Outdoor furniture stylish enough to come inside

  • By Andrea Brown Herald Writer
  • Wednesday, July 31, 2013 5:24pm
  • LifeMukilteo

Jeff Barth has a house that could be in a home design magazine.

It’s sleek and modern with humongous windows, a grand piano, white cowhide rug and no clutter.

So when it came time to buy chairs for the kitchen, only the best would do.

The best plastic, that is.

He bought four outdoor chairs that came complete with little holes for drainage.

“There’s a nice design to it,” he said. “It is very well thought out. People sit in them, and they can be there forever. It’s extremely comfortable.”

The cream armchairs are by Philippe Starck, a French designer with a clean, minimalist look. The round metal-and-glass kitchen table is from Ikea.

The plastic chairs provide extra seating for holiday celebrations around the formal wooden dining table in the great room of his Mukilteo home of 12 years. He discovered Starck’s streamlined stylized products when he lived in Seattle.

Many people are finding a place inside for outside furniture.

That cute garden bench might be cuter in the foyer than in the yard.

A wicker ottoman fits with many fabrics and feet.

Those colorful mosaic accent tables at Pier 1 Imports or T.J.Maxx serve as drink tables in family rooms. No coasters necessary.

Barth uses small Starck plastic stools as side tables in the TV room and a Starck tooth-shaped stool in the foyer for putting on shoes.

There are perks to using outdoor furniture indoors.

It’s affordable. Manufacturers know that many people won’t pay as much for furniture for the deck as they will for the den.

It’s durable. Outdoor furniture is often virtually indestructible. It’s made to withstand the elements. Kids and pets can jump and claw away on it.

It’s fun. There’s a vacation or cottage feel.

It’s functional. If you get tired of it, you can always take it outside for good.

Or, you can do what Barth does, move it outside as needed.

“If the neighbors pop over we haul the chairs outside,” Barth said.

Of course, it works both ways. You can repurpose indoor furniture for outside.

A cot covered with pillows becomes a settee. A daybed makes a nifty porch swing. Instead of hauling that scratched-up coffee table to the curb for big trash day, brush on some weather resistant paint and use it as a bench for plants. Reupholster cushions with water-repellent material.

Kick up your heels and enjoy the great indoors outside.

Or vice versa.

Andrea Brown; 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.