
DATE: Sunday, June 1, 1997                  TAG: 9705310052

SECTION: HOME                    PAGE: G4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MARCIA MANGUM, HOME & GARDEN EDITOR 

                                            LENGTH:  113 lines

STYLE STEPS OUT FOR THE SUMMER

THESE DAYS there are almost as many choices in outdoor furnishings as there are in indoor decor.

Furniture can be found with a variety of styles, frame materials, fabrics, mechanisms and more. Then there's the tableware, lighting and other accessories.

Many places that sell such furnishings also have experts on staff to help design your outdoor setting.

``I go to your house and bring frame samples and swatches and decorate the outdoors, just like any designer,'' says Kim Raper, the furniture sales and design expert at Polynesian Pools in Virginia Beach.

She helps customers avoid design mistakes, such as matching furniture to their pool liners. And she guides them through the plethora of new products and trends.

Rod Rodriguez, president of Bay Mechanical, hired Raper to select his outdoor furnishings when he built his contemporary home and pool in the Great Neck Point section of Virginia Beach.

Raper chose furniture with dark green textured frames to contrast with his white house and light concrete decking and curving arms to offset the symmetrical lines of his house.

``Kim took care of everything and did an awesome job,'' Rodriguez says. ``The white umbrellas really look sharp when you see them from the water. A lot of boaters comment on it.''

Raper says there are options to suit any home or lifestyle.

``The wonderful thing about outdoor furniture is the wicker is lovely with Victorian, and this sling chair looks lovely with contemporary, and this strap furniture looks right with traditional homes and cottages.''

In case you haven't shopped for outdoor furniture lately, here's a rundown of some of the terms:

Sling chairs usually have hollow aluminum or cast aluminum frames with a synthetic mesh fabric stretched from the top of the back frame to the front of the seat, forming a sling-type seat that is durable and easy to maintain.

Strap furniture has vinyl straps woven around a metal frame to form a sturdy seat and back. Strap chairs are comfortable and can work with many style homes but require more wiping and cleaning than some styles.

Cushion furniture has stuffed fabric cushions usually used on an aluminum frame with vinyl straps.

Wrought iron, used for furniture since the 1920s, is actually steel that has been hammered and bent (``wrought'') to form graceful curves. This traditional outdoor furniture comes in a variety of styles and colors. It requires more upkeep than more modern alloys but has a timeless look and will last for years. Newer wrought aluminum is lighter and easier to maintain.

``Outdoor wicker'' furniture is made of durable polypropylene, designed to look like the woven reeds of yore, but safe for outdoor use.

Resin furniture is plastic enhanced for strength and resistance to dirt and sun. There's a wide range of quality, but generally, the heavier the better.

Wood furniture is available in pine, oak, redwood, cypress, teak, mahogany, cedar, maple, birch, beech and more. Some is treated to withstand the elements, while other wood furnishing are better suited to enclosed or semi-enclosed porches.

Casual Decor, a guide to outdoor furnishings, says some of the fabrics widely used today include: acrylics that look like cotton but are treated to withstand the elements; vinyl-coated polyesters that can be woven into a quick-drying, open-mesh fabric; and olefin, a woven fabric that is strong and durable, though less soft than others.

Although cushioned chairs have been popular for years, they're being edged out by the lower-maintenance sling chairs.

``No one wants to take care of cushions anymore,'' Raper says. The slings dry quicker, clean easily and don't have to be stored during winter.

High-back chairs - whether sling, web or cushion - also are popular, particularly among men, she says. And more and more customers choose the swivel, rocker frames, even though they cost more than straight-backs.

The new bar sets - with higher tables and chairs - are good for people who need to raised up to see over a railing or other obstruction. ``They're nice for people in condos with safety railings, especially those along the Chesapeake Bay,'' Raper says.

Another new favorite is the octagon-shaped market umbrella, Raper says. The original market umbrellas had wooden poles and opened by pushing them up or using a pulley. Now some have been adapted so they tilt and crank open.

Market umbrellas usually are free-standing, and some have wheels so they can be used anywhere on a deck or patio. They are particularly good for homes near the water that are exposed to high winds, because they have vents and sturdier poles.

Outdoor furniture is available at many outlets, in many price ranges. Specialty shops, such as pool and outdoor furnishing centers, tend to carry the upscale furnishings.

A set of aluminum sling furniture with two straight chairs, two swivel, a table and an umbrella would sell for between about $800 and $1,600 at Polynesian Pools, Raper says. Strap furniture may cost slightly less, and cushions slightly more, she says, while the outdoor wicker and cast aluminum are pricier at around $2,000 for a set.

``Be sure and choose what you like, because this furniture is going to be with you for a long time,'' Raper says.

In addition to the table and chairs, lighting, tableware and other accessories are part of outdoor entertaining. Some lamps and candles attach to the umbrellas, while others are designed to go on or around the table.

For safety reasons, people should avoid glassware near pools and spas, but modern acrylic tableware offers many looks, from whimsical water or garden themes to sophisticated glasses and pitchers that resemble crystal.

``Dining outdoors doesn't have to be on paper plates any more,'' Raper says. MEMO: For more information on outdoor furniture, call (800) 852-2144 for

a free copy of Casual Decor, an 80-page guide to outdoor/indoor

furnishings. ILLUSTRATION: Photos

IAN MARTIN/The Virginian-Pilot

Designer Kim Raper uses curving sling chairs with textured green

frames to offset the light colors and symmetrical lines of Rod

Rodriguez's home.

TROPITONE

The Sonoma table and chairs from Tropitone have the timeless look of

traditional wrought iron, but the cast aluminum is easier maintain.