1. Garden benches can be traditional, but they certainly don't have to be. To give your garden or patio seating a rugged or eye-catching look, try a more rustic garden bench.

2. Any Adirondack-style bench (full bench, loveseat, rocker, or attached chairs and tables) offers a hint of summer at the lake. For an even more rustic look, try the Canberra Adirondack Log Bench, which is made from unfinished conifer logs.

3. The Tupper Lake Settee is made from less-finished logs for a rustic look. It gets its incredible comfort from a contoured back and seat, and it can be stained or left natural to fade to a silvery gray color. To complete the seating area, you can add the matching Saranac Table Bench as a side table or as additional seating. The table is also suitable as a small bench on its own.

4. Of course, benches made of rough-hewn logs instead of finished, polished wood will always have a more rustic look, but you needn't stop there. Groovystuff makes some very interesting rustic garden benches that will keep your guests getting up to admire where they're sitting. The Pattern Bench features an intricate geometric design, and the Wilderness Bench has a remarkable optical illusion design in its seat back. They also make a Rocky Mountain School Bench, a backless bench with log legs.