Furnishing your porch or patio

Once we've passed the last frost date, the indoors can barely contain us. Propelled by winter-weariness, we spill outdoors, abandoning living room and den for porch and patio.

But this time out, we don't have to leave all the comforts of home behind. The indoors is spilling out with us, making the porch and patio priorities.

Part of the emphasis is fueled by enhancements in casual furniture construction. New, improved materials and finishes allow for attractive furniture that can take abuse from the elements. But the indoor-out aesthetic goes beyond construction. There's a new sense of style, an attention to detail in design, that creates a kind of casual elegance bridging indoors and out.

"Designers are really playing up the outside as another room of the house," said John Miles, executive vice president of Homecrest, a Minnesota-based casual furniture company. "You can coordinate colors and textures. You couldn't do that a few years ago. A few years ago, your colors were lime green, white or lemon yellow."

By playing up porch and patio, you can live outside the boundaries of your home. "The outdoors is an extension of the home," said Brian O'Brien, executive vice president of Hoigaard's, a furnishings store in St. Louis Park. "And casual furniture has design sense. It isn't just an afterthought."

Buying casual furniture shouldn't be an afterthought, either, cautions Tammy Galvin, editor of Casual Living, a trade magazine published in Minneapolis. She advises against picking up a patio set on your way home from the hardware store. "I would recommend you consider it a furniture purchase," she said.

The price tags may help you with that. While it's possible to purchase less expensive porch and patio pieces, the furniture with the best look and longest last can be costly. Rest assured, however, that there will always be a wide range in price for casual furniture. For example, a five-piece outdoor dining set (typically a table and four chairs) can sell for as little as $159 or as much as $3,000.

Here are some of the latest looks and the easiest ways to bring the inside to the great outdoors:

Inside out

Bringing the indoors out is the most visible trend in porch and patio. And dining sets do it with taste. The new sets feature outdoor-proof materials in indoor styles. Instead of small, plain ice-cream-parlor round tables, the sets offer glass-topped ovals and rectangles in sizes large enough to accommodate a full meal for family and friends.

Chairs, too, show traditional values in styles ranging from Victorian opulence to Mission simplicity and from ornamented art nouveau to streamlined contemporary. That sense of indoor-out style carries over into sofas, lounges, gliders and swings, all of which come dressed in their Sunday best.

Heavy metal

Aluminum is still popular in casual furniture, but it's improved in look and last since the days of fold-up web chairs. Tubular (hollow) frames are available in heavier grades and manufacturers are producing more pieces in wrought or cast aluminum. Because casting allows for intricate design, sturdy construction and a rust-free frame, manufacturers are becoming increasingly cast conscious.

"Cast aluminum has a real different look to it, a real old-world look to it," O'Brien said. Seasonal Concept's Marvin Stillman said cast aluminum is gaining ground because "the price is coming down and it lasts almost forever." While popular, cast aluminum isn't the only game in town. The new protective polyester paint finishes -which are being used on almost all metal frames -give wrought iron and steel more rust-resistance and eye-appeal.

Finishing first

Although aluminum is everywhere, you'll be hard-pressed to find a hint of its silver glint. That's because finishes are first this year. Instead of high-gloss silver, furniture frames are taking on sophisticated finishes borrowed from metal accents prominent indoors.

Whether antiqued, textured, mat or multicolored, these new finishes -made from polyester powder paint -cover most metal frames. In pewter, ruby red, white or a host of patinated greens, the finishes gussy up plain frames and offer additional protection from the elements.

Fashion-forward fabric

Not to be outdone by frames, fabric is taking a big step fashion-forward. Greens -from hunter to verdigris -abound in solids, but patterns are where the play is. Traditional simple stripes and florals are giving way to more upholstered looking patterns, including subtle pinstripes, neoclassic leaf motifs, geometrics and whimsical hand-painted patterns.

As in indoor upholstery, attention is being paid not only to pattern but to texture, with interesting weaves that take on a linen look. While today's polyester and acrylic fabrics are treated with ultraviolet inhibitors, Miles warns that, given time, "sun-fading can happen on any fabric." So, give your favorite pieces some time out of the sun.

Get the move on

While casual furniture long has favored comfort, it's now bending over backwards to get it. Motion is the watchword in casual furniture and, to prove it, some pieces today have more movable parts than a cuckoo clock. Chairs swing, swivel and tilt, recline and rock. And old-fashioned movable standbys -including rockers, gliders and swing chairs -are moving back into the mainstream.

"People really do like motion," said Miles. Even the hammock, the low-point of laze, is being allowed into the leisure circle when dressed in fabrics and patterns to match patio and porch sets.

But around and down aren't the only directions casual furniture is taking: It's also heading up. Bar-height dining and cocktail sets look dramatic and allow better views over the deck railing.

