CASUAL LIVING

Furniture that's outside the indoors


Source: Houston Chronicle (Houston, TX)
Publication Date: 05/12/2007
COPYRIGHT 2007 Houston Chronicle
Byline: Maggie Galehouse



The furniture business is happy to accommodate cuddlers.

Oversize chairs, double beds and love seats are cases in point; you have to get close to make the most of them.

But until recently, outdoor togetherness was largely the purview of campers who can throw down tents, mats and sleeping bags when the mood strikes.

No more.

The double outdoor chaise -- popping up in all price ranges -- is one manifestation of an outdoor living trend that shows no signs of ceasing until everything we do indoors can be done, safely and stylishly, outside.

Judy Evans, manager of Chair King, 6393 Richmond, has a nickname for one of the chairs she sells.

"We call it a 'snuggle' chaise," says Evans, pointing to an outdoor chaise-and-a-half by Solaris Designs that sells for $700. The same chair, she says, would also be great for "one big ol' guy."

Chair King also carries a double teak chaise for $1,000 (cushions not included) with an interesting bonus feature: The chairs can be raised or lowered at either end, so two people can lie side by side or face each other. It's a design with teenage girls in mind.

At the Decorative Center Houston, where Janus et Cie carries ultra-high-end outdoor furnishings, a number of double and oversize chaises lounge about the showroom. But manager Bruce Douglas pooh-poohs the cuddling concept.

"The double chaise is an outgrowth of the luxury lifestyle," Douglas says. "Today, everyone is always multitasking. And on a double chaise, you can spread out. There's more personal room for a computer, magazines, et cetera. It's the same concept as the king bed or the SUV."

More traditional beds have made their way outdoors, as well. Restoration Hardware, Sears and others have introduced outdoor beds this season, some of them far more elaborate than many people have in their indoor bedrooms. Think four posters and a canopy.

Restoration Hardware's Del Mar Queen Day Bed, which costs about $4,500, features fabric draping that offers a "feeling of seclusion and privacy even though you're outdoors," says Margie Nowak, assistant manager of the store at 4091 Westheimer. (The special-order bed is also available at www.restorationhardware. com.)

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Americans spent close to $150 billion on home remodeling in 2005, and one-third of that sum was devoted to outdoor living areas. Reasons for the outdoor rush range from the desire to extend a home's living space to adding value to an existing home.

In Houston, where a mild climate offers plenty of opportunities for outdoor living, the trend began with homeowners. But builders caught on.

"About a decade ago, homeowners started expanding patio areas themselves," says Toy Wood, CEO of the Greater Houston Builders Association. "They added ceiling fans to porch areas, brought in better grills. Then we saw a transition where builders picked up on that and started offering homes with expanded outdoor areas. If you go out now and look at some of the new communities for midrange homes, from the mid-$200s to the mid-$300s, you'll find many will have an outdoor living area."

To Wood, it's a sign that people want to spend more time at home, a hunch that squares nicely with the "cuddle" trend that double chaises and outdoor beds seem to promote.

"It's not just about the fact that people seem to be going on fewer vacations," says Wood. "It's almost like a shift back in time toward, 'Let's get together as a family at home; and by the way, kids, bring your friends.' "


maggie.galehouse@chron.com
Copyright (c) 2007, Houston Chronicle
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.