Patio Furniture 2021
One of the benefits of the global pandemic is that homeowners have rediscovered their homes and what they love about the space they have created. It’s also been an opportunity to live in spaces that weren’t used to full capacity. One of those spaces is outdoor space. For 2021, homeowners want the comfort and quality of their inside furniture to extend to their outdoor living space. That investment is about balancing quality, beauty, and durability.
New trends in outdoor furniture reflect the reimagined importance of the outdoors as a place that combines fresh air, natural light, and social interaction. Traditionally categorized as an “outside space,” the garden or yard or patio area is more and more a part of the home offering space for different activities such as working, exercising, meditating, yoga, and relaxing. To create a flow from inside to outside, the outside space is leaning toward being a main part of everyday life not just a supplement to it or an afterthought. Thus, furniture and accessories such as rugs, lights, and mirrors will become more commonplace outdoors reflecting this shift in how homeowners interact with this type of space.
In the context of colors, Color trend for outdoor furniture and spaces are taking inspiration from indoor trends. Trends point to natural materials with pops of color such as Marigold, Rust, French Blue and Pantone’s colors of the year Illuminating and Ultimate Grey. The combination of natural tones and pops of color will make the design stand out with the garden as a backdrop to the space. Trends point to earthy shades, brown golden, dusty red, olive green, to make the space feel cozy and comfortable.
The focus on environmental awareness and sustainability are contributing factors to the use of natural materials. Materials such as cotton and wood tend not to require extensive fabrication and are often clean and sustainable for homeowners. By contrast, both metal and plastic have detrimental environmental repercussions when it comes to fabrication and maintenance. The overall goal with outdoor furniture and design is being able to take good care of it so it lasts, and homeowners are able to enjoy it for years to come.
Functionality is another trend popping up in outdoor furniture design. There is an increase in ergonomic design of outdoor furniture. Outdoor furniture can often feel stiff and uncomfortable making the outdoor space of little use and avoided by homeowners. Outdoor furniture designers often prioritize weather resistance and neglect the look, support and feel. The shift to ergonomic outdoor furniture addresses these issues by balancing comfort and body awareness ensuring long-lasting comfort along with weather resistance.
Experts also make note of the emerging trend and design benefits in mixing materials creating an attractive outdoor space. An outdoor space offers a unique opportunity to combine hard scapes and design elements together. For example, a patio built of cobblestones can be combined with a brick wall, wooden benches, and wicker outdoor furniture. This trend of mixing materials offers homeowners a lot of creativity to create a space that is uniquely personal.
Experts also recommend homeowners consider adding versatile storage. Homeowners should think about how they are really going to use the space and create storage option that fit their lifestyle. As such, modular furniture is a great option for an outdoor space. Modular furniture can not only add storage, but also offer weather resistance to protect the items stored.
Overall, outdoor furniture design is seeing an upgrade. A real extension of the indoor space, trends in outdoor furniture are taking inspiration in color and materials from the indoor design. Homeowners have a multitude of options to enjoy their outdoor space to balance ease, comfort, and durability in 2021.