Outdoor furniture all about comfort, luxury

Lauren Heist

Celebrity designer Kathy Peterson is lucky enough to live in Palm Beach County, FL, where outdoor living is just part of everyday life.

A frequent expert on design shows on HGTV, the DIY Network, the Discovery Channel and PBS, Peterson is also the author of several design books including “Great Outdoor Decorating Makeovers.”


We decided to get Peterson’s perspective on trends in outdoor furniture, and find out how she might spice up an in-store display of outdoor furniture.

FS: What do you see as the biggest trends in outdoor furniture?

Peterson: Certainly deep seating is the huge buzzword right now. And by that I mean very sofa-, comfort-like, the big thick cushions that are very deep set. That’s really, really big right now.

Another trend that I am seeing and is outdoor sleeping areas… There’s a company called Outback [Chair Company]; they’re a group of really innovative designers that create really geometrical, free flowing, lounging spaces. It’s really interesting. They’re kind of cocoon-y. And not just them. There are other companies that create these cocoon chairs or chaise lounges that are kind of like a C-shape or moon-shape — it’s really kind of crazy.

Even outdoor beds… [which can be] just a canopy over a chaise lounge or actually an outdoor-type bed. [They’re common at resorts on the beach, and] these beds almost look like sandboxes, but there are cushions in there … and they have four little polls around them and maybe some canvas or sheer material just to keep the sun off a little bit but let the air blow through. You can do the same thing in your own space if you wanted to. It’s kind of fun that way.

FS: What outdoor rooms are becoming more popular?

Peterson: Outdoor kitchens are huge. They can increase the value of your home substantially, depending on how much you want to invest in something like that. Obviously the more upscale the neighborhood, you’re going to see that more and more, especially when it’s conducive to that region of the country.

[Outdoor kitchens] can [include] anything from a simple fireplace or built-in grill to counter tops, cabinets, pizza ovens, even dishwashers. They’re making everything so it’s conducive to the outdoors now…

I’ve seen where you can do portable kitchens… There are some manufacturers that are doing component kitchens. In other words, if you don’t plan on staying in the space for a long time or you only have a little space but you still want the convenience of having an outdoor kitchen, you can buy these component cabinets that can either be fitted with either the dishwasher or the oven or the sink or specialized countertop or whatever. And then you can add as many pieces as you like and then lay it out the way you want to, so that you’re not investing in a huge, permanent project that otherwise might cost you a small fortune.

Fireplaces are huge, whether they’re portable, (such as) the copper, round fireplaces that you can sit around… to the ones that are actually constructed from the ground up as a focal point of your outdoor space. I’ve even seen fireplaces that are built into counters that can be either used as a fire element or water element, so you have different options there. It just depends what you’re looking for, really.

FS: What types of materials are becoming the most popular in outdoor furniture?

Peterson: Wood is always going to be a staple, teak and that sort of thing. Aluminum casts are so beautiful now that they look like really heavy duty constructed metals and iron, (but) it’s much easier to move (them) if you have to versus a really heavy piece. The (plastic-coated) rattans … are very traditional, so those are also very luxury items, that sort of thing, combined with an ottoman, an easy chair, a chaise lounge. (It all depends on) whatever your particular tastes are or what’s popular in your particular sector of your marketplace. It’s kind of a hard one to pinpoint (one trend) overall because one size doesn’t fit all in the different regions of the country.

FS: What colors will we see more of in outdoor furniture?

Peterson: Really rich, deep, earthy colors, the reds, the oranges, you’re going to see a lot of that.

FS: What are the best ways for a retailer to display outdoor furniture in a store?

Peterson: I always recommend that you really create a vignette… not just walking into the showroom with a grouping of the furniture. Accessorize it. Make it look like I want to come down and sit down in this. You want to create an experience. There’s a lot of different ways that you can do that. You can create a miniature deck inside your showroom and maybe whitewash that wood or stain it an unusual color like blue or green or something like that. And now all of a sudden you have this little deck, you’re stepping up onto it, you’re hearing the sound of the wood underneath your shoes, you feel like you’re outdoors, you want to hang out, you want to stay. So then you take it a bit further and you accessorize with plants, live plants if you possible can, (and) accessories that you would have out on the porch or out on the patio. Whether it’s food-type items, serving items such as glassware and that sort of thing, to lamps — lighting is very key… Water sounds (are good, too), if you can incorporate a water fountain. These are all impulse (purchase) items, too, by the way… You want to create texture, and that can be done with pillows, it can be done with cushions, it can be done with flooring, it can be done with, again, plant materials, it can be done with pottery, whether it’s real shiny ceramics or it’s real earthy, textured pottery. There’s just a wide variety of different things that you can create.

FS: We’ve been hearing about Americans doing more “nesting” ever since Sept. 11. Is this still a trend that’s going to continue? Will we continue to see people investing in outdoor spaces at home?

Peterson: Yes, I think so. In so many cases it’s a wasted space and let’s face it: Property is expensive, homes are expensive. So why not use that space to the fullest where you actually create an extra room that you can live in? … By creating a cohesive look from the inside of your home to the outside of your home, it’s going to make that space more inviting and you’re going to use it more often.