Patio Dining and the Onset of Summer
29 July 2021If on-again, off-again travel restrictions are giving you a relentless case of nausea (and heartache), don’t despair. While travel isn’t as accessible as we’d like it to be, we’re still making the most of summer. If you can’t lounge around the Medittereanan this summer, we’ll show you how easy it is to recreate a unique, captivating escape at home in your garden.
It all starts with a natural fusion of nature, design and craftsmanship. As Interior designers, we’re adept at taking your thoughts and feelings about a particular place and translating them into form, materials, and design that speak uniquely to you.
To start, let’s head outdoors. First, there is patio dining and then there is patio dining. An unforgettable patio dining experience starts with exquisite patio dining furniture, including a sofa, armchairs, dining chairs and bar stools from Coco Wolf, Hadley Rose or Ethimo. Ideally, we prefer to opt for furniture outfitted with long-lasting fabrics like Sunbrella, a manufacturer of widely-adopted upholstery and textiles that feature beautiful and functional designs. They’re known for lasting longer than cotton and for their ability to weather the elements, including sunshine and chemicals. Other long-lasting materials include teakwood. For more outdoor fabric inspiration, browse Perennials Fabrics and Designs of the Time. If you like the sound of investing in heirlooms to pass down to the next generation, you’ll be inspired by exquisite aluminum furniture by McKinnon & Harris, which not only features stunningly impressive design, but is also corrosion-resistant by nature.
Once you’ve chosen your patio furniture, a display of functional yet oh-so-pretty outdoor cushions can help add a dash of colour or texture to the furniture. It’s no secret but we adore Andrew Martin’s outdoor cushions, which we used to style our Isle of Wight project. For the floor, a premium outdoor rug will only add to the ambience. We’re fans of Sacco for their high-end rugs (which are inventively made using recycled umbrellas).
With the onset of warmer weather, dining in the garden and soaking up the sun becomes an increasingly attractive option. Whether you’re throwing a garden dinner party and need a fancy tablescape, you can find all sorts of inspiration by scrolling through the collections at Amiramour and LuxDeco. And for dinner plates, tea cups and tea pots that not only look the part but play the part, head over to O.W. London for ideas.
Of course, no dinner party is complete without table accessories. Think candles, centrepieces, napkins, glassware, faux or real flowers. Faux floral arrangements can be beautiful, sustainable and created bespoke for your occasion (head over to Friends of Faux and Fauxquet and prepare to be wow-ed). For the real deal, Wild Wood and FLOWERBX offer up some heavenly floral arrangements for any occasion. As the sun goes down, you and your guests can cosy up by a fire pit. Get inspired by the Fire Pit Tables from Rivelin.
With some vision and imagination, your garden can be reworked to entertain in style, evoking a sense of timelessness, escapism and elegance. If you're looking for an interior designer and were hoping to have your garden included too, please feel free to contact us.
