Design Directory 2021: great garden furniture

Welcome to the Wallpaper* Design Directory 2021, our edit of inspiring new furniture for every room. Here is our garden furniture selection, with seating options from sofas to swings, towering planters and asymmetric side tables in sleek concrete

Hanging seat, sun lounger, and bench on decking
Interiors: Olly Mason
(Image credit: Artwork: Studio Rotolo.)

Adorn your urban garden, balcony or poolside with our edit of outdoor furniture ideas that range from swings to loungers, outdoor lighting and furniture designs that can withstand the elements. The Wallpaper* edit of outdoor furniture is part of the 2021 Design Directory – our annual pick of inspiring new furniture for every room of the house.

Outdoor seating

‘Venexia’ lounge armchair by Luca Nichetto for Ethimo

Grey slatted bench with grey cushions and matching side table

(Image credit: ethimo)

Sporting an aluminium frame that is visually reminiscent of old-fashioned railings, but softened by big plump waterproof cushions, this armchair oozes timeless charm and modern functionality.

From £2,520
ethimo.com 

‘Liz’ armchair by Ludovica + Roberto Palomba for Expormim

Round grey chair with paler grey cushions

(Image credit: expormim)

Spanish brand Expormim’s ‘Liz’ armchair looks snug enough to be an indoor chair, but is made to withstand the outdoor elements. Designed by Ludovica and Roberto Palomba, the chair pays homage ‘to the sensual and captivating forms of the cinema icon Liz Taylor’, and features a frame of high-resistance aluminium tubing with die-cast aluminium legs and durable, weather-resistant fabric upholstery, available in a wide range of colours, as well as one plush seat cushion and one loose one. So, rain or shine, we’ll be sitting comfortably.

Price on request
expormim.com

‘Atlante’ daybed by Antonio Citterio for Flexform

Grey daybed with adjustable backrest

(Image credit: flexform)

This daybed’s aluminium base features an epoxy powder-coat finish in a series of sophisticated shades, coupled with water-repellent elastic webbing and a supremely comfortable mattress finished with elegant grosgrain piping.

£5,666
flexform.it

‘Yoko’ sofa by Toan Nguyen for Rolf Benz

Grey modular sofa with chairs facing in opposite directions, separated by a table

(Image credit: rolf-benz)

Naming its first outdoor collection after the Japanese word for sun, Rolf Benz’s ‘Yoko’ series, designed by Toan Nguyen, is all about embracing al fresco summer living. The collection, which includes chairs and tables, revolves around a modular sofa. With its lightweight powder-coated aluminium frame, it can easily be reconfigured into any number of permutations, allowing for lounging, sunbathing or socialising, while covers, made using hard-wearing waterproof polyurethane, are available in more than 40 new fabrics.

€6,685
rolf-benz.com

‘Panarea’ chair by CMP Design for Pedrali

Garden chair covered in red woven cord

(Image credit: pedrali)

For its latest collaboration with Pedrali, CMP Design cites the colours and breezes experienced on a sea-facing terrace in the Mediterranean as inspiration. The ‘Panarea’ collection, which includes an armchair and a lounge chair, features a curved tubular metal frame, around which is wrapped polypropylene cord, handwoven into a triangular motif for the wide backrest. Lightweight in structure, chairs come with matching (or contrasting if you prefer) seat and backrest cushions, covered in fabric made from the same yarn used for the woven backrest.

€519
pedrali.it

‘Kida’ hanging lounge chair by Stephen Burks for Dedon

Outdoor furniture swing by Dedon and Stephen Burks

(Image credit: dedon)

With a nest-like form, made from aluminium wrapped in weather-resistant striped cord, and a plush cushion that covers the entire seating area, a swing in the ‘Kida’ chair feels both luxuriously comforting and breezily free.

€2,395
dedon.de 

Outdoor lighting

‘Nui Mini’ outdoor lamp by Meneghello Paolelli Associati for Luceplan

Outdoor lamp with glass base and dark shade

(Image credit: luceplan)

Part of a family of outdoor rechargeable lamps comprising floor and wall lighting defined by simple geometric compositions, the ‘Nui’ portable lamp by Luceplan is an outdoor table lamp whose rechargeable nature makes it perfect for an evening in the garden. Featuring a transparent crystal base and a top available in three colours (white, greige and sand), this elegant, dimmable light seamlessly transitions from terrace to indoors.

£206
luceplan.com

‘Lady Galala’ lamp by Peluffo & Partners for Martinelli Luce

Two outdoor pendant lamps with colourful shades in orange and blue, and red and black

(Image credit: martinelliluce)

Conceived in a tent on Egypt’s Mount Galala, this suspension lamp consists of a resin body, to which can be attached three conical-shaped glass diffusers, available in four colours and three sizes, allowing for multiple configurations. Playful yet elegant, the lamp, designed for Martinelli Luce by Italian architecture studio Peluffo & Partners, was envisaged being hung casually for an evening of shisha and tea in the desert, with the various colour combinations recalling the warm sun, the shifting sands and the foamy sea.

€490
martinelliluce.it

More garden furniture ideas

‘Giro’ tables by Vincent Van Duysen for Kettal

Pair of grey concrete side tables for outdoor use

(Image credit: kettal)

The ‘Giro’ collection, Vincent Van Duysen’s first collaboration with Kettal, is composed of an armchair and two side tables. The sensual, natural appearance of the chair, made from twisted rope and teak and inspired by the traditional craftsmanship of the Orkney chair, is counterbalanced by the sleek, architectural lines of the tables (pictured), which are made from concrete. But despite the variety of shapes, textures and materials between the seating and tables, the pieces work harmoniously and elegantly together.

€1,250 each
kettal.com

‘Vertical Garden’ plant holder by Massimo Castagna for Exteta

A black powder coated aluminium planter shaped like a tower with several trays for plants. Shown with green foliage throughout

(Image credit: exteta)

Consisting of aluminium bowls of various dimensions suspended between stainless steel rods, this flexible system offers a contemporary industrial aesthetic to beautifully offset your organic planting arrangements. 

From €5,330
exteta.it

Author

Anne Soward joined the Wallpaper* team as Production Editor back in 2005, fresh from a three-year stint working in Sydney at Vogue Entertaining & Travel. She prepares all content for print to ensure every story adheres to Wallpaper’s superlative editorial standards. When not dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s, she dreams about real estate.