Elevate Your Patio With These Six Chic Local Finds
Image: Courtesy Photo
The poet T.S. Eliot famously wrote that “April is the cruelest month,” but we think that’s because he didn’t live in Florida. April is one of the best months to hang out outdoors, thanks to its warm days, pleasant nights and lack of summer humidity. So why not give your patio, lanai or pool deck the same attention as the rest of your house? Here are six pieces for your consideration.
Design Icon
Price upon request, 1515 Fruitville Road, Sarasota (941) 217-1315, roche-bobois.com
Painter, sculptor and designer Hans Hopfer’s Mah Jong sofa (above) for luxury furniture retailer Roche Bobois isn’t just a beautiful piece of outdoor seating—it’s a design icon. Created in 1971, Hopfer’s original Mah Jongs were considered avant-garde systems of cushions that could be arranged and rearranged according to the homeowners’ needs. The outdoor version places those same movable cushions on a cut-out lacquered metal base, with extended “trays” for holding towels, sunscreen, books and drinks. Numerous big-name creatives have lent their designs to special-edition Mah Jong releases—Jean-Paul Gaultier, Kenzo Takada, even film director Pedro Almodóvar—but we’re partial to the candy-colored Missoni options (above), which feel right at home in sunny Sarasota.
Image: Courtesy Photo
Lightbulb Moment
Prices range from $3,000 to $10,000, depending on the size of the project.
Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Sarasota, (941) 265-1863, outdoorlights.com
Your outdoor space should be just as ambient as your indoor space—and lighting is one of the quickest ways to achieve that. The Redwoods Landscape Lighting Bonsai Series is made up of cutting-edge smart fixtures that offer the full spectrum of white plus millions of color options—bringing the same smart lighting experience you enjoy inside your home to your lanai, landscaping, pathways or roofline. (Want a flamingo-pink tree? No problem.) Best of all: You can set multiple timers or schedules and adjust your lighting preferences based on your mood, your activity, the holidays or the time of day. Plus, the lights are made from marine-grade brass and aluminum, meaning they’ll last and last.
Image: Courtesy Photo
Light My Fire
Prices vary by piece, (941) 312-5993, jakebradyconcrete.com
No matter the time of year, there’s something magical about sitting outside and enjoying a fire. Even better if the flames you’re enjoying are encased in a custom-designed fire table by local artisan Jake Brady. Brady, who’s been designing fire tables for nearly two decades, uses gas to power his designs, which are made from specialized glass fiber and reinforced concrete.
Image: Courtesy Photo
Spread Your Wings
$309.99, birdfy.com
Yes, we know that you can watch the birds alighting on your low-tech birdfeeder with your own two eyes. But there’s nothing quite like the dopamine hit of a smart feeder letting you know that a new bird has visited your yard and then sending you a quick video of your new avian friend. Birdfy’s bamboo birdhouses—which have a sleeker, more streamlined design than some of the company’s other offerings—have an optional solar panel and built-in battery, which means the feeder is always charged, and the company’s easy-to-use app can identify more than 6,000 bird species.
Image: Courtesy Photo
Get the Scoop
Price upon request, Sarasota Collection, 622 Central Ave., Sarasota,
(941) 955-8313, sarasotacollection.com
Any outdoor space worth its salt needs a great table for gathering ’round. Luckily, there’s Couture Jardin’s Scoop dining table, available locally at Sarasota Collection. A modern table with retro design elements, it looks equally as pretty dressed up with your favorite servingware as it does on its own, with your back yard as its backdrop. Want to make a real statement? Order the marble tabletop option.
Image: Courtesy Photo
Sun Safe
Price varies depending on finishes, Home Resource, 741 Central Ave., Sarasota,
(941) 366-6690, homeresource.com
The whole reason we live here is to spend time outside, right? But nothing sours a day in the sunshine quicker than a sunburn. Enter: Tuuci's Oceanmaster Max dual-cantilevered umbrella. Reminiscent of origami but engineered for serious
sun protection, the unit’s two umbrellas provide enough shade for two outdoor seating areas using just one base. The ultra-strong, corrosion-proof aluminium base means it’ll stay in place, and you can customize the fabric and finish to suit your outdoor landscape design, too. It’s like having a glamorous hotel pool deck in your own back yard.
