8 Trends in Contemporary Outdoor Furniture for 2023
Swiveling chairs and colorful furnishings were among the top looks at the recent 2023 ICFF event
Outdoor living spaces are getting more love and attention than ever, whether they’re tiny balconies or sprawling oases for entertaining. And at the recent International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) held at the Javits Center in New York, we saw plenty of stylish outdoor furnishings to meet that demand — most of them available to purchase online, through interior designers or by contacting the company directly. Below, check out 10 trends in outdoor furniture and decor that we spotted at the event.
Tidelli Outdoor Living
2. Moving Pieces
Flexible furniture such as seating with rearrangeable pieces, easy-to-move stools that double as side tables and outdoor coffee tables that lift to desk height have been popular in outdoor collections for several seasons. That trend held true at ICFF again this year, as exemplified by the modular Tidelli Soft sofa with moveable back supports seen here.
A newer style detail that caught our eye at this year’s fair took “moving” more literally. See the tasseled, macramé-style Carmel chairs next to the Soft sofa? They swivel. And if chairs at the fair weren’t swiveling, they were hanging, swinging or rocking.
It seems that if furniture manufacturers have their way, few people will be sitting still outside.
Shop a curated selection of outdoor products on Houzz
2. Moving Pieces
Flexible furniture such as seating with rearrangeable pieces, easy-to-move stools that double as side tables and outdoor coffee tables that lift to desk height have been popular in outdoor collections for several seasons. That trend held true at ICFF again this year, as exemplified by the modular Tidelli Soft sofa with moveable back supports seen here.
A newer style detail that caught our eye at this year’s fair took “moving” more literally. See the tasseled, macramé-style Carmel chairs next to the Soft sofa? They swivel. And if chairs at the fair weren’t swiveling, they were hanging, swinging or rocking.
It seems that if furniture manufacturers have their way, few people will be sitting still outside.
Shop a curated selection of outdoor products on Houzz
Tuuci
3. Space Definers
Much like open-plan interiors, outdoor living areas can benefit from having separate zones for relaxing, dining, cooking and other activities. To define those areas, or “rooms,” many furnishing manufacturers are now offering oversize shades and cabanas, like the Solanox cabana with an automated louver system seen here. It was on display at Tuuci’s booth and is available through high-end outdoor furnishings dealers. Bonus: A poolside cabana can make you feel as if you’re staying at a luxury resort.
8 New and Enduring Outdoor Furnishing Trends for 2023
3. Space Definers
Much like open-plan interiors, outdoor living areas can benefit from having separate zones for relaxing, dining, cooking and other activities. To define those areas, or “rooms,” many furnishing manufacturers are now offering oversize shades and cabanas, like the Solanox cabana with an automated louver system seen here. It was on display at Tuuci’s booth and is available through high-end outdoor furnishings dealers. Bonus: A poolside cabana can make you feel as if you’re staying at a luxury resort.
8 New and Enduring Outdoor Furnishing Trends for 2023
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Tuuci
4. Space Dividers
Separating spaces isn’t just for those with huge backyards. Small patios, balconies and rooftops in urban areas, for example, often need separation to create privacy from neighbors and public spaces.
Not so coincidentally, outdoor screens and dividers (such as the Tidelli macramé curtain seen previously in the second photo) were popular at the fair. With its optional trellis, the Highland planter by Tuuci, seen here, both functions as a privacy screen and allows balcony dwellers to feel surrounded by nature, even in the middle of a city.
12 Trends in Contemporary Furniture for 2023
4. Space Dividers
Separating spaces isn’t just for those with huge backyards. Small patios, balconies and rooftops in urban areas, for example, often need separation to create privacy from neighbors and public spaces.
Not so coincidentally, outdoor screens and dividers (such as the Tidelli macramé curtain seen previously in the second photo) were popular at the fair. With its optional trellis, the Highland planter by Tuuci, seen here, both functions as a privacy screen and allows balcony dwellers to feel surrounded by nature, even in the middle of a city.
12 Trends in Contemporary Furniture for 2023
Danver Outdoor Kitchens
5. Slim Styles
Similarly, exhibitors showed a wide variety of scaled-down patio furnishings suited to compact spaces.
Take this Mondrian-inspired Danver Cosmopolitan Kitchen collection, designed by Daniel Germani. It has six streamlined powder-coated stainless steel components, which you can mix and match to suit your space. And its cook tables are prepped to fit Invisacook technology — which turns a countertop into an induction cooktop and back again. Contact the company or your outdoor kitchen designer for more information.
