best outdoor furniture line

Castelle: Original Designs Created by True Artisans

Filed under: Decor

Castelle, which is a division of Pride Family Brands gets the nod for a Luxist nomination in the best outdoor furniture category.

Founded more than 30 years ago in Miami, Pride Family Brands started out as a retail and manufacturing operation. Just a few months into its history, Pride shifted its focus to selling its designs to casual furniture stores all around the country. In 1983 Pride moved its manufacturing base to Costa Rica, where it resides today.

Gallery: Castelle

Today, the Castelle brand is just one part of a Pride roster that consists of some 800 members, from skilled craftsmen to computer operators. Products are hand-painted and hand-polished, set apart by sepia hues and exotic textures. Made from aluminum but finished with that natural touch, Pride's Castelle line combines modernity with a warm and inviting earthiness.

Castelle's expansive furniture line offers designs dreamed up with exotic locales in mind – Casablanca, Jakarta, Corsica, and more. In addition to the usual furniture offerings, Castelle produces an array of accessories including serving carts, throw pillows, umbrellas, racks and even lazy susans, ideal for enhancing any outdoor setup.

Vote for the Outdoor Furniture Line that you believe is the best of breed. The voting period runs through July 31 and winners will be announced on August 1.

Tags: awards-main, best outdoor furniture line, Castelle, luxist-awards, outdoor furniture

Lloyd/Flanders: Fine Woven Furniture

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Sometimes it's best to go with the original. When it comes to wicker furniture, Lloyd/Flanders fits that description – part of the reason the company has earned a Luxist nomination in the best outdoor furniture category.

When Marshall Lloyd first twisted natural fibers into twine and partially reinforced the materials with metal wire toward the beginning of the 20^th Century, he created a new material called loom. That invention would prove to be one of the greatest advancements in the history of wicker furniture, but it would be many years until the process became the core of the company's modern incarnation.

In 1982, Don Flanders formed the company Lloyd/Flanders, focusing on promoting the use of wicker furniture made through the process pioneered by Lloyd. Flush with the wealth of a financial boom, the mid-1980s were the perfect time for high-earners to stock up on luxurious outdoor furniture for country and city homes alike.

Gallery: Lloyd/Flanders

As such, some of Lloyd/Flanders' most successful lines to day are named after the posh vacation enclaves in which they're often found. There's "Hamptons," which boasts clean lines and modest elegance; "Nantucket," bathed in the island's eponymous red; and "Chesapeake," a patriotic red-white-and-blue themed collection, among others.

Vote for the Outdoor Furniture Line that you believe is the best of breed. The voting period runs through July 31 and winners will be announced on August 1.

Tags: awards-main, best outdoor furniture line, LloydFlanders, luxist-awards, outdoor furniture

Woodard: Unparalleled Standards Since its Founding in 1866

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

By definition, outdoor furnishings must be sturdy enough to withstand the whims of Mother Nature. So it's fitting that one of the Luxist nominees in the best outdoor furniture category is a company that has itself stood the test of time: Texas-based Woodard.

Lyman Woodard founded his eponymous company in 1866. His successors later developed the first-ever collection of handcrafted wrought iron furniture, helping to create the casual outdoor furniture market and eventually paving the way for stores like Pier 1. As the years went on, Woodard expanded into the tubular aluminum business and added an all-season wicker line.

Gallery: Woodard

Woodard's aluminum designs are constructed with high-grade, resilient aluminum ingots that lend the furniture its durability. Items in the wicker line are made from synthetic, water-resistant fibers and woven by hand over an aluminum frame. The company also offers a line of umbrellas and accessories aimed to enhance a wide range of outdoor living areas.

Today, Woodard has increased the breadth of its product offerings to include just about sort of accoutrement that might find itself in someone's backyard – tea carts, table lamps, candle holders and more. As Lyman Woodard intended, these accessories still are made to endure weather just about any storm.

Vote for the Outdoor Furniture Line that you believe is the best of breed. The voting period runs through July 31 and winners will be announced on August 1.

Tags: Awards-main, best outdoor furniture line, Luxist-Awards, outdoor furniture, Woodard

Laneventure: Form, Function and Fun

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Laneventure is a nominee for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Outdoor Furniture

Though Laneventure is one of the younger companies in its industry, its track record over the past four decades is enough to place it with the country's most elite and venerable makers of furnishings. For that reason and others, Laneventure a Luxist nominee in the best outdoor furniture category.

Founded in 1972, Laneventure emphasizes three F's: form, function and fun. The company's designers, managers and manufacturers are trained to make sure that those attributes are present in every product. Additional support comes from Laneventure's parent company, industry giant Furniture Brands International, whose shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

Gallery: Laneventure

Laneventure's furnishings are manufactured in facilities around the globe from Costa Rica to Asia. Products are hand-tailored and finished in the company's 600,000 square foot complex in Conover, North Carolina, where they await shipment to a wide range of furniture stores across the nation.

The company's most popular lines are WeatherMaster, which includes products made from natural wicker, modern synthetic weaves, cast aluminum, teak and painted cypress, as well as Excursions, an exotic line with collections names to match: Club Havana, Cameroon and Kashmir. Laneventure has built all of this in less than 40 years, and the future is looking bright.

Vote for the Outdoor Furniture Line that you believe is the best of breed. The voting period runs through July 31 and winners will be announced on August 1.

Tags: awards-main, best outdoor furniture line, laneventure, luxist-awards, outdoor furniture

Century Furniture: Impeccable Quality, Timeless Style and Classic Beauty

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Though Century Furniture isn't quite as old as its name might suggest, it's one of the most storied companies in its industry. A lengthy history is just one of the reasons that Century Furniture has earned a nomination for a Luxist award in the best outdoor furniture category.

Founded in 1947 by Harley Shuford, Sr., Century got its start in Hickory North Carolina. The company produced its first 18th Century-style mahogany dining room suite within two years. The next two decades saw the launch of an upholstery division (1957) and a chair division (1965). By 1969, Century was making wooden seats for the White House.

Gallery: Century Furniture

In recent years, Century has brought in celebrity designers like Oscar de la Renta and Richard Frenier to design their own lines. The Richard Frenier Collection aims to bring an international flair to outdoor furniture, with products inspired by the teahouses and cherry blossoms of Japan, the grand architecture of Spain, and other evocative foreign locales.

Oscar de La Renta Home for Century focuses on bringing customers a sense of the Caribbean casual living that de la Renta himself enjoys at his island retreat in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Designs are inspired by 18th Century mahogany pieces, Caribbean woven rattan, and others – all helping to ensure that Century will remain a household name as long as its moniker might suggest.

Vote for the Outdoor Furniture Line that you believe is the best of breed. The voting period runs through July 31 and winners will be announced on August 1.

Tags: awards-main, best outdoor furniture line, Century Furniture, luxist-awards, outdoor furniture