Interiors Brands Turn Their Attention to Outdoor Furniture to Meet Consumer Demand

In the past, outdoor spaces were often an afterthought when furnishing a home, partly due to a lack of stylish furniture and accessories durable enough to stand up to the rigors of weather exposure.

But times have changed, as seen at the recent High Point Market in High Point, N.C. Across the high end, in particular, new and established outdoor companies — as well as indoor makers getting into exterior design — brought plenty for the backyard.

For two decades Danao has crafted outdoor furnishings for luxury resorts and hotels such as the Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental. Earlier this year the North Carolina-based company launched its first collection for the home at the spring High Point Market, and the company built on that during the fall show with new products.

“High-end, luxury resorts are where we made our name, and what we’re doing at High Point is trying to take that reputation we built in the luxury resort market and transfer it to the residential market,” said Chase Heien, director of operations, North America, at Danao.

Heien said guests would often take photos of furnishings at the resort where they were staying and send it to their interior designer. After receiving so much interest, the company made its designs available to the trade only.

The Morellino line from Danao.

Danao specializes in teak, aluminum and woven furnishings with a European look courtesy of designers such as Milan-based Toan Nguyen and Claudio Bellini. And while designed for private homes, Danao’s residential collection is built just as well as its hospitality-grade counterparts.

“It’s the same cushions, the same quality,” Heien said. “It’s really overkill for a backyard, but at our price point, we believe that it should be quality and last.”

Dedon made its High Point Market debut in a new showroom that also housed the luxury outdoor company’s headquarters. Sister company to high-end teak specialist Gloster, Dedon focuses on luxury woven furniture made with a synthetic material that not only resists weather, but allows the company to create interesting and eye-catching color combinations.

The Atolo collection from Dedon introduced at the High Point market.

Standouts this market included the Atolo collection, also designed by Italian architect Claudio Bellini. The collection included a two-seater, lounge chair and a footstool with a rounded silhouette achieved by wrapping woven material around a powder-coated expandable aluminum mesh frame.

“Claudio got his inspiration for these pieces while flying over the Maldives, where there’s a group of islands called atolls,” says Alan Harris, senior regional sales manager, Dedon. “It has a really beautiful organic shape that plays off these islands floating in the ocean.”

Brown Jordan has been a go-to for stylish exteriors for nearly 80 years, but this market, the brand launched a collection designed to speak to the next generation of consumers. Designed by Ann Marie Vering, Luca has a distinctive rounded shape inspired by the sport of polo, with teak accents setting off the sleek aluminum frames.

“We’re fortunate to have a very loyal, mature audience, but for the younger generations, even if they can afford Brown Jordan, they may not know us if they’re not in the design industry,” said Ben Collins, division president of Brown Jordan. “A big part of that is product, so we tapped Ann Marie Vering to design some collections that are elegant and easy to understand.”

Collins said Luca — which included a range of seating and table options — has become Brown Jordan’s most successful launch in its history.

“We’re known for aluminum, but adding the teak gives it a little touch of nature that is really resonating with customers,” he said.

Collins said the company has seen a bit of a downturn in demand for loungers with people more concerned about sun exposure, so Brown Jordan saw that as an opportunity to introduce its first shade products. Called Summit, the line included center-pole and cantilevered umbrella designs available in multiple sizes and a rainbow of fabric choices.

Makers known for indoor furnishings also brought new outdoor collections to High Point. Arteriors, which launched its first exterior line in March, expanded with 17 new outdoor pieces, including furniture, rugs and lighting.

Just as in the company’s indoor line, Arteriors’ outdoor collection uses natural materials such as teak, as well as weather-resistant synthetics that maintain a nature-inspired look and feel. Pieces such as the Farely console table, which is made of cast ivory concrete, reflected the natural world in form with its grooved design reminiscent of the curves of a conch shell.

“The collection is inspired by nature and biophilic design,” said Katie Kearns, account supervisor at Arteriors. “The idea is to add to the space without taking away from nature itself.”

Kearns said Arteriors’ outdoor line was a natural progression from its interior collection, spurred on by customer feedback.

“For years we had designers saying, ‘I love this chair, can it go outdoors?’” she said. “This has been in the works for around four years — it has been a labor of love.”

Like Arteriors, Bernhardt expanded into the outdoor market a few years ago after a barrage of customer requests. Known for their upholstery prowess, the brand translated that look to exteriors using high-end performance fabrics and foams that allow fully upholstered pieces to stand up to the elements.

“We had one of our sofas sitting outside our plant in Lenoir that workers would use for breaks,” said Heather Eidenmiller, director of brand development at Bernhardt. “It sat outside for about three years, and after that much time, they were able to scrub it, and it looked just as good as new.”

That durability allows Bernhardt to create outdoor pieces such as chunky upholstered sock-weave chairs and snow-white fully upholstered sofas that would be equally at home indoors. And that material innovation continues to fuel the growth of the high-end outdoor furnishings market.

“Outdoor has come a long way,” Eidenmiller said.