Are You Ready For Some Spring Weather Yet, Or What?

It's 2014--hopefully, we're on the last legs of a winter which most of us would no doubt like to forget. Even in Texas and Florida, it got cold enough to snow, whereupon we were reminded what wusses we really were, and it made us respect northerners even more than we already do! We have a pretty good idea that "northerners", in particular, are REALLY looking forward to Spring! In the spirit of getting you in the mood, though--no matter where you are--we thought we'd post some of the new patio living space looks and trends for the upcoming season.

The biggest trend we see has more to do with the space itself, as opposed to the actual furniture, but it rates a mention here because it has a lot of components, including patio furniture--plus it's got Man Cave written all over it! If you can get your other half excited about that, they might not mind actually participating in the overall decorating, too! The Outdoor Kitchen concept is just exploding in popularity...

What's good about this is that because "indoor" and "outdoor" living space is merging, we now see a little more full upholstery in some of the outdoor furniture styles. Higher-quality patio furniture manufacturers like Lloyd Flanders are introducing new lines of furniture (like their Flair line) where the outdoor models look a bit more like their indoor counterparts! Designer pillows, cushions and drapes are being utilized a great deal more, too, and this is adding flair and pizazz to this years' outdoor patios.

In fabrics and colors, we see FUN! Shifting a bit further away from neutral colors (though those will always be popular), 2014 is trending more toward brighter, cheerier color schemes; turquoises, pinks, purples and maroons. We've gotten some beautifully-colored new fabrics for this season. This Brannon Orange from Sunbrella is one of our favorites! This is part of the Sunbrella Euro Collection, and we have those available here!

And aren't these all bright and cheery?

And will you just look at the eye-popping colors once they're applied to a finished product?

Beiges are great, but don't these colors just leap off the page? Imagine them in your backyard!

Another style trend we see involves a lot of blue and white, much of it with blue and white *only*, but other floral, solid and striped designs as well:

Richloom has a beautiful blue and white fabric called Basalto Navy, which would work well for this. Sunbrella has a pretty floral called Violetta Baltic; we carry both of these and think they would make some lovely throw pillows or cushions!

Still, you can't go wrong with solids, either. We have some sweet yellows....

Chair Care Patio has a large and (we think) excellent selection of fabrics for your patio furniture projects--and now is the time to start planning ahead! Take a look at our fabric selection--and stay tuned, because we've got some more new trends to review in this space. While you're waiting, take a look at the rest of our offerings, too! We're so excited about this year, we can hardly wait to get rolling!