Think back to when you sat by the ocean in one of those painful little aluminum beach chairs and then compare that memory to your first time poolside at a first class resort. You can have that resort feeling every time you use your back yard.
Most people I know buy their outdoor furniture sets during one of two times, either right after the weather gets warm or the weekend before a party. Impulse shopping for the patio limits your choice to the grocery store starter set or jumping in the pickup truck for a trip to the big orange hardware giant to purchase the same stuff as tens of thousands of other people. While I would pass at the umbrella table and chairs you see next to the deli department, the furniture sold at the big lumber box works just fine. The metal is a little thin, the glass is a little thin, and the choice? Well, you get to choose what they chose for you.
Call me crazy, but I like a nicely designed back yard more than a thoughtfully furnished home interior. My dream would be to have a New Orleans style courtyard complete with vine covered brick walls and a babbling fountain to drown out the neighborhood noises. I love yards that are constantly in bloom and if you show me a patio with the full outdoor kitchen and fireplace, as my NY friends would say, fuggeddiboudit. My sister married into a family that has a place in Mexico with a courtyard that I would never leave if given the choice.
Who needs a vacation if you have the perfect back yard? That’s called a ‘staycation’.
You probably have no idea how much choice there is in outdoor furniture and how well made it can be. Some lines come with a fifteen year warranty! See if you get that from the produce or power tool manager. 
I’ve seen sofas that I honestly couldn’t believe were intended for the out of doors. Stunning. Nicer than most living room furniture.
The good stuff doesn’t have to break the bank, either…well, some of it can. Yes, it costs more than the generics, but it is substantially better made and you get exactly what you want. It’s your own. Nobody else may have it. Choose your finish or metal color, choose your fabrics, choose contrasting pillows. Complete the look with one of the sharp new outdoor rugs and a couple of outdoor accessories.
Outdoor fabrics have come a long way from their rough and ugly ancestors. Now the fade resistant pattern choices are amazing and they feel almost like indoor fabrics. Cleaning is easy, and the well made outdoor cushions dry quickly. Just remove them from the frame and stand them on their sides in the sun to drain.
There are a lot of little details to know about things like powder coating metal, blah blah blah. I wont bore you with the details even though the details are the things that prevent rust spots on your pool deck. Just know that you can talk to one of our designers who will put as much effort in your outdoor space as they would in your living room…and you wont care if you see your living room until winter.
Here’s a fun before and after. I want to show you how fun and easy it is to take a blah space and make it a vibrant part of the home.
Suzanne, our design consultant on the project, suggested the bench seat in order to accomplish the goal of seating in the room that also allowed seating facing the kitchen during parties. The paprika bench with barley twist legs is fun, functional, and does not block the view of the open room. You can’t see the doors on either side, but the bench can be moved against the wall on the right, between the drapery and the door, if the client wants to open up the room. Click 
The client is thrilled with the fun and casual yet elegant results, and come to think of it, the room really reflects her personality.
We were working on a living room for a client recently and as I have mentioned before, many designers start the process with the selection of an area rug. Our clients showed some concern because in their own shopping they discovered that most of the nice rugs they saw started around $3,000. Veronique found a nylon rug with the look they wanted for $800 which made them feel a lot better about the overall budget. This allowed the husband to have an Irish antique reproduction coffee table we showed him, but he insisted that it be delivered with a bottle of Bushmills in the drawer. Good man.
A nylon rug is obviously made with man made materials and put together by a computer and a machine. Zip zip, done. The advantages of nylon rugs are they are cheaper, shouldn’t shed, are good for people with certain allergies, are recyclable, provide a greater range of colors, and allow a lot of creativity in pattern and texture which is why most contemporary rugs are made this way. They can be considered disposable, as they are less expensive and don’t last as long, so your rugs can easily be changed with your taste. You can get a lot of look for the money with a synthetic rug.
Traditional wool rugs can be broken down in three categories: power-loomed, hand tufted, and hand knotted. Power-loomed rugs are made by machine, just like the nylon rugs. Hand tufted rugs have the little pieces of wool yarn shot with a hand held device through a fabric template, kind of like paint by numbers…with a gun, and then have a canvas backing glued on. 
Hand knotted rugs are just like you would imagine; some guy with gnarled fingers, in a village on the other side of the world, knotting each piece of yarn one at a time. Some of those rugs take up to six months to complete and each will have its own unique characteristics. You can tell a hand knotted rug by flipping it over where you should see the individual knots. Also, the fringe will be an extension of the rug and not sewn on as an addition. These rugs hold their value, last forever because of the springiness of the natural fibers (your grandkids will be thrilled), provide a certain prestige, can be professionally repaired, and tend to feel luxurious underfoot.
