i+D - May/June 2018 - 58

Living by
Design
Outdoor
Spaces

Luxe Living
Janice Feldman, founder and chief executive officer
of JANUS et Cie, says, "People have always wanted
to enjoy the outdoors, and, as our culture has found
more prosperity, there has been a natural progression
to enjoy luxuries, which we now view as the norm.
Outdoor living is today a necessary and welcomed part
of everyday life.
"Also," she adds, "luxury hotels have always had
great outdoor spaces and...consumers recognized
that they could have that 'luxury lifestyle' in their own
backyards, very much informing and simultaneously
strengthening the outdoor life at home."
Presenting a different twist on luxe living at home,
Allen Gant III, the casual market manager for
Sunbrella, explains: "The economic downturn [of
a few years ago] led homeowners to keep a closer
eye on discretionary spending, especially with regard
to vacations. Spending more time at home, it was
a natural reaction to make improvements on their
houses, and, thus, outdoor spaces ultimately became
'staycation' destinations."
Stephen F. Elton, chief brand curator of Brown Jordan,
agrees. But, for a more protracted view, he relates
that when the company was established in 1945,
most people had little more than Adirondack chairs
and picnic tables outside the back door. "Our founder,
Robert Brown, wanted to reinvent the category with
innovative materials and create 'outdoor art,' as he
called it."
He accomplished this with designer Walter Lamb, and
was so successful that many of the original designs
are still sold today-along with new ones like chairs
that gently glide back and forth.
"People are increasingly looking to expand their
living spaces, and outdoor areas...are the quickest
and most cost-effective way to do so," says interior
designer Gil Walsh, who works primarily in and about
Palm Beach, Florida, and Martha's Vineyard. "There
has also been an explosion in outdoor furnishings,
fabrics, and accessories that provide us much more
flexibility and creativity to design outside."

58

Warm yet architectural
with its tapered teak frame,
the Konos Collection by
JANUS et Cie's founder
Janice Feldman, is well
suited to modern settings.
(Image: JANUS et Cie)

A Good Investment
"Not only do outdoor rooms increase a home's value," notes Walsh, "they enhance their overall
appeal, especially for people fond of entertaining. My clients are looking for exterior rooms
to function just as the various rooms of their homes do: cooking/barbecuing, watching TV, quiet
spaces, maybe with a water feature, for relaxing and reading, fire pit areas to gather family and
friends for cocktails, dining areas with awnings."
"It used to be landscaping that added value to a house," says Elton. "Today, it's how the
outdoor space is furnished." He reveals that customers frequently tell him the reason they
obtained the asking price when selling their home was that the outdoor furnishings were
included. "Outdoor furniture is the fastest growing of all furniture categories," he adds.
In fact, analytics and advisory firm Transparency Market Research anticipates 4.9 percent
growth in the global outdoor furniture market for the 2017 to 2022 period.
Noting how outdoor living rooms increase a home's square footage, Feldman says, "People
are more adept than ever at seeing value when making purchases, including a home. Having
an outdoor space is as much a decision of the [fiscally responsible] mind as it is of the heart."
And, while furnished outdoor spaces began with the wealthy, "the outdoor living space
trend is completely scalable and attainable," according to Gant. "Whether you have a lavish
and spacious patio or a simple balcony, there are performance options available."

i+D - May/June 2018
i+D - May/June 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of i+D - May/June 2018
