Saturday, July 25, 2009
Dealing with Obstacles
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Dining - Inside Out
This will be my last post on outdoor furniture for the season, considering the weather’s been so lousy this summer we have yet to dine outdoors even once this summer. But if we get lucky enough to enjoy a warm summer evening dining al fresco, then this is how I would make it more magical...
TAKE COVER. For outdoor dining, I prefer a covered porch or awning rather than an umbrella, the post in the middle drives me crazy. But i think my favorite summer product this season is Ikea’s Dyning Gazebo canopy, offerred in either a rectangular or trianglur shape. You can string up one or two or three of these between trees or posts to create a dreamy canopy effect that looks like boat sails...... Great for irregular shaped spaces, and situations where awnings and permanent roof structures are not an option. This is ingenious and a steal at $29.
AVOID MATCHING suites of furniture. Most people seem to have grasped the concept of not buying suites of dining room and bedroom furniture like our parents did, but somehow this concept hasn’t translated to our outdoor rooms yet. Even though there is more of a selection than ever before, when it comes to outdoor furniture (most of it more expensive than our indoor pieces),,,,,I always seem to see entire backyards or decks furnished with matching sofas, coffee tables, dining tables, chairs, bar carts and side tables all from the same collection. I know its usually less expensive to buy the entire set, but they will sell these pieces individually too so perhaps its a case of people rushing to furnish their outdoor spaces so they can just get busy enjoying them?
BRING THE INDOORS OUT. Whether its indoor dining or outdoor dining, chairs are always a big investment, because you need multiples. Four, six or eight. So why buy chairs that are only suitable for outdoors? Stretch your patio budget by only buying 2 or 4 outdoor chairs, or one long bench, or,,,,,if you’re really tight on space and dollars, skip the outdoor chairs altogether and think multipurpose. If you purchase chairs for your deck or balcony and they look like patio furniture then you minimize the amount of use they’ll get (I don’t think it ever looks appropriate to use them indoors, even in a pinch) and you’ll have to find dedicated storage space for them in the off season. But taking your indoor chairs outside,,,somehow always looks decadent.
Today there are a variety great looking chairs that are suitable for both indoors and out (see photo collage at bottom of post) but you won't find these in outdoor section. Initially you might have only ever considered these for indoor use, but surprisingly not only will all of these chairs look stunning in your kitchen, home office or dining room, they’re all suitable for outdoor use too! And as a bonus, they all stack for easier storage if needed. These are modern, clean lined and would mix well when paired up with chairs of any other style making them super practical. So if you buy a few extras, you’ll be prepared for extra dinner guests at anytime of the year and your mix of chairs will look stylish and chic as opposed to mismatched and makeshift.
EASY TO FIND. These chairs are available in shops 12 months of the year which means you’ll never have to scour the city mid-way thru summer looking for some stylish outdoor seating. If you’ve ever shopped for outdoor furniture after the May long weekend, you know how frustrating it can be to find anything. But what do you do if its your first place, or your first backyard, its mid-way thru June and you’ve got guests coming for a bbq!? You may not even have dining room furniture yet let alone patio furniture. Investing in 2 or 4 of these chairs will give you the flexibility to use them inside or out.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Outdoor Lounging - A Perfect Pairing
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Outdoor Lounging - The New Muskoka Chairs
The Muskoka Chair,,,,,synonymous with summertime, cottage life, and lakeside lounging. I’m sure you can instantly conjure up an image of the classic muskoka chair, no photo needed. Its iconic to say the least, and its image could be used as an international symbol for Canadian summer vacation.
I love traditional furniture,,,but painted wood and outdoor elements don’t often equate to carefree living. Idle relaxation is what these chairs are all about,,,,so for all the relaxation but non of the work associated with seasonal storage or maintenance, here’s a look at some of my favorite not so traditional looking muskoka chairs as well as some new and improved, eco friendly traditional versions.
For at least 2 years, I’ve had a photo postcard pinned up beside my desk – it’s a photo of this tourquoise, eye popping version of a mukoka chair. I picked it up at the One of a Kind show in Toronto where I’ve seen these chairs more than a few times. The makers of these chairs, Ian and Sandy Mackie share a love of design and the outdoors and offer 3 different chair styles under their company Jardinique. Jardinique builds Canadian climate-tested, classically inspired outdoor furniture that can live outdoors year round. They offer the chairs in any Benjamin Moore colour mixed in an outdoor industrial paint that's sprayed on over a primer. The chairs can be shipped anywhere in the world, each chair is shipped flat and ready to assemble with nothing more than a screwdriver and an hour or two to spare. First time customers report that assembling the chairs is easy.
