FORM + FUNCTION
Omar Nakkash, Interior Designer at Nakkash Gallery, which represents Dedon, explains: “Retro trends are back, along with tried and trusted ‘60s items. They will be combined with modern comfort, swivel chairs, foldable beach chairs and bold coloured sofas. You should look for three things: comfort, durability, and style.”
Architect Mustafa Khamash, Kart Group owner, and Eleonora Zanotta, Zanotta Spa President & Art Director, see comfort and wellness as key trends. “‘Outdoor’ is a synonym for well-being. More and more people seek peace and self-care. Outdoor furniture will be personalised with a glamorous touch,” says Zanotta.
“Cosiness, green elements and a new generation of illumination systems will define the outdoor living space. Everyone is looking for a personal oasis of peace where fire, water, air and earth are combined together in harmony,” says Khamash.
Domitalia’s spokesperson emphasises comfort and versatility. “The aim is to create a comfortable outdoor milieu to be nice, functional and sustainable. Our DOT collection is composed of a stackable chair – with or without arms – combined with the relative stool in order to allow the best combinations for any outdoor needs.”
Classics are also reappearing. Knoll’s designs from Richard Schultz, Harry Bertoia, David Adjaye, Eero Saarinen and Don Chadwick have created timeless tables, seating and cots for outdoor dining and living areas.
Talenti’s commercial director of design, Edoardo Cameli, has developed a super-soft, effortless-looking collection where comfort is the key point. “Design needs to be glamorous and practical at the same time. Outdoor living is not just useful but has to give feelings while decorating. Aluminium is lightweight, long lasting and low-maintenance. Wood offers warmth and steel brings strength and reliability. Even natural stone is the base from which everything has started,” he says.
Michelle Poon, Vondom spokesperson, highlights the importance of technology and form. “[It] plays a very important role. This year the technology we are employing is rotational moulding. Another is injection. It allows us to create innovative shapes, materials, finishes [and] colours.”
Embracing the function and style of aluminium, Tribü’s new Monica daybed has been designed by Monica Armani and updates the classic canopied daybed with a powdered aluminium frame. It can also be personalised with curtains, finishes and a variety of slat options.
Mikael Fogelström, spokesperson for Ikea, stresses the importance of customisation and outdoor dining. “People want the ability to customise and personalise the outdoor space. And they love to enjoy good food outside –
whether it is at a restaurant, a café, a garden or on a balcony at home.”
Nakkash agrees. “More people want fully functional kitchens as opposed to just the rolling barbecue cart. The overriding trend is bringing the entire kitchen experience outside.”
Bespoke pieces are essential. Gansk's Art Director and Sculptor, Albino Miranda, says we will see an emergence of exquisite, artistic and raw furniture. “Outdoor furnishings are much more elegant, thanks to the customisation of pieces and avoidance of standard pieces. Architects and decorators are dedicating more time to creating bespoke outdoor living.”
Finasi's Italian Senior Interior Designer, Raquel Pedrali, suggests there is “a return to the ‘ 80s, with a contemporary twist, meaning glossy lacquer and lots of colour in which green and pink dominate.” But it's all meant to be personalised. “The modern consumer appreciates the elegant and evergreen lines of Italian and Mediterranean furniture styles, Asian ceramics, Moroccan lanterns, European textiles motifs, vintage pieces, carpets and accessories from the Arabic tradition.”
Tete G-Valdivielso, Project Manager at Fanstudio, is known for his dramatic outdoor pieces. “We design spaces that are active and useful. The use of new materials, or even the use of traditional materials in a different way to usual, has allowed us to take more design risks!”
G-Valdivielso notes that outdoor fabrics are also key: “They are one of the first-line players in outdoor design. In the past, it was very difficult to find outdoor fabrics that could suit. But now, thanks to technology, we use it as an extension of our architecture!”
Khamash concurs. “Thanks to nanotechnology we have antibacterial, antipollution, antistatic and hydrophobic fabrics. Sunbrella is the top-of-the-line material made today, [and is] especially [able] to withstand the weather conditions in the UAE,” says Nakkash.
Kvadrat Maharam's new outdoor fabric line takes a large-scale, graphic approach. “With its continuous loops of parallel lines, Cursive and Brim is designed to lead the eye seamlessly over furniture forms. Brim, an architectural pattern, is a vehicle for colour. Multiple accent hues and shifting values create an active, rhythmic surface,” says Ashley Smith, Senior Designer, Maharam Design Studio.
Underfoot, materials are just as innovative. Patricia Urquiola's Biscuit line for Listone Giordano rethinks traditional decking with rounded, bevelled and curved boards, along with ‘ bombé' effect. "I'm fascinated by researching new materials and techniques to create connections between spaces, the objects and the people who use and live them. I don't want there to be a line between concepts for an indoor and outdoor collection,” says Urquiola.