Find an outdoor kitchen designer
5. Slim Styles
Similarly, exhibitors showed a wide variety of scaled-down patio furnishings suited to compact spaces.
Take this Mondrian-inspired Danver Cosmopolitan Kitchen collection, designed by Daniel Germani. It has six streamlined powder-coated stainless steel components, which you can mix and match to suit your space. And its cook tables are prepped to fit Invisacook technology — which turns a countertop into an induction cooktop and back again. Contact the company or your outdoor kitchen designer for more information.
Find an outdoor kitchen designer
Focus
6. Fun Fire Features
A fire feature seems to be de rigueur for every tricked-out outdoor space, and the bioethanol, gel fuel, gas and wood-burning options at the fair were far more creative than your standard fire pit. One looked like a diagonal column broken in two; another resembled an egg on a pedestal.
The new wood-burning steel Bubble by Focus, pictured here, is just over 2 feet wide and has rear caster wheels so it can be easily moved around a patio. You can find a Focus dealer on the company’s website.
What to Know About Choosing a Built-In Grill
6. Fun Fire Features
A fire feature seems to be de rigueur for every tricked-out outdoor space, and the bioethanol, gel fuel, gas and wood-burning options at the fair were far more creative than your standard fire pit. One looked like a diagonal column broken in two; another resembled an egg on a pedestal.
The new wood-burning steel Bubble by Focus, pictured here, is just over 2 feet wide and has rear caster wheels so it can be easily moved around a patio. You can find a Focus dealer on the company’s website.
What to Know About Choosing a Built-In Grill
Shore
7. Bold Colors and Textures
The outdoor furnishings at this year’s ICFF suggested that the colorful, highly textured interiors that have taken hold over the past few seasons have spilled outside and become even brighter and bolder. Neutrals took a back seat to primary colors, all shades of pink and blue, pistachio, coral and terra cotta — with colors often combined in a single chunky weave.
Exemplifying the trend were rugs and furniture pieces by Shore, including the sofa pictured here. Handmade in London of silicone cord, the products are UV-resistant, waterproof and pleasantly springy, and the company says they don’t produce any toxic fumes during their manufacture or lifespan.
The Best Materials for Your Patio Furniture
7. Bold Colors and Textures
The outdoor furnishings at this year’s ICFF suggested that the colorful, highly textured interiors that have taken hold over the past few seasons have spilled outside and become even brighter and bolder. Neutrals took a back seat to primary colors, all shades of pink and blue, pistachio, coral and terra cotta — with colors often combined in a single chunky weave.
Exemplifying the trend were rugs and furniture pieces by Shore, including the sofa pictured here. Handmade in London of silicone cord, the products are UV-resistant, waterproof and pleasantly springy, and the company says they don’t produce any toxic fumes during their manufacture or lifespan.
The Best Materials for Your Patio Furniture
Model No.
8. Circular and Sustainable Pieces
Another trend that dates back to well before 2023 but continues to evolve is the use of holistically sustainable materials and production methods.
One company with an especially forward-thinking approach is Model No. of Oakland, California, whose Bolster chair is pictured here. The chairs are 3D-printed in a single wasteless print using resins made from upcycled plant waste. They are durable but also recyclable or biodegradable in the right composting conditions without loss of performance before that, the company says. And its factory operates entirely on wind and solar energy.
More on Houzz
Read more industry show and fair recaps
See photos of patio designs
Find design and remodeling professionals
Shop for home products
8. Circular and Sustainable Pieces
Another trend that dates back to well before 2023 but continues to evolve is the use of holistically sustainable materials and production methods.
One company with an especially forward-thinking approach is Model No. of Oakland, California, whose Bolster chair is pictured here. The chairs are 3D-printed in a single wasteless print using resins made from upcycled plant waste. They are durable but also recyclable or biodegradable in the right composting conditions without loss of performance before that, the company says. And its factory operates entirely on wind and solar energy.
More on Houzz
Read more industry show and fair recaps
See photos of patio designs
Find design and remodeling professionals
Shop for home products
1. Modern Makeovers
While contemporary design reflects the here and now, it has always taken cues from different eras and cultures. At ICFF this year, many of the contemporary outdoor furnishings nodded to the 1950s through ’70s as well as to tropical resorts.
Mexican company Mexa Design, for example, won an ICFF Editors Award for its bright outdoor collections. Many of its products riff on traditional chair designs, such as the Acapulco, Equipal and Windsor, and incorporate traditional Mexican weaving techniques.
The dining chairs from Mexa’s Porset collection, seen here, honor Mexico-based Cuban designer Clara Porset, who was famous for reinterpreting the Latin American Butaque chair in the mid-20th century.
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