The roundback lodge chair is based on a design that Ian and Sandy saw in Prince Edward County and reminded Sandy of fishing lodges she had visited in Quebec.
Probably the most remarked upon feature of these chairs are the ample arms! Measuring 8.5" wide.
Jardinique's Garden Chair is a re-design of an iconic Rietveld Chair. Gerhardt Rietveld, a Dutch architect, designed the original chair in 1918. One of these sits on display at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City.
For chair officianados, Jardinique's version is so much more comfortable and more sturdy. The simple, yet effective alterations have maintained the look and feel of the original Rietveld Chair.
Loll Designs interpretation of this classic muskoka chair is clean, modern and eco friendly. Its durable, sustainable, all-weather - intended for advanced outdoor living. Its made of superior grade recycled polyethylene. Hidden fasteners enhance the clean lines. Below is the 3 slat and 4 slat Adirondak.
CR Plastics Products - Generation Line. Canadian made from recycled plastic. A more traditional looking muskoka chair without the maintenance.
Last month I travelled out to Peterborough for a meeting with a client, a construction detour took me in the opposite direction I was supposed to be headed and along this country road I happen to drive by the most colourful sight. There were thousands of muskoka chairs in every colour you could imagine. I pulled over, grabbed my camera and went to check it out. What I discovered was a company called Taylors Plastic. They manufacture outdoor furniture made from 100% Canadian recylced plastics and supply many retailers and resorts throughout the country. The plastic material is recycled in Ontario from 90% post consumer products, is non toxic and UV resistant. They make a classic muskoka chair, bar stools, tables, rockers and benches. The muskoka chairs weight about 50lbs and they now make a foldable version so they are easier to store away. Since discovering this company, I've come across their product in quite a few upscale garden shops in Toronto, but you can purchase direct from Taylors and they offer country wide delivery.
Although the chairs are available in a range of colours, in this product I prefer the white and the light blues. What you'll notice on the darker colours is a whitish graining in the material which makes it look like plastic even from a short distance. With the white however, its impossible to tell its plastic unless you touch it.
Photos: Loll Designs, Jardinique (10), Loll Designs (7), CR Plastics (3), Carol Reed (3)
Outdoor Lounging - A Modern Classic
When I think of the perfect outdoor lounge chair, two images come to mind. One is the traditional and classic Muskoka Chair (more on that in the next post) and the other, is the iconic modern Butterfly chair, also known as, the BKF Chair, or the Hardoy Chair.
The Butterfly chair is a favorite of mine because of its sculptural lines, its affordability, its flexibility, it can be used both indoors or out,,,,and folds up or stacks for easy storage, and the covers can be easily replaced or changed. With its steel frame and hammock like seat it evokes a relaxed mid-century style - this chair will instantly add a hip modern edge to any setting. I prefer it used in either simple modern, or simple rustic settings.
In 1937, Antonio Bonet, Juan Kurchan and Jorge Ferrari-Hardoy apprenticed under architect/designer Le Corbusier in Paris; the following year they invented the "BKF" or butterfly chair. In 1941, MoMA design director Edgar Kaufmann Jr. brought the first two chairs to the United States. One chair went to the museum, the other to Fallingwater, his home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Most people associate this retro cool looking chair with the 50's when it was being mass produced, its hard to believe it was actually designed in the 30's and first used in North America in a Frank Lloyd Wright house.
The chair was originally mass-produced by Artek-Pascoe. In 1947 Knoll acquired US production rights of the Hardoy butterfly chair, bringing international notice and commercial success to the design. Unlicensed knock-offs and the loss of a Knoll copyright suit have made this one of the most copied chairs of modern design and it became one of the most widely copied chairs in existence. After losing their claim of copyright infringement, Knoll dropped the chair from its line in 1951.
In 1997 Circa50 resumed mass-production of the chair to the exact dimensions of the Knoll version. Their frames are solid steel and do not fold or disassemble. Both black and stainless steel frames are historically correct, while stainless steel offers additional benefits: stacks for easy storage; contains 75% recycled steel and is totally recyclable; does not corrode or rust as easily as ordinary steel. An estimated 5 million of these chairs were produced during the 1950's by numerous manufacturers under various name and all varying in size. Circa50 makes covers for any size. Today, the canvas covers in use at Fallingwater are made by Circa50.
Steel Frame and cowhide cover by Circa50.