Unlock the publisher's digest free
Roula Khalaf, editor -in -chief of the FT, selects her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
“When you design a garden, you build a vision and all the elements should bond to tell this story,” explains landscape designer Emily Erlam. “Finding the right furniture is a key element in the final look. He raises the experience of the garden in an exponential way. ”
Yet until recently, the supply of a beautiful and well designed outdoor furniture was strangely difficult. When Erlam created her London studio in 2010, there was, she said, a “very ambitious and somewhat disposable approach” garden furniture: a cheap ray and poorly manufactured wooden sets. She started looking at Europe, where she found that the quality and product design were much higher, illustrated by Danish brands such as Skagerak and Hay. Today, its small black book includes the design store Twentytwentyone (for European manufacturing parts) as well as Gloster and the Danish brand based in the United Kingdom.
“There is no doubt that garden Furniture has historically delayed interior furniture in terms of its overall importance in the house, “explains John Danzer, the creator of the outdoor furniture brand in the United States Munder Skiles.” But the outdoor decoration market develops considerably, demonstrating consumer demand for better options. »»
One of Erlam's current favorites is the Dutch company Koningdamen; She used her round stone round table and her lacquered hardwood moerlandt chairs, redolent of slats at the beginning of the 20th century, in her own King's Planted crossing. “The materials, the shape and the color are perfect. The dark green of the low back to back chairs is comfortably found in the garden; they are almost transparent, so that the plants remain the key focal point.”
Like many designers, Erlam, who works frequently in collaboration with architectural firms such as Johnson Naylor and Thomas Heatherwick, also furniture when the frame requires. “It is a very special trip to work with a creator passionate about what they do, especially if we create tailor-made trees that have been slaughtered on the site,” she says. “It is a great story to tell customers, on a circular economy, valuing the trees.” She recently ordered a bench of a fallen cedar that was sculpted by hand in situ in a garden of Hampstead by Joel de Mowbray, founder of Studio Yes Make.
The origin and the patina of the parts are essential if the furniture will sit harmoniously in a garden. “Too many modern furniture can feel shocking,” admits Tabi Jackson-Gee. The garden designer has just launched them outside, an online gallery of outdoor furniture, sculptures, planters and other decorative items. “I wanted the garden designers to have a place to find the work of independent manufacturers who is motivated by good design and good know-how,” she explains. “I am always envious of interior architects, because they have so many resources at their disposal with regard to furniture.”
Some of the pieces in the collection of them outside are existing conceptions: the Indian inspiration beds in the company in the bed in hand and the woven rope; And the steel and canvas chairs imposed and canvas inflected from the middle of the century of Olivia Gonsalves, which were started in the Miria Harris transport garden for recovery (with the AVC association) at the Chelsea Flower Show last spring. But it also presents new more sculptural pieces, such as the extraordinary steel horse seat by the artist Fred Clark, who often refers to animals and mythology in his work. “This is a perfect example of what can be done outside – a hybrid of furniture and sculptures made by a highly qualified artist,” explains Jackson -Gee.
The last design she added to her inventory is the garden chair from Daniel Hayden, which relies on the constructivist furniture of Gerrit Rietveld and Enzo Mari, but in English oak and with comfort in her heart: all rounded edges and with generous wide arms. “It was an instant success,” said Jackson-Gee. In addition to bringing an intriguing design to outdoor spaces, its selection is designed to improve the views of the garden: “In the British climate, we spend a large part of our year inside, so furniture must be beautiful and attract your eye in the garden, even when you are unable to use it.”
Perhaps the ephemeral English summer has contributed to the long-term lack of beautifully designed and manufactured garden furniture. But it was in London that Danzer, from Baltimore, became interested in the sector. In the 1980s, working in finance in the city, he discovered the arm of the antiquities of the Garden of Clifton Nurseries, led by the plaster Peter Hone, and became a part of the scene there. Danzer impatiently became part of the scene there. “I learned that the shape of the frame of a chair is the key to its comfort and that the silhouette of a chair is essential to its visual appeal,” he said.
This research would lead to its first Munder Skiles collections, which nod to the classics of the last three centuries of furniture design, but with a global feeling of simplicity, know-how and, above all, comfort. The close attention to ergonomics means that its chairs – from the elegant metal swan while curves to the chip -gam -style clifton -style design – can often be used without the additional paddling of soft furnishings, which, according to Danzer, is a problem for storing, moving and cleaning. “The cushion as a condiment, say, not the main dish.” And with such a beautiful design, why would you like to cover it?
Find out first of all our latest stories – follow @ft_housandhome on Instagram
