Archive for the ‘Outdoor Furniture’ Category
Dream Decks for Lounge Lovers
Tuesday, July 24th, 2012
Looking for a nice place to entertain your guests? A place to put your feet up and relax on the weekends? Well check out these inspiring images of dream decks that will show you great ideas in creating an outdoor oasis and will give you a sure case of “the deck effect.”
Tags: Decks, Design Tips, design trends, dream decks, entertainment, furniture arrangement, Interior Design, lounge, Outdoor Furniture, outdoor lighting, outdoor rooms, outdoors, patios, Seating
Posted in Cool Ideas, Cool Stuff, DIY, Design Tips, Furniture, Interior Design, Outdoor Furniture, Remodeling, Seating, Uncategorized | No Comments »
A Rainbow of Cutting Edge Seating Options
Saturday, November 28th, 2009
Cutting edge design is bringing all the colors of the rainbow to interior spaces in unique ways. The trend in new furniture designs coming our way uses state of the art technology and creative thinking to give us interior options never before seen.
Mood Chair:
The Mood Chair by Aether & Hemera, visual artists in the UK, incorporates sensors that react to the colors in the immediate surroundings. The fusion of light and color creates a dynamic and ever-changing mood.
Here’s what Aether & Hemera have to say about the idea on their website: “Responsive installations can complement the architectural space: the idea is that digital interactive fixtures will contribute to create an innovative and high-quality environment responding to the behaviour of its users by visually expressing the activities surrounding them.”
Personally, I love color so much and change my preferences so often, that I can imagine whole walls that can change color like this. Wouldn’t it be nice if we never had to paint a wall again, but could just walk in wearing our favorite color?
Side Stacking Rainbow Chairs:
Traditionally when you got stacking chairs, they all stacked one atop another until you got a tall pile of chairs which was compact, but not useful while stacked. Danish designer Christian Flindt has a better idea for stackable seating. His Rainbow Side Stacking chairs fit into each other’s sides and when several are stacked together, not only are they compact, but they are still usable as a bench. Made in an array of semi-translucent colors they appear like a rainbow when put together. The molded plastic chairs can be used indoors or outside.
Cappellini Rainbow Chair by Patrick Norguet:
You’ll be sitting pretty in your dining room, but this acrylic dining chair will set you back about $13,000 … yes, that’s per chair. Designed by Patrick Norguet, manufactured by Cappellini and included in the collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art, this deceptively simple looking side chair is made by fusing multiple colored acrylic plates together using ultrasound technology. One can only hope that someday, like most technology, it will eventually become more affordable. If you just can’t wait to have the latest in dining chairs, and you have plenty of discretionary income, you can purchase these through Europe by Net or Unica Home.
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Tags: Aether & Hemera, cappellini, Christian Flindt, Colors, dining chair, Dining Room, Europe by Net, furniture design, interior design portland, modern design, MOMA, Museum of Modern Art, Patrick Norguet, Seating, Trends, Unica Home
Posted in Colors, Cool Ideas, Cool Stuff, Dining Room, Interior Design, Outdoor Furniture, Seating, Trends, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Outdoor Rooms: Portland Interior Designer’s Top 10 Tips
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
Interior Design in Portland pretty much always involves making the most of available light and incorporates an appreciation of the beauty of the outdoors. Since sunny days are at a premium, making the most of them by creating an outdoor room will expand your living space and dramatically increase your enjoyment of yard, patio, deck or balcony
Here are my Top 10 Tips for creating the Perfect Outdoor Room
1. Create a furniture grouping for conversation. Just as you do in your living room, put some comfortable seating in an intimate arrangement so friends can sit close and hear each other easily. Provide side tables, a dining table or coffee table to hold drinks & snacks.
2. An outdoor area rug will give the furniture grouping a cozy look and feel nice under bare feet too.
3. If evenings are cool, one of the best additions to your grouping will be a place to have a fire. There is something very primal and comforting about sitting around a fire. You could build in a fireplace, or use a portable fire pit made of steel or copper. There are also beautiful, contemporary propane burning “fire features” that are safe to use on condominium patios, and eliminate the need to have stacks of firewood. If your space is a small condominium balcony with just enough room for a bistro set, consider using either free standing or table models of oil burning lamps to give you a flame that provides more light than candles and won’t blow out at the smallest breeze.
