The great outdoors

In recent years there has been a substantial development in outdoor furniture, with style and functionality at the forefront of design. Furniture designers and manufacturers are creating beautifully refined pieces that really do hold their own against indoor furniture.

Breaking the mould of hard lines and strong structure often associated with outdoor furniture, designers are increasing visual movement and using more upholstery. The textile industry is keeping up with this progress, producing wide ranges of outdoor fabrics at a high end level as the trend for softer exteriors extends outdoors. 

Take a look at outdoor furniture trends we'll be seeing in 2016/2017.

This trend continues grow. The requirement to move furniture from inside to outside while still looking well-balanced and harmonious continues to gain prominence. A new level of refinement for furniture is being produced to create thought-out and intentional design-led spaces.

The modular sofa has extended to the outdoors, giving freedom of shape and the ability to individualise furniture to suit the space. With independent modules being composed in the desired configuration and with the increasing sophistication of these models, modular settings are a great exterior solution.

Clever design solutions for outdoor furniture give protection from the elements and create intimate spaces. Woven panels, curved structure and lightweight materials are used to create these versatile structures which often can be easily deployed or stored when not in use. Different scales promote the feeling of privacy.

Mesh is a well-established and extensively used material for producing outdoor furniture, but with contemporary methods applied it has been given a new life. The durable and flexible easy-care qualities of mesh have made it a staple material and with technological advancements, new aesthetics have been created. Using plastics and metals with varying properties of flexibility and weight, more techniques can be applied such as laser cutting, braiding and weaving to produce versatile designs.

Texture and layering softens outdoor spaces and warms up the rigid surfaces. The textile industry is experimenting and developing product for outdoors more than ever before – focussing on how to bring the comfort of the indoors into textiles that can be used outside being exposed to the elements. This adds style and durable softness to outdoor spaces with more opportunities for individualising the aesthetic.

Bright colour and all-over pattern are a strong trend in outdoor furniture with bold tones livening up exterior spaces. Colour and pattern is created through a wide range of materials, for example, textiles, plastic, yarn and metal. Producing fun and punchy pieces, this trend is only being further developed with more and more brands producing bright and cheerful, sun-resistant product.