IN LIVING COLOR
When it comes to lounging in the backyard, the icons of outdoor furniture--Adirondack chairs, redwood picnic tables, wicker settees, or those wobbly folding aluminum numbers--are taking a back seat to plastic. At the forefront of garden design are stylish numbers in materials with tongue-twisting names, such as polypropylene, polyethylene and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene. But relax, you can just call them plastic. Weather-resistant and lightweight, the latest molded-plastic furniture is also light years away from the ubiquitous stackable chair stamped out in white or green. Shapes are sculptural, finishes are luxurious to the touch and palettes include virtually every color under the sun. A case in point is Philippe Starck’s Bubble Club sofa available in lemon-yellow, gray and terra cotta. Guy Cnop, president of Linea in West Hollywood, says customers are opting for chairs and chaises in different hues--pairing orange with yellow and lime-green, or baby blue with pink and lilac for a virtual flower bed of color. As an added attraction, British designer Tom Dixon’s cone-shaped chair comes in phosphorescent white--just in case you like your patio furniture to glow in the dark.
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Antonio Citterio (with Oliver Low) Dolly reinforced-polypropylene folding chair, $214, at Diva, Los Angeles. Available in ivory, light blue, orange, pea green, pistachio, slate, turquoise and yellow. Opposite: Philippe Starck Cam El Eon polypropylene and aluminum chair, $222, at Linea, West Hollywood. Available in beige, dark gray, ivory and orange. Fabric flower on wire, $9, at Scentiments, Venice.
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Stefano Giovannoni Bombo ABS swivel bar stool and table , $440 each, at Modern Living, Los Angeles. Available in blue, brown, green, gray, ivory, lilac, orange, pigeon, ultramarine and white. Above: Philippe Starck polyethylene Bubble Club sofa, $582, at Diva, Los Angeles. Available in lemon-yellow, gray, green, terra cotta and zinc. Vase, $44, at Shelter, Los Angeles. Tray, $3.50, at Ikea. White 42-by-66-inch rug, $76, at Urban Outfitters, Los Angeles.
Bowl, $47, at The MOCA Store, Santa Monica.
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Shaun Fynn Mono polypropylene and stainless-steel stacking armchair, $157, at Linea, West Hollywood. Available in ivory, gray and green. Above: Tom Dixon polyethylene chair, $242, at Diva, Los Angeles. Available in blue, lilac, red and phosphorescent white.
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Styled by Maggie Hill Ward