A favorite color can be the start of a personal and effective furniture layout
“What is your favorite color?” That is the first question Gasper Exterior Designer & furniture expert, Eli Hymer loves to ask new clients. “It tells me so much about the person. I am always urging my clients not to be afraid of color. If they like it, I always try to find a way to work with it” In Dana M.’s case, her favorite color was blue, and so Eli constructed a palette of light teals, blues and greys for the furniture and accessories that he selected for Dana and her husband, Frank’s new Gasper-built patio. The color of the house as well as the stone details on the fireplace & cook station all factored into his design.
The recently completed multi-level paver patio had two distinct areas. One for dining that was adjacent to the large granite countered cook station and another smaller patio that was used primarily for sitting in front of the cast stone fireplace. Comfortable seating by the fireplace was particularly important to Frank although ironically, he admits that he really wasn’t that much of a fireplace person before. “I was not a fire guy. Now that I have it, I love it. On cool nights, I throw a few logs on and order a pizza. Nothing is better than sitting back under the sky. We both enjoy it. It is so much better than an indoor fireplace, which we have and do not use.” Frank confides. For the fireplace seating, Eli selected the Francis sectional by Kingsley Bates saying “Deep seating cushions are so comfortable you just sink right! Plus the synthetic wicker weave is very stylish.” Eli filled the sectional with plenty of Elaine Smith outdoor pillows in a cornucopia of different shades of blues and teals. The pillows, he explains, are the lipstick! They totally make the look by giving just the right pop of color.
Frank & Dana have a large extend family that they enjoy entertaining on the patio. For this reason Eli selected the Barlow Tyrie Aura dining set because it is has an extension table that can be expanded when needed to accommodate more people. The lightweight aluminum chairs are stackable which make for easy storage when not needed. The Aura table is made from 100% teak which will weather naturally to a beautiful silver patina, perfect for a palette of grays and blues. True story: when Eli suggested turning the new table 90 degrees, parallel to the house, Frank had a hard time believing that it would fit. He admits to going home to measure and double check, and then coming to the conclusion that it was going to fit, and that it actually would fit well. But there were no hard feelings on either side because one of Eli’s sayings is “Measure all you want—Placement is everything!” Eli had suggested the change because he thought turning the table made the patio look larger and grander. Plus it opened up space to add two complimentary chaise lounges for additional seating. It really was a win/win.
The furniture department at Gasper is such a blast to work with. Eli really listened to us. He was so creative and it was easy to see his vision for our home
The teak wood accents are pulled through the design in the feet of the sectional as well as with a teak serving cart that Eli placed next to the cook station to pull all the elements together. The cart (by Kingsley Bate) is a great piece because it can be used to serve food or beverages and it has a lot of built in features such as a wine bottle caddy, drop leaves to expand the serving area and a removable serving tray. Not only is it attractive, but it is super functional. Eli envisions Frank & Dana being able to move the cart to other areas of the patio, such as by the fireplace when needed to serve beverages.
Eli considers this design ‘Transitional Style’, which is a marriage of traditional and contemporary. “No one is doing matchey matchey anymore” he declares. “The best course of action is to select different furniture pieces such as I did with the synthetic weave sectional and the aluminum-teak dining set and then tie it all together with the finishes, fabrics and color.” Dana couldn’t agree more with the end product saying, “The furniture department at Gasper is such a blast to work with. Eli really listened to us. He was so creative and it was easy to see his vision for our home”
One of the most gratifying things for our Gasper landscape & furniture designers is to be able to see a design concept that they have developed with a homeowner come to complete fruition. It is especially satisfying when you get to start with a complete blank slate, such as Frank and Dana M’s had with only builder stairs leading out to the back yard. Wonder what the Gasper team can do for you? From landscape design and construction to exterior furnishings, we truly do it all!