Six fabulous alfresco furniture buys
Six fabulous alfresco furniture buys
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1/6 From £1,602
Lounge chair from £2,214 including full seat cushion, and footstool from £1,602, both from the Mbrace collection by Sebastian Herkner for Dedon, available exclusively in the UK at Leisure Plan
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2/6 £6,110
The Meridienne garden chaise from Tribu, with weather-resistant seat-back on a stainless steel frame, from Go Modern
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3/6 £4,370
Kobo lounger by Manutti, with strong frame and quick-dry foam-filled cushions with water-resistant covers, from Go Modern
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4/6
From £1,070 Dalmatia garden chair, designed by Nika Zupanc for Spanish furniture maker Point, has a retro vibe (Go Modern)
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5/6 £7,705
With handwoven weather-resistant rope and water-resistant cushions, Manutti’s Kobo sofa, from Go Modern
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6/6 £2,200
Evia sun lounger from Italian furniture specialist, Smania, can be left outdoors all year round. Includes two scatter cushions and available in three colours from design store Go Modern
There are good reasons to pay substantial sums for the latest high-style garden furniture. Newly developed fabrics, along with sturdy, powder-coated aluminium frames mean you can leave it outside year-round and it won’t fade or rot and will last for decades.
The latest materials for upholstery and cushions are water- and dirt-resistant. Fancy some cushions covered in garden-suitable velvet? Well, that’s available, too.
Traditional upholsterers are getting in on the act. The Alfresco Collection from George Spencer Designs is launching in four designs, from £82 per metre. Made from colourfast, UV-resistant, non-absorbent polypropylene yarn, these super-soft fabrics resist stains, fading, fungus and bacteria.
Check out the Evia sun lounger, £2,200 including two scatter cushions, with a hi-tech weave in Carob (red), Ice (grey) or Midnight (navy) from luxury Italian furniture specialist, Smania.
Or blow the bonus on Piergiorgio Cazzaniga’s Meridienne chaise longue from Tribu. It’s £6,110 including a seat cushion and one back cushion, with a tubular, powder-coated stainless steel frame and woven, weather-resistant seat-back. Add garden-suitable, velvet-covered cushions and bliss beckons.
Both designs are available at London design store Go Modern.
At B&B Italia, architect/designer Antonio Citterio has added new sofas, from £5,339, and armchairs, from £2,233, with deeper seats to his Erica collection.
The Erica ’19 designs have powder-coated aluminium frames interlaced with polypropylene fibre, plus upholstered, water-resistant cushions with a softer feel. Perfect for alfresco relaxation or entertaining.
From Manutti of Belgium, the Kobo collection owes its curvaceous appeal to weather-resistant rope handwoven over a strong frame, while cushions have quick-dry foam fillings with water-resistant fabric covers.
The armchair (£3,850) and sofa (£7,705) come with a seat and back cushions plus scatter cushions. A lounger, £4,370, is also available. All from Go Modern.
German luxury outdoor furniture specialist Dedon, collaborates with hot designer Sebastian Herkner, combining a hi-tech weave over an aluminium frame with solid teak chair legs, in the Mbrace collection.
There’s a daybed, from £3,744; wing chair, from £3,030; lounge chair, from £2,214; rocking chair, from £2,280 and footstool, from £1,062. Quilted seat cushions are included.
A coffee table, £1,098, and side table, £900, have frost- and scratch-proof ceramic tops. All exclusively from Leisure Plan.
Unashamed sun-worshipping is offered by Meridiani’s Claud lounger, priced £4,000. This Italian design brand opened a store in South Kensington last autumn.
Padded cushions on Claud’s iroko structure have waterproof inter-liners and removable covers. The Joi table, from £5,600, has a simple wooden A-frame with a concrete top, while wooden benches, from £3,000, are topped by deeply padded cushions.
Echoes of chic living room furniture are also found in Studio Segers’ Tribu Senja sofa collection. Single modules start from £1,240; sofa with two-seater module and teak table, £4,820. From Go Modern.
For a Mediterranean air, try designer Nika Zupanc’s Dalmatia collection for Spanish furniture manufacturer, Point.
Eye-catching crisscross banding in weather-resistant, outdoor aluminium gives the high-back garden chair, from £1,070 at Go Modern, a retro feel — of late-Sixties Ibiza, perhaps.
Rain or shine, you can’t beat a feelgood vibe as embracing as that.
