This Outdoor Lounger Takes Its Shape From a Surprising Source

Japanese industrial designer Kensaku Oshiro, an alum of Lissoni Associati and Barber Osgerby who founded his own Milan-based practice eight years ago, looked to an interesting inspiration source for Grapy: jute bags that farmers use as impromptu lounges during the workday. Despite its somewhat casual look, the beanbag-style outdoor seat is the byproduct of intensive research into ergonomics, softly supporting the body via polystyrene and foam padding. Grapy’s removable technical-fabric cover comes in Marquetry by Sunbrella or Meltemi Texture by Jover Decó, in five hues.

8 Outdoor Furnishings and Accents to Spice Up Summer Decor

Brave the summer heat with this collection of outdoor furnishings and decor, from ultra-durable fabrics to a lounger inspired by a 60s Fiat.

Summer-Ready Furnishings, Decor, and More

Radia by Brad Ascalon for Sutherland Furniture

The New York designer’s collection of stone-topped teak nesting tables, their legs taking the form of ship rudders, was inspired by brand founder David Sutherland’s nautical passions.

Lifesaver by Sasha Bikoff for Walters Wicker

Bikoff’s fearless interiors, awash in riotous color, translate well to a mod armchair, its distinctive platform bases featuring rounded corners and neat rows of circular perforations.

Oliver by Ann Marie Vering for Brown Jordan

Inspired by the wicker bucket seats of a 1964 Fiat Jolly, the L.A. hospitality designer devised a likeminded outdoor lounge in handwoven rope, cradled by an angular frame and topped with plush cushions.

Outbounds by Brook Perdigon of Brook Perdigon Textiles

“From the rocky shores of Carmel to the canopied forests of Big Sur, we drew on inspiration close to home,” the California designer says of her solution-dyed acrylics, ideal for coastal homes, gardens, and boat interiors.

Black Jack by Jacques Deneef for Ethnicraft

The furniture designer—also an artist whose work is characterized by bold geometrics—created an outdoor lounge chair in black-stained teak defined by subtle shapes and subdued curves.

TFM collection by Tuleste Factory x Manscapers

Large-scale fluted-fiberglass planters handcrafted in Mexico make an impactful statement.

Lissoni Outdoor Collection by Piero Lissoni for Knoll

Linearity distinguishes the architect’s new range of aluminum-framed two- and three-seater sofas, armchairs, stools, and coffee tables inspired by the lean, modernist style of Richard Schultz’s historic 1966 outdoor collection.

Currents by David Rockwell for Sunbrella Contract

Rockwell Group’s founder and team collaborated with the outdoor performance fabric expert on a collection of 35 super-soft but ultra-durable solution-dyed acrylics with varying yarn textures that feature an abstract patterning of the elements.

Molteni&C Makes a Splash With Debut Outdoor Furniture Collection

The Italian brand dives into outdoor furniture for the first time and it’s all about liminal space. “I was inspired by modernism to recall the permeability and transparency between indoors and out, and that intimate con­nection with light and nature,” Molteni&C creative director Vincent Van Duysen says of the collection, which en­com­passes vintage reissues alongside newer releases. From the early 1950’s are two pieces by Gio Ponti: a rigid poly­ure­thane rendition of his wraparound D.154.2 armchair that can be customized in myriad weatherproof polyester upholsteries, and his D.150.5 chaise longue, now produced in solid teak, its precise angles accurate to Ponti’s original drawings. Among the more recent is Arc Outdoor, a cement-finished version of the parabolic 2009 table by Foster + Partners, and the Palinfrasca armchair in supersized woven bands of teak or EVA polyurethane, an all-weather rein­vention of a 1994 Luca Meda design.

Channel ’80’s Pool Vibes With This New Outdoor Collection

6 Statement-Worthy Outdoor Furnishing Collections Launched at the Milan Furniture Fair 2021

The global pandemic sparked an explosive movement to entertain outdoors—and the residential and contract furnishing industries took note. Throughout Milan this month, whether it was at Supersalone 2021, the smaller and rebranded Salone del Mobile furniture fair, or various off-site locations around the city, such as Rossana Orlandi Gallery, furnishings designed to bask in the sun (and withstand a downpour) made their debut.

From stylish sports furniture to addressing the world’s loss of biodiversity, nature, and species, to curves created from wood beams “strung together like beads,” here are six standout outdoor furnishing collections that launched at the 2021 Milan furniture fair.

Secret Garden by Roberto Lazzeroni for Poltrona Frau

With nostalgic memories of travel, including visits to Italy’s Amalfi coast as a child, Roberto Lazzeroni softens the line between indoors and out with the Secret Garden outdoor collection for Poltrona Frau. Fabricated from weather-resistant and FSC-certified solid teak, the seven pieces—among them, tables with hand-finished glazed stoneware tops, loungers, side tables, and chairs with armrests—satisfy dining, lounge, and relaxation needs. Secret Garden is part of the Boundless Living Outdoor Collections—Poltrona Frau’s extensive debut into the outdoor furnishing market that also launched in Milan this September.

Ace collection by Patrick Norguet for Ethimo

“Sure there’s outdoor furniture, but for sports there was nothing,” says designer Patrick Norguet. To meet that market gap, he conceived the FSC-certified teak and aluminum Ace collection of hotel sports furniture for Ethimo.

An aesthetic home run for tennis courts, pools, athletic clubs, and resorts, Ace is offered in four hues including warm white (shown) and moss green.

Habitats by ARDE and Rethink Studio for Vestre

“We talk so much about climate change, but we should also talk about the loss of nature, the loss of species, and the loss of biodiversity—that is urgent as well,” says Jan Christian Vestre, CEO of the Norwegian family-owned company Vestre.

With an insect hotel for bees and insects, bird nesting boxes, and benches with built-in small habitats for small animals, Habitats by ARDE and Rethink Studio for Vestre offers solutions by bridging the gap between people and animals. “It’s about bringing nature and biodiversity back into the big cities,” Vestre continues. Insect home Leaf (shown here) by Alexander Qual is available in three versions to meet the varying needs of different types of insects.

Formula from Nanimarquina

New methods and material experimentation have given rise to attractive yet weather- and stain-resistant carpet made for outside. Sourcing outdoor carpet for the contract market just got easier with Formula, a new contract-geared rug collection by Nanimarquina. Hand-woven in India and Pakistan using sustainable materials such as local fibers and yarn made from recycled materials, the collection is based on the customization of five models. Suitable for both indoors and out, these models come in 30 different colorways and 250 possible combinations.

Lido by GamFratesi for Minotti

Seating of woven polypropylene cords and tables topped with brushed, fine-grain Basaltina stone characterize the Lido Cord Outdoor collection by GamFratesi for Minotti, consisting of sofa, armchair, footstool, tables, and lounges. Beneath the tables and sofa, an aluminum base is varnished a matte-bronze hue; chairs and footstools stand on legs of solid mahogany or solid teak.

She-He-It by Hans Endendijk

To create the She-He-It outdoor collection, highlighted at Rossana Orlandi Gallery, solid wood beams are “strung together like beads,” according to designer Hans Endendijk. The striking curves of the Sit table and suspended back of the Paper Clip lounge are created by tightening hidden steel cables.