Outdoor Furniture, Patio Furniture and more!

As I’m sure you’ve heard, Pantone has announced the color of 2011.

Pantone describes it as: “Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It’s a color for every day – with nothing “everyday” about it.”

So, what else is going to be hot in home décor this year? If our colors are making us courageous and confidant, our furnishings are exuding comfort and versatility. Everyone know that, these days, home décor is all about making your dollar go further and your space do more.

As the outdoor living craze shows no signs of slowing, outdoor furniture designers and retailers are on their toes for upcoming trends.  While, pergolas are still on their way to most popular structure and patio deep seating is also topping the charts, we’re abuzz about porch rockers this season.

“Outdoor rocking chairs recall classic porch design of rural America,” said Mark Winkelman, furniture designer. “Blending traditional styles with updated color schemes balances spaces and makes them both fashionable and livable.”

Rocking chairs are fantastic because they can be used both indoors and outdoors.  A painted wood rocking chair can sit on your front porch in the warm season, and make a home in a cozy window-view for the winter.

They’re also lightweight, and can be easily moved around to accommodate guests and family.  More people are staying in and enjoying their backyards, rather than going out and using their credit cards.  And, the relaxed sway of a porch rocker is a great way to drink coffee, watch the sunset and get back into the swing of good friendship.

Many people are updating the classic porch rocker with bright colors, especially the striking honeysuckle hue that is sure to be splashed nearly everywhere this season.  Honeysuckle is especially appropriate for outdoor living.  Leatrice Eiseman, executive dirsctor of the Pantone Color Institute explained, “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. In fact, this color, not the sweet fragrance of the flower blossoms for which it was named, is what attracts hummingbirds to nectar. Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”

Set a trend by using a classic in a way that isn’t expected.  Outdoor living may be more popular than ever, but just ask those that grew up with out air conditioning, and you’ll know it’s no new fad.  Take a cue from the experienced with traditional porch rockers.  Take a cue from the trends with bold and exciting colors.

Have Fun!

Hazel

Tags: Outdoor Furniture, outdoor rockers, outdoor rocking chairs, patio deep seating, Pergolas, porch rockers, rocking chairs

not a rocking chair...

Benjamin Franklin had a number of inventions, including bifocals, the lightning rod, the odometer, and the Franklin stove.  He also discovered, developed, figured out, improved upon, and created systems for, countless things that still influence our lives today.  Moreover, he’s one of the most oft-quoted people in history.

Indeed, he is remembered for so many things that he said and did; and several that he didn’t do.  It seems that, because of all of his clever creations, people give him credit for tons of things with which he is not associated.  When in doubt, if it happened in the 18^th century, it must have been Ben.

For example, he is often cited as the inventor of the rocking chair; but, even though no one knows its exact origin, most historians doubt the validity of that claim.  The one thing that they largely agree upon, however, is that it seems to have first appeared in England, in the middle of the 18^th century, and was used primarily as an outdoor garden chair.

It is also known that the cradle and the rocking horse had been around for quite some time before that.  In fact, the word, rocker, emerged in the 15^th century, as a description of a person who was responsible for rocking a cradle.  In the 18^th century, it also came to define an orator who put others to sleep.  It was not until 1787 that rocking chair appeared in the Oxford English dictionary.

The first outdoor rocking chairs are thought to have been built near Windsor Castle, which is why those of comparable styles are called Windsor rockers.  Wicker outdoor rocking chairs were also highly prized, as they included many creative designs.  Originally, they were made from regular chairs, to which someone had thought to attach rockers similar to those on a cradle.

Now, admittedly, that does sound like something that Ben would do; and it’s not out of the question that, somewhere along the way, he may have built a rocker.  Surely, though, he had to have, at least, used one; after all, rockers and deep thinking go hand-in-hand.  He may even have dreamed up some of his greatest inventions while rocking.  Perhaps, people assume that he invented them because porch rockers showed up in the American colonies shortly after they surfaced in England, and quickly became the most common types of outdoor porch furniture.

Of course, others around the world were making rocking chairs as well; and every area contributed its own designs.  The bentwood rocking chair, for example, was first crafted in Germany, around 1860, by Michael Thonet, from bent, steamed wood.  People loved it for its graceful beauty and affordability; and the bent-style rocking chairs are still very popular.

Somewhere around 1840, or shortly thereafter, Adirondack rocking chairs were being made from rough-hewn cedar, pine, ash, and hickory wood and twigs.  Other gorgeous, enduring favorites include the Southern wide slat rockers, mission rockers, and fanback rockers.

