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Fine Al Fresco Seating for Sultry Summer Days

With the sun peeping out in the northern hemisphere, a choice outdoor seat will provide a welcome refuge on balmy summer days. Set in the shade of a rose-scented arbour or beneath a cool awning, a winsome chair is the perfect accompaniment to a leisurely summer mood. Grythyttan Stålmöbler, Mobles 114, Kettal, Serralunga and GANDIABLASCO are just a few of the superior companies producing timeless al fresco seating for summer days.

Grythyttan Stålmöbler, Sweden

Set deep in the forests of Bergslagen, Sweden, you will find Grythyttan Stålmöbler, a family-owned company established in 1930. In a place where time-honoured craftsmanship remains at the fore, Grythyttan Stålmöbler’s exquisite furniture is made using high-quality steel and wood. Its classic A2 cantilever armchair was designed in 1930 by Artur Lindqvist, son of founder Karl Lindqvist. Bauhaus-inspired, the simple and elegant A2 armchair pairs wood slats with a spring steel construction.

Grythyttan Stålmöbler’s A2 cantilever armchair. Designed in 1930 by Artur Lindqvist.
Grythyttan Stålmöbler’s A2 cantilever armchair. Designed in 1930 by Artur Lindqvist.

Images © 2016 Grythyttan Stålmöbler.

Also from Grythyttan Stålmöbler, the cantilevered High-Tech chair was designed in 1984 by eminent Swedish designer Nils Strinning. This heavy metal chair is made using spring steel.

High-Tech chair for Grythyttan Stålmöbler by Nils Strinning.
High-Tech chair for Grythyttan Stålmöbler by Nils Strinning.

High-Tech chair mages via Archiproducts.

Nobles 114, Spain

Barcelona-based Mobles 114 was founded in 1973 with a desire to improve the quality of public spaces and private homes through better design.

The sweeping contours of its Rambla chair describe a seat that is quirky and playful. Designed by Basque designer Martín Azúa, this chair is inspired by the Rambla de Catalunya, a famous (and infamous) buzzing and vibrant thoroughfare in Barcelona. Metallic, ribbed and stackable, the Rambla chair will make a happy outdoor companion.

Rambla chair in green by Martín Azia for Mobles 114.
Rambla chairs in green and yellow by Martín Azúa for Mobles 114.

Images © Martín Azúa 2016.

Kettal, Spain

Since 1966, family-owned Spanish brand Kettal has embraced the tenets of good design and innovation. Headquartered in Barcelona, its outdoor furniture is manufactured in a small coastal town 45km from the Catalan capital. In realising its ambitions, Kettal works with a number of international design bigwigs, including Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Patricia Urquiola, Rodolfo Dordoni and Jasper Morrison.

Designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Kettal’s contemporary Stampa chair has a perforated calyx-shaped metal shell and is available in a range of cool contemporary colours.

Stampa chair by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Kettal.
Stampa chair by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Kettal.

Park Life by Jasper Morrison has a relaxed and elegant demeanour. It is a chair whose appearance conjures notions of carefree conversations with friends on a sultry summer’s night.

Park Life by Jasper Morrison for Kettal.
Park Life by Jasper Morrison for Kettal.

Images © Kettal.

Serralunga, Italy

Serralunga is an Italian heritage brand that was founded in 1825 in Biella, a town in the northern Italian region of Piedmont. The company has manufactured outdoor patio furniture in the same place ever since.

Flaunting a rather curious construction, Serralunga’s Canisse armchair joins together a series of differently sized rods. Designed by French designer Philippe Nigro, rotational moulding technology (a simple casting technique) was used to create this altogether unique outdoor armchair. Indeed a chair you might love or hate.

Canisse outdoor armchair from Italian heritage brand Serralunga.
Canisse outdoor armchair from Italian heritage brand Serralunga.

Images via Clippings.com.

GANDIABLASCO, Spain

Born in Valencia in 1941, Spanish company GANDIABLASCO – a one-time maker of blankets – today designs and manufactures a covetable collection of high-end outdoor furniture. Under the directorship and vision of José A. Gandía-Blasco, the company launched its first outdoor collection in 1996. Going from strength to strength, GANDIABLASCO is now a purveyor of some of the finest outdoor furniture collections to be had.

The new Stack System Chair is a stackable collection of six seats designed by Borja García for GANDIABLASCO. With a nautical aesthetic, the Stack System Chair combines versatility, simplicity and superb material form.

Stack System Chair by Borja García for GANDIABLASCO.
Stack System Chair by Borja García for GANDIABLASCO.

Images © Gandia Blasco.

Gerard McGuickin

Gerard is a writer, a thinker and a modern-day gentleman living in a modish neighbourhood in south Belfast. Walnut Grey Design is his popular manifesto of good design. From Gerard’s discerning perspective, design should be aesthetic, smart, honest and gratifying. Moreover, it must be for keeps. A self-confessed urbanite, Gerard is enthralled b[...]

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