Spring is officially just weeks away!
Unofficially, in typical Florida fashion for late February, we feel but brief glimpses into our favorite season. A pop of sunshine warms us to 76 degrees, we gleefully rush to enjoy our outdoor furniture and rooms… only to find a few hours later another cold front sweeping in. We retreat back inside. Granted, our complaints are minimal as we escape the brutally cold and snowy winter forced upon our northern friends.
So with that being said, many Sarasota Collection clients are now preparing their outdoor living spaces for maximum enjoyment in the coming months. What do we recommend for your outdoor lifestyle in spring 2015?
Continue to invest in modern, minimal outdoor furniture. At the Sarasota Collection we just adore the KANNOA Outdoor lines for their classic look with clean, modern lines that can complement basically any home’s existing decor. KANNOA’s products reflect the principles of the Sarasota Collection Home Store: QUALITY, STYLE and HARMONY so we recommend KANNOA to all outdoor living enthusiasts.
Stick to neutral tones for your furniture upholstery like sand, linen, or grey
in any tone from light to rich. We recommend investing in Sunbrella fabric. While it costs more at the outset, over time Sunbrella will pay for itself in longevity because it doesn’t fade or mildew.
Accessorize with bright pops of color. Avoid patterned fabrics on furniture upholstery to maintain a contemporary look for years to come. If you’ve just gotta have a bright, funky pattern, choose an outdoor rug to anchor the seating area. We recommend selecting a bright color palette for accessories that can transition into fall, but be updated annually.
At the Sarasota Collection we can coordinate upholstery design to fit any color palette or help steer you in the right direction. We’ve included here a color chart by Pantone, the world’s color authority for designers. Tangerine is still hot this year, and looks great paired with Florida-favorites like Scuba Blue, Lucite Green, and Classic Blue.
Spring for one of our amazing cantilevered umbrellas by Tuuci – one of the best innovations in years. These products are ideal for homeowners who don’t have a covered area but want to create one in an outdoor living room. You can take shelter under a big beautiful cantilevered umbrella, which provides instant shade and considerable sophisticated ambience. These umbrellas don’t have to be stuck in the middle of a table; they are freestanding, side-mounted, and so well-constructed they open and close effortlessly. Starting at about $3,000 for residential use, the place to see them in action is at the Sarasota Collection Home Store in our gorgeous outdoor garden.
We maintain a lovely walled urban garden at the store and have arranged outdoor furniture, accessories, cabanas and cantilevered umbrellas so that it’s easy for your to see how these pieces would look in your own outdoor spaces. So you don’t go home to your condo terrace with outdoor furniture made for a hotel plaza, we advise about size and proportions of the furniture. Scale, proportion and balance matter inside, and outside too, which is why it’s always a good idea to get professional advice.
Come visit our garden anytime for a consultation or a chat about your outdoor living dreams!
