ABOVE:Pier One Imports' line of dark rattan furnishings in the ‘modern craftsman' style are answering the latest trend in outdoor rooms.
The merry, merry month of May is upon us, but the real harbinger of fair weather is the arrival of the Ikea outdoor furnishings flyer.
This year’s onslaught of brightly coloured plasticky patio accessories scream for our attention but do we really need a decorative neon green bug-screen food dome or hot-pink plastic marguerita set? No, we don’t. However, most of us could use a bit of help to make the best of the little outdoor space we have. (If you don’t have any exterior space, get your outdoor fix by toting a portable barbecue, well-stocked picnic basket and sturdy fold-up lounge chairs to any of the surrounding beachfronts for regular al fresco dinners.)
Before you buy on impulse, think about the probable use of your patio or balcony. Are you likely to entertain here? Do you want to play barbecue chef or do you just need a personal retreat for reading a book or catching up on some Z’s? Is it a logical spot for morning coffee or does it really shine at sunset with the aid of martinis?
With so little space inside, your outside space may be best used as an extension of the living room. Outdoor rooms represent a lucrative chunk of the home furnishing business. Suddenly there are weather-resistant (“-proof” is another thing altogether) sofas, coffee tables, armchairs, drapes – virtually any item you might have in your living room. So entranced are we about adding another room to our homes, we’re including patio-table-top propane heaters and electric fireplaces, if only to stop our Torontonian friends from reminding us that we never get the warm nights like they have Back Home.
But unless your outdoor space offers deep shelter from the elements, you’re limited to the kind of furnishings for your outdoor room. Anything other than cast aluminum and resin will rot and rust and disintegrate in no time. That’s life in the coastal rainforest region for you. If you had a nice big home in the ’burbs, you could just fire the lot of it in the garage or basement after summer ends, but in the city, you use it or you lose it.
One relatively new option showing up everywhere from Superstore to high-end patio furnishing showrooms is the rattan-look 'resin' (aka plastic) woven seating. I've test-drove two armchairs for two years under all weather, including heavy snow, and they still look like new.
Meanwhile I’m still looking for a truly rain-proof area rug. Suggestions, anyone?
(Revised article originally published in 2005)
