Hotels are supposed to be restful and rejuvenating destinations, about good food, luxurious stay and great ambience peppered with attractive furniture. Furniture enhances the whole atmosphere of a place and the right kind of furniture complements the interiors. This is true, especially in the hospitality industry, where every nook and corner has to spell beauty and warmth. “The aim is to provide our customers with choices in colour, comfortable designs and durability. For this, we keep searching the best in the world for our Indian clientele,” shares Randip Dhinga, owner World Bazaar. Furniture must be a perfect blend of form and function.
Outdoor areas are gaining popularity as people prefer spending more time in the open. Architect Sanjay Puri says, “Outdoor furniture has become as important as interior furniture in hotels today. Urban lifestyles keep one indoors most of the time and when people go on a holiday, they tend to spend a lot of time outdoors especially by pool sides and if the weather is good, in outdoor seating areas of the coffee shop or bar, if they are available. Even business travellers tend to use outdoor areas in good weather, if they are well sheltered.” It is, thus, important that outdoor areas of hotels and restaurants be decorated with comfortable furniture, soft lights and plants that set the ambience to inspire exclusive memories. There are several kinds of commercial outdoor furniture available in the market to choose from, but making the right selection can be difficult. “Outdoor furniture is no longer a wicker of rattan or plastic furniture. It has come way ahead in terms of design innovation, technique and materials, which are far durable, stylish and apt for the hospitality sector,” shares Sameer Hora, MD, Idus.
Over the years, outdoor lifestyle has evolved beyond the cold, hard and uncomfortable wrought-iron furniture laid over typical landscaping. “The boom in the hospitality industry has resulted in a lot of competition which, on the other hand has instigated hotels, clubs, resorts and other hospitality units to go beyond just service and food, and extend a comprehensive experience to guests. These simple basic facts have created a lot of opportunities for us at Loom Crafts, a name synonymous with innovating trend-setting concepts for ultra-chic outdoor lifestyles,” shares Rahul Jindal, MD, Loom Crafts India Pvt. Ltd.
Considering the tropical climate and dynamic weather conditions of India, there is a huge demand for furniture that requires less maintenance while sustaining vagaries of weather. Parasols, chairs, dining sets, bars, swings, lounge sets and sofa sets are some options and they feature cutting-edge design that appeal to both, commercial and residential customers. Modular seating is in vogue while modern wicker outdoor furniture and outdoor living products with tropical patterned cushions help create a classic Caribbean theme. Metal outdoor furniture sets lend a modern look with clean lines and bold designs and more classic design pieces are inspired by the English garden appeal.
“Outdoor furniture is not just restricted to tables and chairs, it also includes planters, rugs and sculptures that add to the aesthetics of any space. Even poolside furniture like the deck-side tables and lounges, formal and informal sit-outs cater to various gatherings of people and their requirements. Not to forget party furniture like outdoor bar counters, bar stools are a huge market by themselves,” asserts architect Bhavya Kenkare, who has ordered Vondom Furniture from Milan for her recent project.
She adds, “With the foreign market opening up, a lot of imported outdoor furniture has stormed the Indian market where currently money is no constraint for the client. These stylish and unique pieces of furniture are available in avant-garde styles for flexible usages.” Crafted from quality materials, brands offer collections that will appeal to the unique style and design of hotel and resort environments.
A hotel’s functionality defines its need. If the decor is modern, then modern wicker outdoor furniture such as sofas, love seats, coffee tables, reclining chairs and side tables are perfect. To set up an outdoor kitchen or poolside dining area, aluminium outdoor furniture sets make the ideal choice. “The most important thing to keep in mind is the weathering of furniture in the outdoor, hence it is advisable to limit the choices to maintenance-free weather proof options which are not necessarily the most aesthetic options but are functional. It is equally important to select furniture as per the natural flow of the decor,” says designer Shabnam Gupta. It is important to consider the hotel’s outdoor furniture goals, the types of entertainment activities, space availability, any landscaping schemes, and how all this will blend with the hotel’s interiors.
Selection of outdoor furniture depends hugely on the design theme of the hotel. Every structure has its own theme and interior concept. Sanjay Puri informs, “We are designing all our hospitality projects with north-oriented outdoor spaces as extensions of the lounge lobby, the bar, coffee shop and in some cases, the rooms too, opening into small balcony spaces. Outdoor areas generally provide spaces to lounge or relax in and in response to this the furniture needs to be extremely comfortable. The look and feel must integrate with the design of the space it is being used for and should seamlessly extend the ambience of the interior design.”
Loom Crafts offers one of the largest varieties of all-weather outdoor furniture ranging from hand-woven wicker, fully-upholstered and luxurious teak. The recently launched four new neo-modern wicker design ranges feature architectural lines and clean finishes. The other ranges include LoomTex (anti-staining and absolute water repellent), Outdoor Teak Furniture collection (classic timeless finishes and original wood finishes), Teak Furniture Range (requires zero maintenance and is resistant to weather conditions and UV rays). Loom Crafts also provides an extensive range of patented commercial umbrella systems and parasols to create the perfect shade and comfort all year around.
Idus offers international brands which are eco-friendly and best suited for outdoors; it includes Sika Horsnaes from Denmark and Kenneth Cobonpue from Philippines. Sika has come to symbolise understated luxury and elegance in rattan and wicker furniture, while Kenneth Cobonpue is highly acclaimed for his organic collections. They use water-based or bio-based products that eliminate the use of volatile organic compounds (VOC) that are found in many traditional glues and
finishes.
The imported range at World Bazaar offers contemporary designs, using indigenous raw materials such as rattan, wicker, iron, seagrass, abaca and handmade paper. It is made of synthetic wicker and using Sunbrella (Paris) fabric for upholstery which is 100 per cent acrylic and has a five-year warranty for colour fade and is UV and water-resistant. Scolaro Parasols from Italy are built with strong marine varnished Iroko wood frame and powder-coated anthracite steel components. The canopy is woven from a highly durable Teflon-coated Dralon acrylic. Through this customisable system one can turn the outdoor spaces into a year round hospitality environment. Dutch brand — 4 Seasons Outdoor — gives the freedom to choose from aluminium, textilene or all-weather wicker furniture in a variety of styles, from the traditional to contemporary. Fermob have chairs and tables featuring distinctive lines and forms which combine the lightness and resistance of aluminium, the comfort of curved seats and the practicality of stackable frames. Alexander Rose UK has been making a wide range of quality Garden Furniture which includes dining sets, lounge sets, sunbeds, swings and exotic daybeds. SaVeri®, the reputed German outdoor furniture brand offers aesthetically designed center tables, fire tables, planters, dining tables and chairs with special newly discovered material MARECO® — which is cement, sand, granite reinforced with natural fibre. The surface polish is the transformation of the old Venetian wall plaster technique. It is the most contemporary look available in the world market today.
“The rate of growth of outdoor furniture demand in the Indian hospitality industry has been phenomenal. As more and more hospitality units are opting for maximum space utilisation, which includes transforming the outdoors areas including patios, roof-tops, backyard spaces into a revenue generating module, this change has been greatly brought-about owing to international trends and concepts. In all global trends have seeped into Indian hospitality cultural thereby opening doors to a vast spectrum of opportunities for the outdoor furniture industry,” concludes Jindal, as Loom Crafts has worked with some of the top hotel brands from across the globe.
Ultimately, the style and class of the furniture and fittings utilised inside any hotel gain merit purely based on the external presentation it showcases. Thoughtfully designed outdoor hospitality products can create lasting impressions — adding chutzpah to success of the hospitality industry.
