When Jennifer Aniston purchased her Bel Air home (the product of architect A. Quincy Jones), she enlisted the help of interior designer Stephen Shadley and garden designer Marcello Villano to emphasize its beauty. Her poolside is the ultimate celebration of their genius.
While the entirety of Jennifer Aniston's Japanese-inspired garden is a sight to behold, there's something about her pool area that feels particularly mystical. Keeping in theme with her garden's aesthetic, it upholds an East Asian-style aesthetic that's both tranquil and stunning, but I just realsied the secret to its sucsess is in her black outdoor furniture.
With its sculptural yucca plants and colorful groundcovers, including prostrate rosemary, creeping juniper, and low-growing thyme, Marcello filled Jennifer's pool area with natural, seasonal colors that complement the blues of the water. Keeping her furniture black ensures the plants can stand out as they deserve.
The furniture is stylish, but not overpowering. It's the perfect, unintrusive base color that allows the rest of the greens, purples, and blues to take center stage. In my opinion, it's the unsung hero of this garden's sucsess.
This chaise lounge chair offers a sleek design that's perfect for poolside relaxation or sunbathing. It features a clean-lined aluminum frame with a matte black finish that's both weather and water-resistant, making it an ideal choice for your yard.
This stylish pillowcase is made of durable polyester with special coating to help water droplets slide off easily. They come in a black and white pattern, similar to the one seen on Jennifer Anniston's pillows (if you zoom in closely). It's an intricate addition to any poolside or patio.
This soft, comfortable aluminum lounge set is the perfect way to add some Jennifer-inspired charm to your patio. Featuring an aluminum frame with water-resistant cushions, this set offers a fresh take on a classic design and will look stunning alongside any pool area.
We can't all experiment with a pool area on the same scale as Jennifer's. However, her technique is replicable in any yard where you want to introduce color through plants without any intrusion.
Plus, black is one of the most timeless outdoor furniture colors you can choose, so you can rest easy knowing it will feel chic whether you're pairing it with greenery or not.
'We’ve all heard that black goes with anything, and this is true for your outdoor furniture as well. Black furniture – be it wooden, rattan, or metal - has a timeless feel to it, and one that is suitable for all seasons,' comments James Ewens, the commercial director at Alexander Francis.
'No matter what design the rest of your garden is going for, from vibrant, wild gardens to more minimal, modern spaces, this style of furniture will always perfectly fit in. If looked after properly, black garden furniture can be a great investment in your outdoor spaces.'
When it comes to accessorizing black furniture, James recommends following the same color palette as your wider garden. This could mean green or purple cushions (in Jennifer's case), but you should opt for whatever tones you have around your yard.
'You can choose your cushions based on the theme of the rest of your garden, whether that’s the color, texture, or pattern that will fit best. You could even change these out seasonally as the colors and plants around your garden change, all the while the black furniture itself goes perfectly with whatever you choose to accessorise it with. You really can’t go wrong,' James says.
Will you follow Jennifer's example and invest in black furniture that allows the plants and flowers around your yard to take center stage? Let me know in the comments below.