In the sling

Sling furniture, in which fabric is stretched or "slung" on a frame, has always been popular in short-summered Minnesota because it offers some of the attributes of plastic furniture: It's lightweight, low maintenance and -sometimes -stackable for easy storage. But with their increasing quality, comfort and style, slings have become a regular rage for porch and patio.

"A sling is cooler, it's a little easier to care for than cushions, it's sleeker and it goes with the lines of the furniture," explained Galvin.

High-quality frames, made from aluminum or steel, boast interesting details and good design. And high-fashion fabrics sport a dizzying array of colors and patterns. In addition to looking good, slings weather well, partly because their woven acrylic fabrics are strong, durable and breathable, which prevents mildew . . . and wet-fanny syndrome.

Cushion comfort

If you prefer cushions, you can take comfort from the fact that cushion crafting also has improved. With quality acrylics and polyester fabrics that dry quicker and clean-up better than ever before, you'll be able to leave your cushions out in the wind and rain with a clear conscience.

"The materials breathe, they can get wet, they won't rot or smell," said Miles. However, you may see a bit of sun-fade over time and you really should clean cushions at least once a season to prevent mildew.

Wicker works

Whether indoors or out, wicker-weave is making a comeback in furniture and finishings. But the latest wickers go beyond the traditional look and feel, spanning a range of styles and weaves and boasting a host of colors. Best of all, the new wickers are being woven from weatherproof vinyl.

Vinylized wicker-look furniture is patio-worthy in wear and porch-worthy in appearance. Available in colors from forest green to cranberry to traditional porch white and in pieces from dining sets, rockers, glides and accessories -the new wickers weave nothing to be desired.

Knock on wood

With its natural appeal, wood always has had a place in the porch or on the patio. And, despite its higher maintenance, wood is still a look that's good, especially in teak (on the high end) and cedar (on the lower end.)

"You do have to be more careful [with wood]," admits Peter Knudsen, senior buyer for patio and lawn care at Target stores, "It will wear and it will weather." However, the weathered look, especially in teak, is one many people go for.

Even if wood isn't a mainstay in your summer ensemble, you may want to introduce a few accessory pieces -such as an arbor, planter boxes or end tables -to give your summer space a natural feel.

Resin in the sun

Despite its low-brow reputation, plastic furniture has formed a loyal following mainly because of its low-cost and low-maintenance. But with more sophisticated designs, resin furniture (as it's referred to in the industry) is no longer forced to favor function over form.

"Even in resin, outdoor furniture is becoming more upscale," said O'Brien. "And people are still looking for it because it's so maintenance-free." When they look this year, however, people may be surprised to see resin chaise lounges, benches and settees with movable parts, comfortable forms and appealing details. What isn't as visible is the improved quality of resin products that display an "ASTM" sticker. The sticker certifies that the piece has passed American Society for Testing and Materials standards.

Candle in the wind

Candles -especially mosquito-repelling citronella candles -are still hot. But this season, manufacturers are turning onto outdoor lamps. Full-fledged, light-bulb equipped lamps look like real thing, down to the shades (many of which are removable and washable).

The most popular styles in waterproof fixtures resemble old-style street lamps or indoor-look floor or table lamps. Some lamp-look fixtures can be fitted onto umbrella poles, others onto grills. Of course, a string of patio lights will always be in for outdoors. New colored-plastic globe lights that affix to umbrella or deck railings give your summer evenings an always-festive feel.

Upgrading umbrellas

Because so many of us are recovering sun worshippers, umbrellas and other sun shades are becoming part and parcel of the patio.

"Sun blockage is more and more wanted in the canopy of umbrellas," said Miles, who explained that the new umbrellas and sunshades often feature tighter, more sun-resistant weaves in a full-range of fabrics to match or cleverly coordinate with most patio sets.

In addition to playful patterns, squared market umbrellas, rather than the rounds, continue to gain ground. Patio umbrellas range in price from about $70 to more than $1,000, depending on style, size and materials. Seasonal Concept's Stillman suggests you might want to consider an aluminum pole rather than one made of wood.

Accessorize in and outside

For years, we've been admonished to accessorize everything from our outfits to our outdoor decor. It's gotten a bit easier since the introduction of accessories that are attractive and sensible.

One example is a mosquito net that fits over a patio umbrella. Not only does it provide a chemical-free way to deal with our most pernicious pests, it also adds an exotic, Out-of-Africa appeal to the patio. Other add-ons include an umbrella pole planter (a pair of semi-circular terra cotta planters that fit around the pole), oversized topiary frames and tin buckets that serve as everything from candle holders to rustic vases to Johnny-on-the-spot ice buckets.