Design 101 - 20th Century Era Wicker and Rattan

Early 20th Century Wicker Steamer Chair by Perret & Vibert

Wicker furniture has been an outdoor staple in Western outdoor spaces since it took a firm hold in the Victorian era.  Wicker furniture designs evolved greatly through the 20th Century.

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Top Topic - The Original Pod

Henrik Thor-Larsen Ovalia Egg Chair

Like so many contemporary furniture designs the pod was inspired by a previous design concept.  The modern pod has its roots in the mid-century designs of Henrick Thor-Larsen and Arne Jacobsen. For Today's top topic I went in search of these space-age designs in hopes that I might find them in their 'native' mid-century habitats. To my surprise I didn't find many vintage photos but rather found some great examples of contemporary designs that had incorporated this vintage design.  Pods are back!  How will you incorporate one into your current outdoor space?

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Top Topic - Vintage and Retro Sectional Sofas

Paul.Malon on Flickr

When I think of sectional sofas I am immediately transported back in time. I thought it would be fun to find some ads that introduced the homeowner to the concept of sectionals seating and that led me to today's Top Topic: Vintage and Retro Sectional Sofas.  Although the styles have changed over time the concept is still the same and I think this Kroehler Furniture ad says it best - "Arrange and Re-Arrange".  Flexibility was the appeal when sectional sofas were first introduced in the mid-century and this concept is still going strong as sectional sofas are reintroduced to homeowners for their outdoor spaces.

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Your Outdoor Style - Jason Champion

Jasion Champion's Temple on Siesta Key, Florida

Many of you will remember our vendor Jason Champion from Season 4 of HGTV's Design Star.  We sell Jason's line of distinctive contemporary outdoor furniture.  Bold geometric patterns and glossy colors make Jason's furniture works of art and conversation pieces for your outdoor space.  Today Jason has kindly offered to share a glimpse into his own personal design style.  What is a special about this post is that he has offered us photos from his three latest homes so we can see how his design style changes as his venues do.  Plus after our post on Florida Modern and the houses of the Sarasota School of Architecture it is so exciting that Jason's second home was from this School!

Thanks for sharing Your Outdoor Style with us Jason!

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Design 101 - Saxon Henry Part 2 - Florida Modernism

Updated on October 22, 2010 by Home Infatuation

Design and architecture journalist Saxon Henry has just recently released a book, Four Florida Moderns.  The book concentrates on four current masters of Florida modernism and we will look at them in this post.  In Part 1 of our interview with Saxon she started to talk about Florida Modernism by mentioning one of its greatest moments - the Sarasota School era. Before we give you Part 2 of our interview with Saxon we'd like to take a moment to mention the Sarasota School Era.

Rupp-Seibert HouseThis post-war and regional style of architecture is associated with Florida's Central West Coast or more specifically Sarasota, Florida hence it's nickname of "Sarasota Modern". This style is still popular and many great examples still exist today. The Sarasota Architectural Foundation's charter is "to promote preservation and awareness of Sarasota's architecture and design, beginning with the Sarasota School of Architecture and beyond."

For more examples of Sarasota Modernism we found this great virtual tour movie at the PupuluxeBooks Blog

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Inspiration Board - Outdoor Furniture Design Styles

As homeowners transition from summer to fall in their outdoor spaces we in the industry transition from the current year's buying and design trends to those of the upcoming year.  Last week we were in Chicago at the Merchandise Mart for the Casual Living show. This show is where we do the lion's share of our product purchasing for a year.  We saw many beautiful and exciting products and trends and we will be sharing what we saw with you all this week. 

To get us started I thought I'd put together an inspiration board about the inspirations I believe many designers were working from.

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