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Thursday, May 24, 2012

HOME & GARDEN

Taking Mod Out of the House

Lucca Coll

The sinuous shape, brushed aluminum frames, and spunky orange color of these poolside loungers from the Design Within Reach ‘Lucca’ collection are both stylishly fun and supremely comfortable. The clean but curving lines provide a nice contrast to the hard-edged rectangularity of the stone-edged pool. (photo courtesy of Design Within Reach)

By now everyone has just about mastered how to get a cool, modern look inside the home: A sleek sofa, hard-edged table and curvy chair, topped with a bulbous pendant and finished with a sprinkling of bright-colored, geometric-patterned pillows pretty much does the trick. But pulling off the same look outside can be more challenging.

Although a lot of modern furnishings can do double duty indoors and out—Bertoia wire and Panton ‘S’ chairs, Tam Tam stools and Chilewich mats are all smart choices—much of what’s widely available (not to mention affordable) tends toward traditional classics.

Mod Out & Sixx Design

left: Although the furniture forms are traditional (note the classic Adirondack chair), this covered porch translates as fresh and whimsical thanks to the pieces’ bright, clear colors. (photo via Flickr by Lauren Mitchell of Bushels and Pecks)

right: Interior designers Robert and Cortney Novogratz of The Novogratz styled the balcony of this 2,000 square-foot Murray Hill penthouse to reflect a “modern yet classic elegant environment with a mix of old and new.”  This project was part of their TB show "Home By Novogratz"on HGTV. (photo by Matthew Williams)

Ready for a re-fresh after a summer spent with old plastic lawn chairs and splinter-y wood tables, we spoke with a few designers, and perused plenty of photos, for tips on how to achieve a fresh, modern aesthetic on your porch, deck, or patio.

 Boston-area interior designer Christine Tuttle as well as Kelly Hoppen, of British design superstar fame, melded classic and contemporary with success in outdoor spaces across the pond from one another.

Christine Tuttle

Christine Tuttle, who designed this back patio in a Boston suburb, says, “Now that we have outside “rooms” more and more in New England, I think the same maxim applies to the art of placing modern furnishings outside as well as inside: less is more.”

Kelly Hoppen

Despite the minimal aesthetic, the sheer size of these chairs and cushions add a luxurious touch to this outdoor spaced designed by Kelly Hoppen. The interplay between the metal planters, wood seating, and fabric covers adds layers of texture and contrast. (photo by Mel Yates)  

While the homeowners in a suburb west of Boston thought it best to maintain a traditional front façade, they really wanted a modern backyard living space. Tuttle chose a traditional, but clean-lined table and chair set from outdoor furniture company Weatherend. She had cushions made in charcoal (rather than the usual hunter green or navy blue), without a welt for a cleaner, more contemporary look. In a similar fashion, Hoppen, tasked with designing the look for The Lakes by Yoo community in the Cotswolds, was keen on adding “urban sensibilities to a rural setting" in a space infused with luxury and harmony. She, too, chose traditional-style outdoor wood furniture, but with clean lines and untrimmed neutral cushions.

While the perimeter of the Hoppen-design balcony is lined with a contemporary (and slightly nautical) cable wire rail, Tuttle chose another popular look—that of horizontal mahogany boards, to fence off the patio. Sleek and Asian in feel, it’s the perfect backdrop for a modern exterior. Interior designer Lisa Kreiling erected a similar fence around the outdoor space of her condo in Boston’s historic but funky South End neighborhood. “I love the California vibe,” she says.

Lisa Kreiling & Greg Natale

left: Interior Designer Lisa Krieling’s city garden is outfitted with a pair of brown wire French fan chairs and a ceramic zigzag stool, along with a concrete fire pit. She replaced the original brick with pea stone for a more casual and contemporary feel.

right: Interior designer Greg Natale placed facing Kartell ‘Bubble Club’ sofas on the stone patio with a clean-lined wood table. Outdoor pillows add color.

 

Like Hoppen and Tuttle, Kreiling used a traditional wood table, but instead chose to pair it with contemporary orange ‘Air’ chairs designed by Jasper Morrison. Australian designer Greg Natale often uses iconic plastic pieces, too, including Panton chairs, acrylic Phillipe Starck ‘Ghost’ chairs and Kartell ‘Bubble Club’ sofas in the outdoor rooms he assembles.

Greg Natale & Lisa Krieling

left: Vernor Panton molded plastic chairs work well in and out. Here, Greg Natale pairs plain white ones with a light wood table on an enclosed balcony.

right: Lisa Krieling paired a weathered wood table with molded plastic chairs by Jasper Morrison from The Conran Shop.

Outside a two-story California Craftsman bungalow in Silver Lake, CA, architect Jeremy Levine used molded plastic Eames-style chairs in cobalt, along with white wire Bertoia ones. Levine, who describes the trellis overhead as a “literal and figurative bridge between the inside and out,” says to “think of your outdoor space as an outdoor room—an extension of the house that is open to the sky.”

Jeremy Levine & Jamie Bush

left: The trellis of this bungalow, designed by architect Jeremy Levine, punches through the wall from inside to out, creating a canopy over the deck

right: Jamie Bush outfitted this open-air pool house with a multitude of colors, materials, and textures that echo both the exterior finishes of the house, as well as its interior furnishings. (photo by Laura Hull)

Finally, West Hollywood wunderkind Jamie Bush, in conjunction with architect Bruce Bolander designed an open but covered pool house for a Brentwood residence that is the ultimate in California cool. The modern pavilion sits in the very rear of the yard, anchoring the pool and drawing one’s eye all the way back to the end of the property. To acheive this, Bush employed a strong color palette with lots of textures, all of which echo the decor of the home’s interior. This blurs the line between inside and out, and thus provides a cohesive modern experience. There’s an eclectic mix of vintage and new pieces—West German ceramic vases, an African wooden stool, mid-century planters, a custom contemporary mahogany coffee table, a rustic hand carved turtle from Bali, a jute rug from West Elm and vintage Italian wicker chairs.

Curate a modern outdoor space with eBay finds like these:

 

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3406b3ed-534c-4685-bb39-03d1a9c697a6 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 08:27:32 PDT Fri, 26 Aug 2011 08:27:32 PDT
Jenna @ The Beautiful Shelter
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The client demand for well designed outdoor spaces speaks volumes about the way people are living in their homes. As an extension of living space, it's wonderful to see how furniture designers interpret their modern ideas for outdoor settings, and how designers like Christine Tuttle use them to make the transition seamless! Jenna www.thebeautifulshelter.blogspot.com

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