Life on the Outside
Creating an escapist sanctuary in your backyard is more about indoor luxury than outdoor limitations.
Outdoor décor: Curtains create instant drama and serve a purpose, providing privacy and protection from the sun and wind. Image courtesy Image courtesy Homecrest
Be it in southern France, the Italian coast or your own hometown, it doesn’t get much better than a romantic champagne picnic under the stars. For most of us, though, that’s a dream tarnished by the unpleasant reality of plastic chairs and a blowup pool. But it doesn’t always have to be. It’s easier now than ever to create a cozy outdoor sanctuary that will put you right on Riviera – or at least your flowerbed, says Jennifer Garrigues.
“It’s amazing … [in Palm Beach] and New York everybody wants to be in the fresh air; everybody wants to be outside but feel enclosed,” says Jenny Garrigues, owner of Jennifer Garrigues, Inc., which operates design studios in both cities. “I think there’s something about an outdoor room that’s filled with romance.”
So how do you make romance out of cheap plastic chairs and a wood table in need of a new coat of Thompson’s? By throwing those notions out the window. Think living room, not patio.
“We use mostly 100 percent acrylic yarn, and they’re specially engineered for the outdoors so that they won’t fade and that they’re easy to clean,” Jenkins says.
Drifast Outdoor Foam and polyester blown fibers are used for fillers and high UV threads for the finishes. Faux leathers developed with polyurethane also are engineered to survive the outdoors. What does all that translate to? Colors that won’t fade, as Jenkins said, and outdoor cushions and pillows you can just shake water off of to dry. “If it’s not a heavy rain, it just rolls off,” she says.
“Brown has been very important as an apparel and also now as a furniture,” she says. “We try to do as many combinations with brown as we can.”
People like to eat outside, so Garrigues recommends a table and chairs, with additional chairs or a sofa to fill out the space, and a table to set drinks on.
If you’re looking for the spot to relax rather than the spot to gather, chaises, sectionals, wicker beds and daybeds with canopies make for an exotic place to get away.
Wicker, wood, rattan and teak all make great outdoor materials, but if you’re stuck on what to do with what, you have a few options.
When it comes to outfitting your room, there’s unlimited options for where your design goes and for the materials you choose.
“Use a texture, then use a stripe, then maybe a floral design, mix all those in together. It just makes it a lot more interesting,” Jenkins said. “Most of the times I try to mix three fabrics, sometimes five or six.”
Barbara Balaban, a designer with Balaban and Shapiro Interiors in Los Angeles, also tries to mix materials and tap a variety of suppliers.
“Make the materials go together but not match,” she says.
You can draw inspiration from your indoor rooms to make the outdoor room of your dreams.
“Don’t be shy. If you use bold colors inside, use them outside, as well,” Balaban says.
Garrigues echoes the indoor/outdoor play.
“If the porch is right off the living room, it’s nice to continue colors through,” she says. “It’s nice to acknowledge each other.”
Before you cozy up in your new outdoor room and get ready to enjoy your picnic, don’t forget to accessorize.
Encased candles or lanterns can give your space an exotic feel and provide the lighting needed during the night. Plants are good, too, because they require less fuss.
“You want leaves around you; you want foliage around you,” Garrigues says. “It’s romantic. Have fun with it. There are so many outdoor rooms out there that look great.
“I would make it functional and romantic at the same time,” she says. “If it’s well designed and well put together you’re going to spend hours out there.”
And that’s the precise idea.
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