The joy of gathering with friends and family on the patio or deck to enjoy appetizers, cocktails, or a meal when the weather is nice has never changed. There is something about enjoying friends and family outdoors that makes the experience even nicer.
If you love modern vintage furniture, why not carry that style into your outdoor furniture as well? It seems these outdoor pieces are harder to come by, mostly because these pieces were subject to the elements for so many years. Unless they were in a covered area, most of them have rust and cushions which are completely worn out. It's rare to find anything which doesn't need a lot of TLC to restore them.
On occasion we come across some great outdoor pieces which are in surprisingly great condition. Currently we have some of these pieces featured on our home page with special pricing.
When we discovered this piece I imagined this wonderful lounge being enjoyed while sipping Iced Tea or a favorite iced cocktail. Add a great novel to read, and this piece is a little slice of heaven!
In an age without air conditioning outdoor entertaining and enjoyment was a way to make the best of hot summers. Enjoying the outdoors poolside or on the patio under the shade of umbrellas made way for fun and colorful designs of all kinds of outdoor furniture and accessories. Modern furniture design was not lost on the outdoors either.
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| Vintage Salterini Chairs with Bullet Planter |
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| Vintage Russell Woodard Scultura Settee |
Designs by Russell Woodard and Salterini were highly desirable through the 1950's and '60's and are still collected today because of their sleek modern lines. They emulated top designs of indoor furniture and accessories of the mid-century modern era.
Perhaps the most fun element of color and design was portrayed in the patio umbrellas of this era. In contrast to the single colored fabric market umbrellas of today, these umbrellas were made of bold and bright designs in durable vinyls and even fiberglass and metals. They were bright pops of color throughout multiple neighborhood swim clubs, country clubs, and motel poolsides.
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| Heavy Duty Modern Design |
Perhaps the most fun aspect of these umbrella emerged in the 1960's with the groovy pop culture of everything bright, powerful, and flower power was everywhere. The bright floral undersides of these big vinyl umbrellas were the rage, and no color combination seemed off limits.
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| I did say ANY Color Combination? |
These crazy florals speak for themselves. Coming across some of these in new mint condition was a fun find. They can be a bright fun piece of nostalgia that will be a show stopper at your next outdoor gathering.
Even planters had a great modern look in this era. The bullet planters made of fiberglass had great lines and complimented the modern furniture of the times. Interestingly enough, they are still made today in an array of bright colors, but there is nothing like having a vintage original!
We had never seen bullet planters like the two above with the Danish Modern design bases in walnut with brass colored aluminum rings. The few we had were immediately scooped up by a collector who had to have them all. I can not say that I blame him, but I actually miss them. This is the trouble of course of being a dealer. You obviously can not keep everything, and you get to see and recycle so many great vintage modern finds. The time always comes to part with them, and it isn't always easy.
So in parting my friends, if you have not already dusted off your patio furniture and set up your outside oasis of cool vintage finds, it's time. Time to also look for something to add to your collection!
Here are a few fun vintage poolside and patio pictures to inspire you!
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| Vintage Patio Books Are Always Great Inspiration! |
The big hit with the kiddos was the vintage Rocket Ride! We acquired this fun vintage gem on a road trip through Indiana on our way to Michigan. There was this cool architectural salvage place on the rougher side of Indianapolis that we decided to check out called Doc's Architectural Salvage. We spotted this wonderful ride in a dark corner of the salvage warehouse and about screamed with excitement that it looked so close to our own rocket logo. We certainly were not in the market for a rocket ride, but when we discovered it was in working condition, we knew we had to buy it. After tracking down Doc himself and negotiating a cash deal, it became one of our first big purchases as a business! It needs some TLC on the paint and fiberglass, but the kids don't seem to mind. Although those of us from the older set remember these gems outside many of the local grocery stores, you don't see them as much any more. 
