Exterior beauty

Innovation and creativity take over outdoor spaces

Exterior with inner beauty
Gone are the days of old chairs and stools in plastic or wood. The growing trend of guests using outdoor spaces has led manufacturers to provide a beautiful and functional response. And although it was traditionally a condition reserved for public spaces inside the facility, the latest collections in outdoor furniture are a great showcase of contemporary design.  

"Hoteliers are creating an 'outdoor lounge' experience for guests by focusing on elegant designs and graceful settings where new ammenities are increasingly being offered ," explains Peter Homestead, vice president of design at Tropitone, company specialized in casual furniture for the hospitality sector. "Hotels and resorts need casual furniture to create an outdoor environment that is visually interesting and with the style and comfort of the interior, but also meets the high-use demands of the different spaces of the hospitality sector," he adds.

The response to this demand is made up of collections such as Cabana Club and Mobilies. With the first, stainless steel continues to take the lead but incorporate functionality and a new shape in the finishes thanks to the use of stainless aluminum frame instead of the extruded aluminum frame. "This new approach is consistent with the company's commitment to being a design leader in the casual furniture market, as well as pioneers in the use of new materials," explains Mr. Michael Echolds, CEO of Tropitone.

The line that unites everything

Tropitone is a pioneer in offering a complete collection of stainless steel designed as a modular system with seating parts that can be combined and moved around to achieve the desired space solution. "Outdoor spaces in luxury resorts and hotels are becoming multi-purpose areas where during the day guests sunbathe by the pool or relax in private cabanas and then socialize at night in vibrant outdoor nightclubs or in casual but at the same time elegant areas for have a cold dinner," adds Mr Echolds.

According to Richard Holbrook, designer of the Cabana Club collection, "the fresh and airy visual appeal of the collection is amplified by the concise, clean and soft shape of its slender cushions, which take the form of rectangles, squares and triangles while accommodating the geometric lines of the collection's stainless steel frame. ".

In the same line of innovation is the Mobilis collection. Being the first collection of casual furniture designed as a complete group of modeled seats using a polymer molding process, this line is not only very aesthetic but practical. The polymer resin with which they are molded is water resistant and protected from ultraviolet rays to prevent their intensity from fading.  The best complement is offered by the fast-absorbing and quickly drying commercial-grade foam cushion. The main result is the reduction of the maintenance hours required for this furniture.

Superior designs

If the design sector can boast of anything, it is the way  designers have been involved with outdoor spaces.  An example of this is provided by patricia Urquiola's Maia collection created for Kettal. Of Spanish origin but professionally trained in Italy, Patricia Urquiola is considered today as one of the most active designers of the new generation, which has earned her recognitions such as the International Design Association.

According to the company, the design approach used for the Maia collection was the industrial reinterpretation of traditional weaving. The collection breaks with the archetype of braided furniture thanks to the new contemporary geometry. Combining a high-tech fibre wearing an aluminium frame makes the collection gain luminosity and modernity.  Comfort as the first element to take into account solves the simplicity of forms of this product. The design is completed with a comfortable three-dimensional cushion.

Comfort is also reflected in the XXL collection of Kettal, which with its modern outdoor or indoor lounges allows varied possibilities of design and use of space. This collection consists of individual modules that allow them to adapt to the space according to the client's taste. Available in brown and natural finish, it allows you to combine more than 15 different fabrics.

The possibilities of aluminium are also exploited in this collection. With artificial fiber coatings of great quality and resistance, the Spanish furniture manufacturer provides a response to the lounge trend that is imposed on hospitality.

More ingenious technique

Wicker and new painting techniques also form the basis of the success of these new designs that would not be possible if it were not for a mixture of durability with creativity. "The task has been achieved with great creativity to design, but also using advanced technologies to be able to formulate and use materials that are totally resistant to the weather," explains Luis Fernández, from the marketing area of deltropico designs, a company specialized in the manufacture of outdoor furniture.

Thanks to an electrostatic system of powder coating and fabrics with vinyl fibers with appearances of natural fibers, this company has launched its latest Oasis collection. Beds, sun loungers, sofas and benches make up the collection that responds to the current trend: "the preference of users for wicker furniture for exteriors, of contemporary design", according to Mr. Fernández. Oasis brings great beauty to outdoor spaces, also providing great durability.

Characteristics that it shares with the most recent collections in outdoor furniture. The resistance, modernity and functionality of these spaces is no longer a utopia for the sector. Thus, the comfort of the guest is served on a silver platter and incidentally the opportunity for the sector with a client eager for more services, ammenities and outdoor spaces.