Modern Garden Furniture – Bringing the Great Outdoors Inside

Australians have always loved a barbecue on the back lawn, with Dad labouring over the sausages, relatives and friends lounging in the plastic garden furniture on the verandah or chilling out near the beer under the Jacaranda tree.

Then, once the party was over, everyone scuttles indoors to avoid the mosquitos. Outdoors was outside and indoors was inside and never were the two combined.

Until lately. Now there’s an upsurge in outdoor living and contemporary furniture in what is being called the Transteriora trend with the demarcation line between inside and out blurred. The outdoors is now a major area of the design of the modern or renovated Aussie home. No longer is the deck, the patio or verandah just something tacked on to the build. Now you can open glass sliding doors, or an entire wall to the outdoor space, and rather than feeling that your outdoor area is just an afterthought, you won’t be able to tell whether you are inside or out.

The Sunday barbecue has never gone out of style and is a very satisfying way to cook a meal for family or friends. With the smooth transition between the indoors and the outdoors, including the garden, people are finding that their homes are more sympathetic to the landscape outside, and vice versa, with beautiful, comfortable sofas and garden furniture available to suit any design.

Real estate agencies believe as much as 20 per cent can be added to the value of properties that have embraced this new trend that has many more green elements and architectural design flowing between indoors and outdoors.

Many homeowners are choosing to renovate these days, rather than moving to bigger houses. To give a feeling of more space, they often open up the back of their houses to take advantage of the yard for indoor-outdoor entertaining, even including a pool in the design, and adding contemporary furniture to blend in with the indoors and the garden.

In the hot summer sun and in the winter with cold winds blowing in Australia, heaters and shade protection is a must. The outdoor space can become a sheltered winter garden and in summer a shaded oasis.

The outdoor designer furniture and fabrics manufacturers have been busy supplying the upsurge in the market for fabulous sofas and tables, cushions and umbrellas that go with making the barbecue area the new kitchen. Now our backyards present a carefully designed modern sanctuary with thriving vegetable gardens, built-in kitchens, spas and plunge pools.

You can relax on a stainless steel chain, or a sun lounger, and have your meal on a stainless steel table, very chic, and gaze at the Harbour Bridge if you are lucky enough to have a view. And what could be better in winter than a heated pool, lush gardens and spending time in your indoor-outdoor space reading or just daydreaming? Perhaps you dream of sipping a coffee or tea on modern outdoor furniture such as simple four-piece teak and stainless steel sofa set or a modular to fit your design? You can also procure seven-seat sets if you are big on entertaining large gatherings.

There is ample seating for visitors on modular outdoor sofas and you can buy weatherproof fabric cushions and seat backs for added comfort and support. Another important consideration is matching the indoor with the outdoor furniture design so it flows seamlessly.

The latest outdoor furniture designs include versatile pieces that fit into any Car, for example, pre-aged, washed teak with sleek lines create a fabulous look. You could try an aluminium modular or sofa – aluminium being the perfect material because it is lightweight and long-wearing or poly wicker furniture that is UV resistant.

Stainless steel outdoor furniture? You might be surprised at how popular this kind of furniture is for the outdoors. It is sleek and modern, rust-resistant, obviously durable and easy to clean.

If you are in the market for some fabulous new outdoor furniture, you can’t go past Cosh Living, one of Australia’s independent indoor and outdoor furniture suppliers.

Cosh Living outdoor furniture is available in a wide selection of materials, from aluminium to timber, and stainless steel. They stock the top brands such as Atelier Vierkant, Coast, Gloster, Manutti, Tribu and more.