4. Lighting is just as important as it is indoors. If you have a covered space, consider hanging a chandelier.Manufacturers are now making table lamps and floor lamps that are specially made to use outdoors. The soft light of a lamp is much more pleasant than an outdoor flood light! Accent lighting shining on your landscaping will allow you to enjoy the scenery at night too. Don’t forget oil lamps and candles for ambience.
5. Art elevates the look of any space and this is true in your outdoor rooms also. Select pieces that can handle the elements if your space is not completely protected from rain. You can find artwork such as metal wall sculptures or paintings on metal that can be outside. A muralist can even paint directly on an outside wall for your space.
6. Water features add a lovely visual and relaxing sound. There’s a water feature in the right size for you … large or small free-standing fountains, wall hung fountains, and table top models.
7. Remember to accessorize, just like you would indoors. Candles, and colorfully glazed ceramic pieces add color and interest to the setting.
8. Defining your room and providing privacy can be very important, especially if your room is visible to neighbors. You can use outdoor fabric drapery panels that can be pulled closed to give privacy. In their open position, they provide color and texture. Free-standing, folding room dividers can be placed wherever you need them and put aside when not in use. Consider creating a wall of wood shutters that can be opened to let breezes through or closed to protect privacy.
9. Protection from sun and rain makes your room usable in less than perfect weather. Umbrellas, awnings, and gazebos are all common ways to provide shade or shelter from rain. Solar shades can be hung from your shade structure’s ceiling and lowered to protect from late afternoon sun. “Shade sails” are those large canvases suspended in the air, stretched on cables attached on at least 3 points. They are a dramatic and sculptural way to shade and define your room. If the right fabric is selected they can protect from rain too!
10. The most important element of an outdoor room? Friends of course! Once you set up your room, invite some friends over, mix up Mojitos or your favorite iced tea and enjoy the last weeks of summer! Use serving trays or a rolling serving cart to make it easy to bring refreshments outdoors.
You may also like:
Serving Up Style: Sustainably Made Serving Trays
Two Cool Ways to Go Green: Sustainable Options for Outdoor Furniture
Tags: Art, awning, Fireplace, fountains, gazebo, Interior Design, Lighting, Outdoor Furniture, portland interior design, rug, shade sail, umbrella, water features
Posted in Art, Design Tips, Fireplace, Interior Design, Lighting, Outdoor Furniture, Seating, Space Planning, Top Ten, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Two Cool Ways to Go Green: Sustainable Options for Outdoor Furniture
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
Ever searching for cool ways to GO GREEN, I have come across two options for you to relax in style while being sustainable at the same time.
This classic Adirondack style chair is being made in a totally new and sustainable way by Loll. Made from 100% recycled post consumer “high density polyethylene” which is a plastic resin made from recycled items such as milk jugs, margarine tubs, detergent bottles and so on. I am pretty impressed with the sustainable practices of this company. They send 90% of their manufacturing waste to recycling plants. All of the furniture they make is 100% recyclable — not that it’s likely to wear out any time soon, and with these classic styles they won’t ever look out of date. Their line includes many other chair styles, chaises and tables.
While I love the leaf green shown here, they make these in seven gorgeous colors shown in the thumbnails below. It’s made in the USA and also comes as a rocker … now that really ROCKS!!
Even your DOG can have sustainable options with the products from Loll. Look at this great raised dog bowl set made from the same recycled material! Too cool!
This gets a “4-Paws-Up” rating from Shirley and Izzy! They want the Apple Red.
Loll products can be found locally at Design Within Reach and the Adirondack chair is currently on sale as of this writing — July 1, 2009. They can also be ordered directly from Loll on their website at Loll Designs.
If you prefer wood to plastic, it’s tough to beat this combination of reclaimed wood and manufacture within 15 miles of Portland, Oregon. I found a local craftsman making classic Adirondack chairs out of 100% reclaimed wood from industrial construction pallets. If you request it he will seal it with a non-toxic sealer. At $239 for a pair of chairs with a small side table, it is definitely an affordable choice.
His email is jessealvey@yahoo.com. I found him on Craigslist and have not purchased from him myself, so you’ll need to do your own due diligence as with all Craigslist vendors.
Tags: adirondack chairs, green design, Interior Design, Loll, modern design, Outdoor Furniture, Seating, sustainable style
Posted in Interior Design, Outdoor Furniture, Sustainable style, Uncategorized | No Comments »