If you're anything like me, you take your outdoor living seriously. Some of my fondest memories are of growing up playing and lazing about with my sister and cousins in our family garden during the long summer days. Looking back, our garden was something out of a gardening magazine or a beautiful backdrop that one may read about- secret garden anyone? That was all thanks to my dad's magical green thumb! Unlike today, stylish and varied outdoor furnishings were not so prevalent and easily attainable. Back then, we had only two stone benches surrounded with granite pea gravel under an oak tree. Not very comfortable for adults to hang out. Nonetheless, our garden attracted a lot of admirers. However, it was not until I was an adult, that we really began to understand and appreciate our garden as an extension of our home. With that realization came the understanding that it's important to plan out your outdoor space. To that end, there are several approaches you can take.
The Approach
First, ask yourself what is it that you want. Second, envision how you would like your outdoor space to look. Third, do you have the room to create an entire outdoor space to spend your entire summer season? That means space to accommodate a sitting area, dining area, play and sleep/lounging. If not, ask yourself which of these areas are most important to you. Next, plan where each area will be so that the space flows well. This is an important part of the process due the fact that it will dictate decisions such as how many pieces of furniture you will need, furniture dimension, as well as scale and proportion. Here are a few key points to keep in mind:
1. Try to select outdoor furnishing that fits in the style of your home's architecture. This will be more harmonious with the exterior esthetic and therefore more pleasing to the eye.
2. Selection of furnishing can be based on the interior style of the home. In other words, outdoor furnishings that are similar in style to your interior furnishings. This will truly bring the feeling of indoors outside. Your outdoor space will than feel like an extension of the interior of your home. That in itself will make your home will feel three times as big.
However, you may choose to create different feeling with your outdoor space than what is reflected in your home's interior. You may decide to select furnishings for a more eclectic entertaining space. Or you may choose for your outdoor space to be splashy, whimsical, fun and or exotic. Why not?
The styles and the hunt
There are different style categories. I will list a few and where to find some at a different price point to fit different budgets and taste.
Here is the sofa from the Palmetto collection from Potterybarn. This is a more traditional style which harks back to yesteryears. It's a look that would work with homes such as colonials, capes, etc. These pieces are made with tubular resin strands that are intricately woven over powder coated aluminum frames to look like wicker and to withstand the elements. you will be able to find a similar product at a lower price point at places such at Pier1 imports, Home Depot and Lowes.
This is The Costa from Restoration Hardware is made from farm grown teak. it is a perfect addition to a modern/costal home. Though this collection comes in two different proportion and scale-classic and luxe- make no mistake that RH furnishings are made for the more sizeable homes with a price point to match. You may find something comparable in style or material at other stores. Pottery Barn's Indio collection in Mahogany, Crate and Barrel's Walker collection in teak and West Elm's Portside collection available tropical wood are great alternatives. The price points vary significantly because of materials and details.
The full upholstered outdoor sofa. This particular piece is from Restoration Hardware's Belgian Slope arm collection helps not only to blur the lines between inside and outside but it completely obliterate it. This look helps those who are truly love and want interior furnishings outside but without the damaging effects to their furnishing. It is a style option that is growing in the industry with demands that outdoor furnishings are no longer look or feel like outdoor furnishings. you may find this style in many other retailers.
For those looking for more vibrant contemporary furnishing, there is, for example, Crate and Barrel's Lanai collection. Its material, color and sleekness evokes the air of contemporary pop art. Its sexy curves, however, soften it's minimalist approach to outdoor furnishing. This style fits nicely in a contemporary/modern home or for an owner who may want a bit more of an edge. Caution, this style can lean towards the cheap if price dictates your selections. In other words look for great deals on the higher end furnishings to get that wow factor. Which brings me to my next point.
When to buy
The best time to shop for outdoor furnishings, believe or not, is when they are show cased or first land in stores during the month of February. One main reason is because retailers are just coming off the holiday madness and store traffic is low due to recent holiday spending by consumers. Therefore, retailers will tend to have promotions that they send to their rewards members. They will, at times, also have sales for one to two days on outdoor furnishings for the general consumer. These promos are meant to entice consumer spending. Usually membership holders and early bird customers benefit from these promos. Often they are the ones to snag the more sought after pieces at great deals. The key is to be disciplined. This means planning ahead, getting your budget settled, and getting ready for those purchases during the month of March. The month of February is for perusing, researching (color, style, etc.) and making notes of your selections. As you get closer to the summer season, there are still deals to be had. However, they tend to have more restrictions and the discounts tend to be smaller. These discounts tend to increase closer to the seasons end. However, by then most of the selections have dwindled down to bare minimum. Remember, outdoor furnishings are an investment in your outdoor home. Therefore, it too deserves serious planning as did the interior of your home.