Almost Invisible Outdoor Furniture Lets Views Star
No less stylish for all its modesty, barely there furniture for gardens, patios and decks is designed to offer a clear view of the landscape
Outdoor furniture is an integral part of a garden, providing a comfortable place for relaxing and communing with nature, enjoying the company of others or taking in the view. Beyond the practical, however, furniture can bring life and imagination to the landscape.
A solitary bench under a great oak conjures up the vision of a boy retreating from the summer heat to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. A circular configuration of chairs might evoke the warm feeling of an evening gathering with friends. The stately rocking chair sitting on the front porch has my grandfather smoking a cigar and watching us youngsters play ball in the street with the gang of neighborhood kids.
Outdoor furniture can and should be used to enhance the enjoyment of outdoor spaces and add a little personality to your poolside patio, garden nook or front porch. But there are times when furniture can detract from the overall experience of the landscape. Such circumstances call for barely there, nearly invisible furniture.
A solitary bench under a great oak conjures up the vision of a boy retreating from the summer heat to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. A circular configuration of chairs might evoke the warm feeling of an evening gathering with friends. The stately rocking chair sitting on the front porch has my grandfather smoking a cigar and watching us youngsters play ball in the street with the gang of neighborhood kids.
Outdoor furniture can and should be used to enhance the enjoyment of outdoor spaces and add a little personality to your poolside patio, garden nook or front porch. But there are times when furniture can detract from the overall experience of the landscape. Such circumstances call for barely there, nearly invisible furniture.
This sleek, modern pool and patio design is complemented by see-through wire chairs. The chairs provide comfortable seating without competing with the panoramic view.
A closer look at these barely there chairs shows that they have a sculptural quality that complements the modern style of the garden and the poolside area. Their breezy structure is perfectly in tune with their surroundings.
See-though, ornate and tying in with the surrounding colors, this furniture sits lightly on the deck. The modest scale of the furniture is well suited to a small space.
This ring of chairs could be the perfect place for a book club gathering, a casual office meeting and so on. The placement of the furniture has purpose and enhances this woodland setting without blocking or taking away from the view. Because the furniture is lightweight and barely there, the space can accomodate a lot of people yet feels fairly open.
Scale is the trick to keeping a view open. By using low chairs and couches in this setting, the eye is drawn straight out to the expansive view, seamlessly knitting together the interior space with the landscape beyond.
This bistro set demonstrates the power of the barely there concept. The furniture adds a subtle note of playfulness without being in your face about it.
The large boulders used in this coastal landscape provide abundant seating around the fire pit while maintaining the naturalistic feel of the site. Built furniture would clutter the foreground, detracting from the rugged beauty of the place itself; this rustic seating solution blends with the surroundings.
A pillow tossed on this boulder creates a powerful invitation to sit and enjoy the garden. Remove the pillow and the seating disappears into the stone retaining wall behind it.
The color of this patio furniture blends with the color of the patio floor, creating an appealingly tranquil composition and maintaining a feeling of spaciousness in this outdoor room.
These nearly invisible wire chairs provide a counterpoint to the hard lines of this garden. They provide scale and allow us to place ourselves in the picture without detracting from the strong geometry of the hardscape or competing with the distant view.
This faux-bois bench, with its shapely barely there back, complements the delicate fountain without overpowering it.
More ideas for working with outdoor accessories
More ideas for working with outdoor accessories
Sponsored
