The step should be placed by the middle third. Sort of similar to how a floppy disk looked (for those of you born before 1998).

Lastly, a raised island patio comprises:

If your garden is suitable, you may want to consider installing small patio steps from the back garden journeying you down to a small patio island toward the far end of the garden.
This design would involve plenty of room for creativity.
You may want to have the steps travel directly to the island patio or even that the steps could wind around, either to make room for other garden features or/and for more aesthetic purposes.

Modern patio furniture, lighting and edging

Once you’ve decided on the actual design of your modern garden patio, you’ll want to think about additional elements such as garden furniture and lighting. Let’s discuss some ideas.

Furniture ideas:

Outdoor modular sofa
Multi-functional seating
Fire pit or brazier

Lighting thoughts:

Solar or Bluetooth-enabled lanterns or festoon lights
Bamboo stakes for a visual effect
Steps and walkways illuminated by LED strip lighting

Edging suggestions:

Terracotta rope edging
Salvaged railway sleepers
Wooden log roll for curved borders

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Price Points: Outdoor pizza ovens

Move over barbecues, you’re now passé – outdoor pizza ovens are the al fresco cooking gadgets to own these days!

The most basic pizza oven comes in at just over 150 quid – but for one that has all the bells & whistles and looks like a supermodel, prepare to pay up to five grand! I think I’d invest in the budget example in the first instance – see how often it gets a workout. If enthusiasm doesn’t wane and the British weather allows for regular use, I’d think about upgrading to the mid-range Ooni. Much as the canary yellow Charlie catches my eye (it’s also available in 7 other beautiful colours), I can’t imagine spending that amount of money on an oven – unless it’s an Esse range that’s indoors, sees everyday use and helps to heat the house!

Outdoor tabletop pizza oven: £159.99, Vonhaus
Fuelled by pellets and including a pizza stone to give you that authentic stone-baked flavour, you can also use this oven for smoking fish, meat or vegetables.
The double layer design allows for a hotter inner temperature to have your pizza ready in no time, and the speedy heat up means it will be ready for cooking in only 15 minutes reaching temperatures of up to 350°C. Finished off with an ash collector, tidying up is even quicker.
With a max pizza size of 13 inches, this is a perfect pizza oven for a pizza making night with the family.
When all the slices are gone, the removable chimney and foldable legs allows for easy storage until next time.
Ooni Karu 16 multi-fuel pizza oven: £699.00, Ooni
Multiple fuel options for maximum cooking versatility
Cook with wood or charcoal out of the box, or use gas with the Ooni Karu 16 Gas Burner (sold separately)
Reaches 500°C (950°F) in just 15 minutes
New hinged oven door design with ViewFlame™ technology to boost visibility
Mounted digital thermometer displays internal ambient oven temperature (batteries included)
Large cooking area fits up to 16-inch pizzas and other substantial cooks
Charlie outdoor charcoal oven: £4,950.00, Charlie
Charcoal BBQ, pizza oven, smoker, charcoal grill
Crafted from the finest quality stainless steel, and comes with a powder-coated finish in a choice of 8 vibrant colours.
Charlie is weatherproof and designed to work whatever the weather! Unlike top-opening barbecues or ovens, our front-opening design minimises heat loss and the impact of the weather conditions.
Charlie’s sealed design and superior thermal insulation mean it uses 45% less charcoal than an open grill. As a result, one modest load of charcoal will last for around six hours.
Charlie has 2.5 times the capacity of a domestic oven! It has nine cooking rack positions to allow many different cooking options. Cook indirectly (away from the fire) or directly (close to the fire). The cooking racks are professional-grade, and each oven comes with two racks as standard.

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Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Charlie outdoor charcoal oven
£4,950.00