High quality outdoor furniture can successfully transform patios, decks and gardens into enjoyable living spaces. Every day architects share their material and product selections on Archello, contributing to an ever-growing database of specifications. In this week’s theme article, we take a look at outdoor furniture - durable products designed to withstand the elements, made of materials ranging from yarn to steel. These are ten of our most popular products specified by architects and designers in the past year.
Designed by Thomas Heatherwick for Magis, the Spun is a rotating chair made of molded polyethylene. Sold in five colors, the 90cm-diameter chair functions like a large toy top that spins, rocks and lands to offer a comfortable place to sit. Heatherwick describes the detailing of its finely ridged surface “like a vinyl record”, preventing users from sliding and also catching the light in a variety of ways. The Spun is part sculpture, part furniture and above all, meant for play.
2. Bitta Collection by Kettal
Bitta means ‘mooring’ in Italian, and this collection of furniture pieces is designed with a braiding reminiscent of the ropes used to moor boats - lightweight for comfort, yet strong enough to be weatherproof. The series includes chairs and sofas with seats of braided polyester in natural colors on aluminum or wood frames, and tables with teak and stone tops.
3. Landscape collection by Kettal
The Kettal Landscape collection is a modular series designed in collaboration with Doshi Levien. It combines natural colors with contemporary forms for daybeds, deck chairs, tables, dining chairs and a rope rocking chair. Over 30 aluminum colors and fabrics offer a fully customizable range of pieces for any outdoor space. Typical of other product designs by Barcelona-headquartered Kettal, the collection is functional and expressive, and uses ecological and recyclable materials.
4. Nolita 3650 by Pedrali
The Nolita 3650 chair features a low backrest of 30cm in height, and a steel tube frame powder-coated for outdoor use. The chair is produced in 13 colors, from white to yellow and blue, for a range of different exterior settings. This Italian-made and 100% recyclable product recalls Mario Pedrali’s 1963 designs for his first metal garden chairs.
5. Aqua Collection by Paola Lenti
The Aqua Collection from Paola Lenti is a series of soft outdoor furniture pieces made of high-tech yarns resistant to UV rays, salt and chlorine. The collection consists of large-format round and rectangular poufs, crate beds and soft loungers. Its comfortable poufs are made from polystyrene spheres contained in a polyester cover, and upholstered with the company’s innovative yarn fabric.
6. Round Collection by EMU Group
Designed by Christophe Pillet, the Round Collection consists of rounded seats and armchairs, set in contrast with rectangular and square tables. The unique forms of its chairs are the result of a process in which sheet metal is compressed between two steel dies, yielding shapes and structures with excellent mechanical strength. The chairs are manufactured in antique iron, opaque white, black, and indian brown.
7. Tribeca 3660 by Pedrali
The Tribeca 3660 chair is manufactured by Bergamo, Italy-based PEDRALI. The design is at once industrial and made for comfort. It consists of a galvanized steel tube structure, 20mm in diameter and powder-coated for outdoor use, which comes in eight colors and a matching seat made of woven extruded PVC on nylon core. The chair is specifically designed for outdoor use. It is stackable, and a trolley by PEDRALI is also sold as an accessory.
8. Crinoline Outdoor by B&B Italia
Crinoline is a rigid underskirt structure designed to hold out women's skirts in full bell shapes, initially popular in the mid-1800s. B&B Italia’s Crinoline collection takes inspiration from this ‘micro-architecture’. Designed in collaboration with Patricia Urquiola, the series consists of armchairs, chairs, and a stool that begin with wide curves at each base, repeated in seats, backrests and tabletops. Each piece is designed with a woven polyester cover on a powder-coated aluminum structure that is lightweight, recyclable and rustproof for outdoor use.
Synthesis is a furniture line by Italy-based Unopiù, that combines a solid teak frame sourced from certified Indonesian plantations accompanied by a hand-woven and trademarked WaProLace synthetic fiber. The collection includes comfortable four-poster daybeds, square tables, stackable chairs and lounges. 100% acrylic cushions, also by Unopiù, are available in off-white or beige.
10. Ninix by Royal Botania
Royal Botania’s NINIX collection includes resting and dining chairs, bar chairs, benches, footrests, lounges and tables. The series is customizable with a wide range of acrylic and polyester fabrics, structures made of brushed steel, polished steel or color-coated stainless steel, and tabletops in ceramic or teak wood. Royal Botania cushions are 100% water and UV resistant, made of anti-bacterial and anti-fungal-treated foam with an open-celled structure for permeability.
