PLEASE NOTE: The price of the material copper has been rapidly rising! As an example that everyone can understand: The Home Depot's retail price for a 10-ft. length of 1.5" Type L pipe in January 2005 was approximately $20.00 each. That same piece of 1.5" copper pipe today (May, 2006) would be sold for approximately $70.00 each. That is an increase of 350% in less than a year and a half! To read more about this topic of the escalating price of copper click this line.

How does this affect you our valued customer? Soon, many of our artists and vendors are going to be forced to either abandon use of copper as a material to fabricate with or greatly increase their prices! We have already been inundated with price increases from our artists/vendors and we have tried to keep our prices low but this will not continue.

Please be advised that in the near future, some of our now solid copper products such as windowboxes and 100% copper planters will be made out of copper plated stainless steel due to the drastic increase in the price of raw copper. If an item is not 100% copper, we will of course, include in the product description that the copper component of the item is copper plated, copper painted or copper coated. In addition some of our products that are fabricated of copper will no longer be available at all!

In anticipation of this, we have been adding many new beautiful and unique designs in iron of garden arbors, trellises, gazebos and complimentary lines of furniture and home and garden decor accessories.

For now, order early to assure that you will be receiving a product made out of 100% copper. As the prices rise for this metal, you will see the value in purchasing 100% copper for the reasons stated below.

Why Copper?

At GI Designs, we are frequently asked, "Why Copper?"

The reasons are many. The market is saturated with garden structures and furniture made of wood, plastic, steel, iron, chrome, etc. Copper designs are unique. This beautiful metal has been used for centuries in home decor as accessories and kitchen ware and in home construction as roofing, gutters and plumbing -- proving its durability. But copper has rarely been utilized in the construction of trellises, arbors and furnishings. Our designs look equally at home in contemporary or traditional settings.

Copper makes even more sense outdoors. Whereas wood will weather and crack, iron and steel will rust, and plastic becomes brittle, copper ages to a beautiful green verdigris patina (just like the Statue of Liberty!). The green patina is not like rust on steel, but acts like a protectant for the copper while adding a feeling of quality and antiquity to its' surroundings. City air oxidizes copper more quickly, while the purer county air lets copper take its time going through the patina process. No two pieces evolve alike. The beauty, strength and durability of copper make it the perfect choice for patio and garden furniture, trellises, arbors, window boxes and yard art. Copper is also used to repel slugs from plants, an added benefit to using one of our products in your landscape.

We have worked on custom designs using square copper tubing, solid rod, copper flat bar and sheet. These materials are much more expensive than tubing, but create quite a different look. Call for quotes on fabrication using these types of copper.

We suggest that no matter which piece you purchase, whether it be for indoor use or out, please just dust with a dry cloth and let it patina naturally. However, if you want your piece lacquered to keep it shiny or if you want it patinaed, we would be glad to this for you for a small charge. We can apply verdigris (green), black or brown patinas to whichever piece you choose, just specify on the online order form.

A Note about the use of Copper Fittings:

Please note that we never use plumbing fittings to join our pieces unless you specifically request them. We believe they look good in a plumbing system, but not on display in or around your home. Below, on the left, is an example of our construction methods building a Ryan Trellis (with optional green patina). On the right is a Ryan Trellis made with plumbing fittings. We believe our system of custom angle cuts or bends for the corners, and drilling and fitting of the cross-members is closer to the clean lines of fine furniture than the "below the kitchen sink" look of the technique at right. While both are sturdy and long lasting, we believe that GI Designs' construction methods has the definite edge in creating a work of art. You be the judge! (Of course, we also can create and compliment your custom project with complimentary materials such as wood, iron or stone).