Bringing indoor comfort to outdoor living

DSN Retailing Today, March 28, 2005 by Debbie Howell

Turning a patio or yard into a haven for relaxing and entertaining is an idea more consumers are embracing, fueling strong demand for patio furniture, grills, landscape lighting and garden decor. This spring's outdoor living merchandise even has some surprising new additions--traditional indoor decor items such as rugs, lamps and room dividers.

"Outdoor living isn't just a patio anymore, it's an outdoor room. Under that kind of backdrop, anything and everything can be viewed as outdoor," said Jim Robisch, senior partner of The Farnsworth Group, a home improvement industry research and consulting firm.

Home improvement shows such as "Trading Spaces" and "Landscapers' Challenge" helped move interior design techniques outdoors, where consumers are now creating year-round outdoor living spaces just as comfy as those they've created on the interior. Unity Marketing estimated the size of the outdoor living products market at $12.8 billion in 2004, with a strong trend of sales growth predicted for several years to come.

Patio furniture continues to be the cornerstone outdoor living accessory, with sets sold by mass retailers trending increasingly upscale in design. Many of these sets now resemble an indoor living room but with an umbrella, such as the $599.96 Adagio collection from Target that includes a cushioned loveseat, two cushioned armchairs and coffee table. Optional coordinating add-ons include an accent table, serving cart, outdoor rug, wooden gazebo and outdoor lamps.

The obvious question with some of these new items is how they can hold up in adverse weather. Some rugs and lamps are now specially made for outdoor use, while cushions are often treated to resist rain.

Consumers opting to create one of these more luxurious outdoor rooms oftentimes opt for a protective cover in the form of an awning or gazebo. Based on spring assortments, gazebos with removable covers and insect netting seem especially popular this year.

As for styles of furniture, black wrought iron appears to be particularly trendy, along with the mock-wicker look. At Smith & Hawken, natural wood chairs with plush cushions are predominant, accented by black European-style plant stands, arbors or gazebos.

Fire pits that double as table centerpieces are also trendy this spring, as are tables with mosaic-type patterns, such as the Java clay table from Lowe's. Meanwhile, choices for the middle-income consumer are becoming more varied in patio, with popular additions to the traditional patio set expanding to include benches, Adirondack chairs, swings and hammocks found at mass retailers from Wal-Mart to The Home Depot.

In lighting, innovations in solar technology are making this a more popular choice for consumers. Party lights and sets that attach to an umbrella are also increasingly in demand.

One of the hottest growth segments in recent years has been garden decor, from inexpensive statues to the priciest garden ponds. Beckett, one of the largest suppliers of pond kits and fountains, reports strong demand this year for classical and Zen-type styles in fountains. Other popular choices from Beckett are natural-looking pieces in slate and lighted fountains.