Today, rocking chairs are still integral to outdoor furniture groups, and are available in endless variations, including glider rockers, rocking garden benches, rocker recliners, and even kids’ rocking chairs.

I have to admit that I have loved rocking chairs since I was a kid.  In fact, I used to drive my family crazy, as I’d rock so hard that the chair would travel from one side of the room, to the other – and back.  Yes, it was very difficult for me to break that habit; but today, I’m proud to say that I’m off my rocker!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: adirondack rocking chairs, outdoor furniture groups, outdoor porch furniture, outdoor rocking chair, porch rockers, rocking garden benches, wicker outdoor rocking chairs

As you know, our blog usually focuses on design advice, decorating ideas, and practical safety tips for outdoor living.  And, of course, our fabulous guest bloggers write about their area of expertise as well!  But, today we’d like to use the blog to answer one of the questions that have been buzzing around lately.

“What is CedarStore.com doing to positively affect the environment?”

Let’s start with the harvesting of our materials.  Our most obvious ecological products are our lines of Polywood outdoor furniture.  Polywood is made from 100% recycled plastics and polyresins, then crafted to look and feel like real wood.  Just think, you’ll be enjoying your garden thanks, in part; to the empty milk jug you just crushed and threw into recycling!

But, a lot of our materials are wood, as well.  All of our Red Cedar products are sourced in California and Oregon, our Pine wood is from Louisiana and Georgia, and our White Cedar originates in Michigan.  We are committed to only using Cedars and Pines found and processed in the United States. We do this not only to support our nation’s economy, but because it significantly reduces that amount of fossil fuels that many other companies use to ship cheaper wood from overseas.  Plus, in accordance with Forestry Preservation initiatives, we only work with lumber suppliers that plant at least FIVE trees of the same species for every ONE they cut down.  So, we’re using the bounty of our earth, but we’re making sure that future generations will be able to enjoy her gifts as well.

After our shops receive the materials, we continue to encourage sustainable practices.  The majority of our shops are in the process or already using alternate energies to power their buildings; in the form of solar panels, wind mills, and increasing the use of man-powered labor (instead of electrical equipment), our craftsman are dedicated to using sustainable energies over any other kind.

In any craft, there’s a lot of potential for wasted materials.  But, we do our best to recycle or reuse all of our left over resources.  For example, all of our sawdust is turned into mulch for flowerbed, trees, and pathways.  This not only ensures that the sawdust is used instead of wasted, it is also a much less expensive and more sustainable mulch.  Providing the tools for gardeners and farmers of all financial standings to grow their own food is important, and we’re happy to be part of the solution.

Most of our Treated Pine products are treated with a low impact preservative that allows them to be defined as “Green Spec Environmentally Preferable Products.” Older treating methods are often chemically toxic and bad for the environment.  However, our natural preservatives work with the wood without using any harsh synthetic materials.  Using wolmanized wood, or wood that has been treated to preserve its life, allows the wood to last much longer.  And, of course, wood that lasts longer naturally doesn’t need to be replaced as often, reducing the demands on forests for replacement timber.

So, now that we have the materials, treated the wood, crafted the patio furniture or outdoor structure, and recycled any leftover materials… we’re ready to send it to you.  The boxes we use for shipping are made from 50% Post Consumer Waste cardboard, and can be recycled after you unpack your new patio furniture.

Since we judge our products from cradle to grave, we have considered where your outdoor furniture will go if you decide you can’t use it anymore.  We hope this will be very far in the future!  But, when that time comes, the wood fiber created from our worn out porch furniture is used to create such diverse products as fuel pellets, insulation, pressed logs, decorative landscape mulches, home building materials, and other goods.

We’re not claiming that we’re saving the world or completely revolutionizing the outdoor living business.  But, we’re doing what we can to make sure that our children and our children’s children will be able to enjoy the outdoors in the same way, or perhaps even a better way, than we do.  So, whether you’re looking to install a gazebo or pergola, use one of our picnic tables to create an outdoor dining area, design wonderful outdoor seating with garden benches, porch rockers, and outdoor sofas… we just want to make sure your products are helping, not hurting, the earth.  We hope you join us in our pledge to always consider ways to promote more sustainable practices.

Hazel.

Tags: garden benches, gazebo, Outdoor Furniture, outdoor sofas, patio furniture, pergola, picnic tables, polywood outdoor furniture, porch furniture, porch rockers