Outdoor furniture stepping inside
It's Christmas week, and although we may not see any snow, there is a nip in the air. Never-the-less it's still Florida where everyone has to furnish not just the inside of their homes, but also the outside all year long. Wouldn't it be nice if you could do one stop shopping for all your furniture? Well now, thanks to some very creative European designers, you can.
Some of the world's leading manufacturers of outdoor furniture are creating products that are so comfortable, durable and stylish that people are bringing them indoors. Certainly in Florida the line between indoors and outdoors is blurred, especially during those fabulous months where you don't need either air conditioning or heat. Doors are opened, and the flow from indoors to outdoors is almost invisible.
Much of the new line of outdoor furniture is coming from European designers who are working with new high-tech fabrics that create a luxurious look and feel. In addition, these fabrics are so durable that they're perfect for homes with small children, lots of entertaining and especially important for our area, rentals.The new line of fabrics is more forgiving than conventional upholstery fabrics with many more options in color and pattern that ever before.
Kettal, a company based in Barcelona, is working with a newly developed woven nylon fabric that is waterproof. The fabric has a soft natural feel comparable to hemp. The development of this fabric has bridged the gap between indoor and outdoor furniture, eliminating the scratchy lawn chairs and slippery lounges typically associated with outdoor furniture.
One of the more interesting new indoor, outdoor designs is the Gothic chair from Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel, young Dutch designers. The chair is inspired by a 19th century neon-Gothic antique and produced from colorful plastic in colors like pink, orange, yellow and chartreuse. Because of the design of the chair, it can easily be moved back and forth between indoor and outdoor space. The price tag is $384, and if you Google Smeets Gothic chair you can see what an interesting design it is.
An Italian company, Cassina, is launching outdoor pieces based on iconic furniture designs with more durable and weather resistant materials. And an Italian indoor furniture designer, Moroso, has a lacquered nylon stool called Capitello for $500 manufactured in a range of vibrant colors. The unique pedestal stool looks like an ancient Greek or Roman column that can be used as a table or a stool. You can see what they look like on Moroso's website.
Like most new trends, especially if they're coming from across the Atlantic, pricing can be on the upper end of the scale. Dedon Furniture's Mu collection from Germany has sofas starting over $4,000 and coffee tables close to $2,000, and they claim that about a quarter of their furniture line is purchased for indoor use.
Indoors, outdoors it's all the same to us. Just slid open those glass panels, and presto, you have another room with furniture that can easily be moved back and forth. Or in the words of Job Smeets "unidoor," appropriate for both indoor and outdoor settings.
Wishing everyone a safe and peaceful holiday whether you celebrate indoors or outdoors.
