Those brands who have shared the experience say that retailers of furniture and home accessories saw unexpected results in the early days of the pandemic since people identified those corners and situations that needed to be improved while spending much time inside.
Summer is now here and outdoor furniture has received more relevance since we stay at home.With staycation being the solution to travel ban for most of us, and the fact that we need to keep a distance on the beach and take the utmost precautions, our outdoor spaces will be revised.
And though beach time is accessible for those of us who live close by, this summer, we have a very different scenario. Where I live, climate change has made the beaches very narrow (Barcelona and the Northern Coast), and you don’t feel like relaxing too close to other sun-seekers.
This season, we’ll most likely spend more time than usual on our balconies, patios, and terraces, and invest more in outdoor design.
Here go three signals to show you what is going on on the outdoor market now or what we are drawn to.
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Outdoor Furniture Goes Indoor > NEW
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Flexibility > ACCELERATED
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Color As A Mood Booster > ONGOING
1//OUTDOOR FURNITURE GOES INDOOR
We’d like to refer to an interesting interview that Alex Alorda, VP Kettal, gave to Monocle in the May Issue this year. When asked ‘where is the outdoor-furniture market heading’, he gave the following answer:
Being used to the statement that indoors goes outdoor for the past five years, this is an interesting turn and very much aligned with the fact that we build islands we can easily assemble, disassemble and/or adapt to new lifestyle situations.
See architecture on a small scale with a few pavilion concepts below:
Designed by Dion and Richard Neutra – Kettal
Lounge pavilion by Kettal
Imago by Corrado has won this year’s Red Dot Award for product design. The cube structure can be modified in countless ways, depending on the requested lifestyle situation.
2// FLEXIBILITY
Keep it easy. What has been essential and working indoors in the past months, where we spent much time, is translated into outer spaces. The concept of Flexibility is a main theme for 2020 in many design areas and will be present in every single trend report you can get your hands on.
There are times when several family members working, playing, and relaxing in the same area, so introduce flexible design to adapt to new situations and make (hopefully) everybody happy.
Your pet house can blend in nicely inside, the same portable lamp looks great both on your terrace and in your living room, and if you are in the mood of cooking outdoors, you can enjoy now a modular kitchen.
The Touffu pet house’s structure is designed so that all panels fit together in the assembly process without the need for screws. Touffu can also be placed indoors, as it does not have the appearance of an ordinary outdoor pet house, which technically makes it suitable to be included in signal no. 1, too.
Touffu by @majimib and @vioalweis x Diabla
Bonbori by Fumie Shibata x Brokis
The designer took inspiration from the traditional paper lamps that line the paths to shrines and temples during the annual paddy harvest festivals in Japan. In Japanese, the word bonbori not only denotes this traditional form of lighting, but it also describes the soft light coming from within a snowy cave.
Artusi by Antonio Citterio x Arclinea
Artusi is a flexible stainless steel kitchen structure, which allows you to have the comfort of a professional kitchen within a domestic environment. This kitchen module can be installed in any place without the need for more facilities.
The beauty of having solar lamps in the home is that they’re portable. You can move them from room to room, which makes them a quick and easy way to brighten up a table when you’re entertaining. They are easy-to-carry lamp shines for up to nine hours after a full day in normal sunlight.
3//COLOR AS A MOOD BOOSTER
We know that colors cast a strong impact on our moods and are a direct reflection of one’s surroundings. They have been associated with lifting one’s spirits and set the tone for happier moments. In the spirit of dressing our outdoor spots as refreshing and motivating spaces to cheer us up, colorful proposals might gain a new and complementary role after many years of neutral and earthy shades. Their presence is ongoing but gains a different relevance now. Collections and matching room settings (p.e. Pedrali) that are playful, quirky, oddly satisfying and help us find joy and make us happy.
Mut Design has already shown earlier this year at IMM Cologne that they are masters at blurring the line between outdoor and indoor. Inspired by traditional iron grills, Grill is made of welded aluminum, a material that makes the collection surprisingly light and easy to stack.
Patricia Urquiola x Kettal
If you don’t see yourself surrounded by strong use of color, try a few pops of color by combining earth and ocean in the same setup.
Pedrali’s sets are characterized by clean design and a pastel palette highlighting the desire for beauty and dream. This year Pedrali introduces two new collaborations with the German designer Sebastian Herkner and the Anglo-Italian Robin Rizzini.
Arp by Made Studio x Diabla
One Response
A very interesting weblog and yet very useful information. Thank you for sharing.