Stylish Furniture to Deck Out Patio
Spring and summer are the seasons when San Diegans gravitate outdoors to patios and decks. And outdoor lounging become even more inviting when done on comfortable, attractive furniture.
Chairs, garden benches, loungers, tables, umbrellas are available in a huge variety of styles for outdoors, in materials that withstand the ravages of sun and rain.
They come at prices to suit any budget. You can buy a comfortable outdoor chair of molded resin plastic from a discount store for as little as $12 or $15, or spend more than $1,000 for a Frank Lloyd Wright chair from a high-design outlet like MPLA in Solana Beach.
Somewhere in between are stores such as Flair Lighting & Outdoor Furniture in Escondido, PC Designs in Vista and La Jolla Patio and Fireside. All have showrooms full of furniture by manufacturers such as Brown Jordan, Homecrest, Rovergarden, Winston, Tropitone, Woodard, O.W. Lee, Grosfillex, Kettler and Allibert.
Before you go shopping, you should know a little about what to look for.
Most outdoor furniture is made from one of four materials: aluminum, plastic resin, wood or “wrought iron,” which is actually steel.
Some coastal dwellers gravitate toward plastic because it stands up to sun and moisture, says Pamela Curreri, a 12-year veteran of the outdoor furniture business and co-owner of PC Designs. Aluminum also holds up well under the elements.
For longevity, steel doesn’t fare as well. Although it can be coated with a variety of paints and sealants, none are as durable as lead-based paints, which are now illegal and no longer in use, Curreri explains.
“Throughout the country, wrought iron has been selling a lot in the last two years, but no major manufacturer gives more than a one-year guarantee against rust,” she says. So if you buy wrought iron, Curreri suggests, ask the dealer for a paint touch-up kit, and use it on nicks as soon as they occur to prevent rust.
Despite potential rust problems, wrought iron furniture remains a sentimental favorite for its graceful, curving lines, often with leafy ornamentation. Many of these classical forms are still available, and there are contemporary variations as well. La Jolla Patio & Fireside’s Carlsbad store offers a set of four wrought iron chairs and table by Woodard, including cushions covered in a floral print fabric, for $1,140. Another set by O.W. Lee in black wrought iron is $990.
Wood is making a comeback, according to Curreri, with pricey teak now in vogue instead of redwood.
MPLA can order a variety of pieces from catalogues, including teak garden benches, rockers and tables from Summit Furniture in Carmel.
Heavy and well-made, in simple forms that call to mind turn-of-the-century Craftsman furniture, Summit’s pieces offer comfort and richness.
This kind of quality carries a high price. Summit’s Aperture rocker, for example, lists for $2,295, but MPLA will sell you one for $1,652.
There are less expensive options in wood, such as a set of four gray-stained redwood chairs with cushions and a matching table at Flair in Escondido for $959.
Resin plastic furniture is popular not only for its durability, but because it is lightweight, easy to clean and its simple, molded forms seem to suit casual Southern California.
Brown Jordan is the Cadillac of resin plastic furniture. A table and four chairs with classic 1920s-era black-and-white striped cushions carry a price tag of $1,499 at La Jolla Patio & Fireside, but the store also stocks simple white molded chairs by Allibert for $50 apiece.
If price is no object, but high design is, MPLA can order contemporary pieces by top European and American designers, including the stainless steel Toledo chairs and tables designed by Jorge Pensi, a Spanish architect and designer. These have the glamour, grace and solid construction of a Ferrari or Italian bicycle, with an equivalent price tag--one chair lists for $650.
With many outdoor chairs, you’ll need cushions. Be sure the fabric used to cover them is meant for the outdoors. PC Designs, for example, makes its own custom cushions covered with a special outdoor fabric called Sunbrella, which comes in 23 colors. The covers can be removed and run through the washing machine.
Finally, if you have absolutely no outdoor space for furniture, but you do have a couple of trees and you like the thought of hanging around outdoors, consider the Carolina Hammocks in yellow, blue, green, maroon or peach at La Jolla Patio & Fireside for a comfortable $140.