Today’s outdoor furniture takes the look, comfort of indoors out
It’s summertime and while George Gershwin may believe that “the livin’ is easy,” it’s also stylish and comfortable.
This year, as more and more people are choosing to spend their summer vacations at home, outdoor furniture manufacturers’ newest offerings emphasize comfort and versatility, key ingredients for leisurely gatherings at home.
“Many of us are scaling back travel plans. Some are even dropping them altogether,” said Jackie Hirschhaut, vice president of the American Home Furnishings Alliance. “But we can still squeeze every drop out of our valuable time off — right at home. With minimal effort, families today can create the perfect summer getaway in their own backyard.”
A new survey by the AHFA revealed that more than 40 percent of Americans say the current economic conditions will cause them to spend less time on vacation this summer and 29 percent say they will not travel but spend their time at home instead.
“Plush comfort is especially affordable and easy to find,” said Hirschhaut, who notes that 29 percent of the survey respondents said they’d like to add either a comfortable lounge chair or some other deep-cushion seating to their outdoor space this summer. Deep seats, plump cushions and soothing spa colors abound in new furniture designs for the 2009 outdoor season, she points out.
“La-Z-Boy has even entered the outdoor furnishings category, teaming up with Brown Jordan International to create super comfortable seating for porches and patios — including four new outdoor recliners,” Hirschhaut adds.
Lee Lundquist, lead designer at Robb & Stucky Interiors, said the design trend for this summer is also all about bringing the indoors outside.
“With warm weather approaching, people are starting to think about outdoor living,” said Lundquist. “To withstand the elements and create a beautiful outdoor environment, the focus should be on good quality furniture that is specially crafted and designed for the outdoors. That means special outdoor fabrics, such as those made by Sunbrella, that resist fading and bleaching, even in the powerful Southern Nevada sun and heat. It also means special materials that are designed to minimize heat retention and keep their beauty year-round.”
In the Las Vegas Valley, where the temperature often is in triple digits during the summer, the selection of materials is especially important.
“We recommend a metal finish since it has strength equal to a car finish,” Lundquist said. “Other options include teak, the world’s hardest wood, as well as resin and wicker. All three are a good investment for outdoor living in Las Vegas.”
Another factor that homeowners are finding important this year is versatility. “When the budget is tight, it’s a plus when one purchase can serve two or more functions — and many manufacturers have built multifunction into their new outdoor designs,” Hirschhaut said.
Prime examples include storage benches, drop-leaf tables and chairs that can easily be used indoors or outdoors.
Veneman Furniture, a Southern California-based manufacturer of outdoor furniture that is known for its custom designs, is taking the concept of indoor styling a step further with its new Walt Disney Signature line. The four collections in the line bring the luxury and comfort of the indoors out through a sophisticated blend of mixed materials, classic prints and bright colors including woven and teak treatments with a natural look and feel.
In addition to the furniture, a variety of accessories created especially for outdoor use are helping homeowners enjoy the perks of a vacation without leaving home.
For example, Unicahome in Las Vegas offers the Handpresso wild espresso maker, a portable espresso machine that brews espresso or cup of coffee anywhere, as well as the Notebook portable grill, which is slightly more than 1 inch thick when folded and weighs 8.3 pounds.
“For a fraction of the cost of that one-week getaway you might have taken this summer, you can enjoy an entire summer of vacation-style relaxation, right in your own backyard,” Hirschhaut said.
