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| This photo provided by Castelle shows a table and chairs set from their Barclay Butera Collection. The Barclay Butera Outdoor Collection for Castelle is handcrafted to capture luxury, sophistication and designer chic. (Castelle/www.castelleluxury.com via AP) |
By KIM COOK, AP
Innovations in design, materials and manufacturing have had a big impact on home decor — outdoors as well as in.
Besides advances in durability, there’s now an expansive range of styles that designers can tap in to.
Luxury is one of them.
Think velvet cushions. Tailored detailing. Rich, soft upholstery. Lacquered or carved artisan-made furniture. And lots of other high-end elements that bring the elegance and sophistication of a richly finished interior to a home’s outdoor space.
“Think fully upholstered sofas covered in performance chenille fabric
that’s just as soft as traditional chenille,” says Waynette Goodson,
editor-in-chief of Casual Living and Exterior Design magazines. “Then
there’s Carrara marble tabletops, Italian volcanic rock finishes, and
even natural brass, like Brown Jordan’s classic Kantan collection.”
Casual Living’s features editor, Jennifer Bringle, says decorative accessories, too, are being elevated.
“We’re not talking the tiki torches and scratchy coir rugs of yore,”
she says. “Innovations like solution-dyed acrylics, polypropylene weaves
and water-resistant LEDs mean that outdoor accessories offer the same
level of on-trend style and luxury as their indoor counterparts.”
Barclay Butera, a designer in Newport Beach, California, has a collection for Castelle that would look equally at home on a city terrace as on a suburban pool deck.
“I was inspired by this magnificent geometric ceiling carving I saw
in an English manor years ago,” he says. “I’ve incorporated this pattern
into the fretwork.”
The collection’s aluminum frames are hand-cast in sand using a
process that eliminates air pockets, making the material nearly as solid
as iron. Frames accented with artisan-applied brass details cradle deep
tailored cushions, and the pieces are crisply done in Butera’s
signature navy and white.
The pieces are made using the same techniques as fine interior
furniture, with carefully finished joinery, hours of hand-finishing,
custom detailing and thick, high-quality cushions. Characteristics like
these, including the use of marine-grade steel and durable tropical
hardwoods like Costa Rican teak, are the hallmarks of top-end outdoor
furnishings.
Prices tend to reflect the luxury features. Butera’s three-seater sofa lists for around $5,000.
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| This photo provided by Pottery Barn shows Lilly Pulitzer’s white trellis-patterned planters and are part of a new collaboration the brand has undertaken with Pottery Barn, debuting this spring. (Pottery Barn via AP) |
At Gloster, the Cradle outdoor
daybed designed by Londoner Henrik Pedersen is a framed circle of
powder-coated aluminum and teak with a thick slab mattress, and retails
for around $13,000.
Vondom collaborates with
international designers and architects on high-concept resin decor with
an edge. That includes Ramon Esteve’s geometric Vela collection, which
uses LED lighting in the bases, so seating and tables seem to float
slightly at night, to ethereal effect. Planes and angles create
sculptural pieces of art that are also a sunchair, bench and planter.
Also at Vondom: Teresa Sapey’s Adan collection of giant faceted heads
has an Easter Island vibe. And ultramodern chairs by designers Eugeni
Quitllet and Jorge Pensi are cloaked in gleaming gold or silver,
combining avant garde with elegance.
Tropitone’s Cabana Club
collection blends woven, metal and upholstery elements in roomy,
contemporary seating inspired by luxe resorts in Bali and the Cote
d’Azure.
CB2′s new outdoor collection includes
Ceci Thompson’s French Riviera-inspired mahogany and cabana-striped
sofa. A daybed poises slim cushions on an iron frame given a rich golden
glaze.
European midcentury modern looks are also finding their way outdoors.
For Gloster, Petersen’s chic, minimalist Blow side table perches a
sliver of teak on a smoke, coffee or emerald-hued ceramic base. And
Cecilie Manz’s Atmosphere collection pairs a curvy, powder-coated
aluminum frame with a slim teak seat, then pads the sofa and chair backs
in hues like nightshade, salmon, quince and lichen.
For those seeking a more traditional look, Richard Frinier’s Archipelago collection for Century features richly carved and stained teak seating and tables that evoke British and Dutch Colonial style.
The new Lilly Pulitzer collection at Pottery Barn
includes the designer’s signature preppy-nautical prints on outdoor
soft accessories, and crisp, white, trellis-patterned planters.
Many designers’ patterns dispel the notion that outdoor furniture should be printed with tropical motifs.
Brown Jordan’s Suncloth fabric collection includes menswear-style houndstooth, tweed and even sweater prints. Elaine Smith,
a former jewelry designer in England, now designs runway-inspired
luxury outdoor pillows. On solution-dyed Sunbrella fabric that resists
fade or mildew, she incorporates dressmaker details like silky fringe,
hand-crafted knots and jewelry embellishments. Her patterns range from
jaunty nautical motifs to animal and tribal prints to florals.
Sunbrella’s Makers Collection
includes weather-resistant fabrics that evoke fine wools, hand-loomed
Peruvian cottons or metallic-thread linens. Other outdoor fabric houses
are being inspired by antique tapestries, quilting or Japanese kimonos.
And some are using specialty yarns to create sumptuous pearlescent or
silken textiles that withstand the elements.
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