BACKYARD PARADISE
25 September 2008
“Consider Yourself at Home”
Backyard Paradises comes in all sizes and shapes. In fact during the ten years I labored on my own creation in that department (
you can check it out on Thinking About It, if you’re interested), I often found myself looking over the fence at my next door neighbor who never did a blessed thing with her yard but mow the lawn. All she had was a cheap wooden picnic table, and she entertained all the time while I sweated away on my creation!
The point, though, is that a backyard can be as simple or as ornate as one wishes to make it, but even the simpler yards can, with just a little bit of planning become Backyard Paradises. My neighbor, to return to her for a moment, never has done anything in the backyard proper, but she has an elaborate side yard that is outdoors, under a patio cover, and filled with wonderful outdoor furniture that makes it a wonderful second living room in the summer months, because it is a cool place to retreat to, both figuratively speaking and literally. And that brings me to the subject of today’s blog, namely, outdoor furniture that would do m
uch to make even a yard as Spartan as my neighbor’s into a Backyard Paradise.
Rattan furniture is something that has been around for decades, but Roberti has taken this ancient material and made it into something innovative. This new generation of furniture is made from aluminum and Sunweave, which is a synthetic material that looks natural, but is much more durable than natural materials. What that means is that those who live in areas where sudden summer rains are a way of life don’t have to risk life and limb to hurry the outdoor furniture under wraps whenever the sky turns black. But it also means a product that will hold up to the sun better, which is an item that would certainly be a factor in sunny San Diego (please don’t hate us!).
The other product line I wanted to discuss is woven furniture from Free Line, which is anoth
er company that specializes in outdoor furniture that is both innovative in design and designed to hold up to the elements. And the latter is really more important than the former, because I don’t know of anything more disheartening that to purchase furniture for a Backyard Paradise and then watch the sun and the rain beat it into submission after a season or two. Their designs do a lot to make a most elegant place of one’s backyard, from the woven chairs to the teardrop shaped seats. They even have a line of furniture designed for children, both in size and in the wonderful shapes and colors.
I am fortunate enough to be married to a woman who is definitely the perfect hostess, and our guests almost always comment on how at home she makes them feel. But I have to say that outdoor furniture like this would do a lot for anyone’s entertaining skills, because if you’re sitting on something like this, you’re bound to consider yourself part of the family!
Joseph
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