Alfresco Living

outdoor entertaining2345accommodate a complete kitchen, you canconsider a humble barbecue or wood-fired pizzaoven. These can be easily incorporated into youroutdoor living area without taking up too muchspace. And the warmth they provide is an addedbonus on those cold winter nights.Outdoor furnitureSeating for the outdoors not only needs tobe functional, practical and comfortable, italso needs to be durable and stylish. Outdoorfurniture needs to be built tough to withstandthe elements 365 days of the year. Furniturefor coastal settings especially needs to bedesigned to avoid corrosion.There was a time when manufacturersand furniture designers were limited to just afew materials to work with, such as timber andwrought-iron. Today, however, technology hasbrought with it an array of materials, styles anddesigns to choose from including concrete,woven wicker, anodised aluminium, stainlesssteeland fibreglass. There is also an exciting newrange of weather-proof woven furniture for theoutdoors, available in a variety of stylish coloursto complement any outdoor setting.When choosing the right style of furniture forthe outdoors, the same rules apply as for insidethe home, but with a few added conditions.The furniture pieces need to complement thesurrounding garden style. For example, if youhave a contemporary courtyard you should opt forpieces which are modern in design and which usematerials appropriate to the contemporary style.For a more casual coastal setting, try paddedtimber deck chairs or a comfy beanbag. And forthe more formal, classic outdoor setting, hotdippedgalvanised hand-forged steel delivers atimeless elegance.Teak or kwila furniture settings are good incombination with native or sub-tropical-stylegardens. Their natural good looks blend with theleafy lush foliage and the furniture develops a12 NEW zealand Backyard & garden Design Ideas