It’s so wonderfully warm today. The weather is inspiring me to get the patio in order this weekend. So before I sign off for the weekend, I’m leaving you with a chair we can all actually afford. It’s from Crate & Barrel - part of their outdoor Aegean Collection.

The table isn’t so hot, but the chairs are nice. Trick them out with your own cushions or toss pillows and a separate table. You won’t want to eat inside again. The Aegean Chair is on sale for $169.

Fabric and wallcovering company, Thibaut, has added new designs to their outdoor Courtyard Collection.

This is a nice collection that lends itself to both contemporary and traditional styles. Their prices, while not budget, are good. You can achieve a high-end look without denting your wallet.

Batik, 6 colorways

Bolton & Swept Away, 5 colorways

Coral Gables, 2 colorways & Monterey, 6 colorways

Thibaut is sold via designers. If you’re interested in samples and/or ordering, send me an email. My prices are good, too.

Misterarthur would love this Cantina bird feeder from Essey. It looks like it could keep the squirrels away.

You can find it at Zwello, where it retails for $180.

Mobilier à Jardiner by 5.5 Designers for bton design is an outdoor furniture collection that incorporates  plants into its design.

Products include a bench and chair in which you plant your seatback - with shrubs or other plants - and a coffee table with a grass table top.

They’re not practical at all, but might look great in the garden. What do you think?

via: Heavy Petal

Everyone needs one of these and a pool to go with it. It’s from Summit’s Sundeck Collection. 

Outdoor furniture has come a long way in the past few years. Don’t you think? 

In keeping with my completely off-the-cuff outdoor theme today, I found these beautiful outdoor glass pillar candle holders.

They’re from Sundance and sell for $25.00.

 Why not send me your favorite ideas for decorating your patio? I’ll share mine, too. It gives me a good excuse to clean up for company.

Will you step outside with me for a moment? Here are some lovely hand-painted umbrellas I found at Home Infatuation, a site dedicated to all things outdoor.

Each design is painted on Sunbrella fabric using waterproof acryclic paints. They come in several sizes.

This is another way to add dimension to your patio design this summer. Add candles and lots of potted plants to add even more drama and dimension.

Which one is your favorite? 

It’s so beautiful out, it’s hard to be indoors attending to work. Today, design work beckons. This weekend you’ll find me in the sunshine - sprucing up the patio and planting the pansies.

I’m also admiring these Pots des Landes from Quel Objet. If you have an outdoor table of some sort, a couple of these would look lovely. These are actually scented candles in French, antique pots that were sued to collect resin from trees. A pretty cool re-use if you ask me. But mostly, they’re beautiful and unique.

And now it’s back to work for me!

I’m still pleasantly surprised at all the color at this year’s show. I had heard a rumor that there would be lots of glossy black things. Wrong. And, as Yoda would say, “Happy I am.” When we first turned the corner and spotted the Emu Outdoor Collection, we thought, “meh.” But then, soon after (quite soon), I thought of a French garden and happiness. Emu’s new collection is a delight.

Gee, what a surprise that Patricia Urquiola (Arthur took my picture with her standing behind me yesterday - you can’t see her face, but her hair looks nice. Maybe I’ll post it later) designed the Re-Trouvé Collection. Again, here is her wonderful use of color. It’s nice to see feminine designs in a contemporary world.

Paola Navone designed the Ivy Collection. It’s comprised of wire-woven sofas, chairs and tables. Several tables have ceramic tiles, which can be rearranged to suit the mood. This was Arthur’s favorite. Urquiola’s was a bit too girlie for him. I can understand that.

Finally, we both fell in love with this LED, outdoor floor lamp designed by Chiaramonte and Marin. It’s difficult to really appreciate it in a photo. The arms are light and flexible and sway in the wind. Ah, to be in a tropical climate on a hot summer night by the pool with this lamp reflecting romance. Was that last comment just a bit too over-the-top?

You like? Discuss.

The NON Chair, manufactured by the Swedish company, Kallemo, is perfect for outdoors. That’s because it’s made of molded PUR-rubber on a steel frame. Isn’t that exciting?

Well, if that doesn’t get you going, it’s also part of the permanent collection in New York’s Modern Museum of Art. And, it looks great. You can buy this chair, and its matching table at Moss.

Here we are in the Southern Hemisphere at the beautiful home (also known as a parcela) of Carmen Oria and her husband, Vicente Rodriguez. Their garden is just as beautiful as their antiques-filled home.

A grape arbor sits just outside the kitchen door. The grounds are filled with fruit trees including lemon, avocado, apricot, peach, and orange. All the trees bear fruit, which Carmen turns into preserves and fresh fruit juice. A gardener helps out.

The grape arbor is the perfect place for a game of ping pong.

The swing sits under eucalyptus trees. It’s the perfect setting for sipping Pisco Sours.

If you drink too many Pisco Sours, you can take a nap in the hammock.

As those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are looking forward to Spring, in Chile it’s closing in on Autumn. But when it’s Springtime in Santiago, the grounds of Carmen’s home are full of blooms. Her flowering plants include roses, azaleas, daffodils, wisteria, poppies, and hydrangeas. The greenery includes pampas grass, creeping vine, acanthus, moss, and yucca.

Welcome to the pool, set under the shade of a giant acacia tree. Let’s all pour ourselves a Pisco Sour (they’re so tasty the way Vicente makes them) and jump in the pool.

A big Thank You goes to Carmen for taking and sending these photos to me. She and I are college friends who have managed to visit each other over the past few years. I wanted to share her beautiful home with everyone because I’ve enjoyed it so much myself.

Don’t you love this house and the gardens? Enjoy your weekend. Cheers!

I’ve done something new today and am taking you on a tour of the beautiful home and garden of Carmen Oria and Vicente Rodriguez.

During the day, Carmen is in charge of International Relations for the Chilean Education Ministry´s English Opens Doors Program. Her husband owns CommzGate, his own hi-tech systems development biz, specializing in mobile technology. They live in a beautiful home just outside Santiago, Chile, which they built themselves in a classic, Chilean Country House style.

The doors, windows and other architectural elements are from shops known as materiales de demolición. In other words, shops which sell doors and windows from demolished homes.

Carmen and her husband love to collect antiques, too. Their collection is extensive. One of her favorite pieces is an icebox, which sits in the dining room. It was bought in the city of Iquique, up in northern Chile where the nitrate (saltpeter) mining industry was Chile´s main revenue generator back in the 1800s and early 1900s before artificial nitrate was invented. Northern Chile is dotted with abandoned nitrate camps, like ghost towns.

Another is the traveling bar used for train trips in the old days. They replaced the antique glasses with handmade and etched copies. “A lady who had inherited several antiques and needed cash fast sold it to us,” adds Carmen.

Carmen’s mother-in-law is artist, María Elvira Moreno. Much of the artwork comes from Moreno’s studio. She sculpts, too.

In part II, we’ll see Carmen’s beautiful garden, eat grapes off the vine, and take a dip in the pool.