It's possible to buy a pied-à-terre in the Dominican Republic for about £20,000. For about the same amount of money it is also possible to purchase a garden seat. Fletcher and Myburgh's copper "Pumpkin swing" retails at £18,000 - minus the stand, which costs an extra £1,200.

The glittering pumpkin, 1.4 metres high and the same wide, is designed to be left to "grow into the space where it is put," according to its designer, Steve Myburgh, who has created a range of top-end swinging seats.

"The patina of the copper is important. It does not corrode so much as pick up what is around it. In urban spaces it adopts shades of reds and purples as the pollution reacts with the metal and in rural areas it turns more verde gris."

Inside the sphere a light gives a cheery glow while the whole thing reverberates with sound thanks to a wind-up music box set into floor of the seat.

Little windows (which are optional) carved into the sides of the seat can be designed in keeping with the windows of any nearby garden building or house and night-light holders can be slotted into alcoves.

Regulars at the Chelsea Flower Show might have spotted the seat being used by its creators, the husband-and-wife team Caroline Fletcher and Steve Myburgh. Most of the pair's chairs are enclosed and provide an escape from the elements. The one exception is their airy "Bubble swing," ideal for anyone on a slightly tighter budget. It sells for £5,000 minus the stand.

www.fletcherandmyburgh.co.uk