Whether you live in a place with year-round warmth or are limited to a few short months, maximizing your time outdoors is key to truly getting the most out of your home. For Northern Virginia–based designer Lauren Wodicka, of LBW Studio, that comes in the form of her spacious, screened-in porch, which has been the family’s favorite gathering place for the past 15 years. To create outdoor spaces with longevity, Wodicka prefers a restrained outdoor furniture design that puts the landscape on full display.
Salt Lake City designer Hillary W Taylor, of her eponymous firm, shares that mindset. “I love a pulled-together, classic design that doesn’t compete with the views. That’s really important to consider, along with the seating height and style and, of course, the garden.”
Thankfully, this season’s leading outdoor furniture “trends” are actually built to stand the test of time, so you can create a magical English garden aesthetic that feels as if it had always been there. We tapped these two leading designers to share their favorite pieces for this season, and many seasons to come.
1. Sectional Seating
An avid gardener, Taylor loves sectional seating or curved benches that can be fully incorporated into a garden, taking into account the trees or the space under a pergola. She loves how flexibly these pieces fit into your landscape, instead of having to design everything around them. “I like spaces to be used, so if that requires ‘rooms’ created with pergolas or fire pits, so be it. But the garden should really be lived in,” she notes.
“I think a cutting garden can feel like a room, especially when the beds are raised and laid out to really emphasize the beauty found in practicality.”
With this in mind, she is also a huge fan of the Bastille side table from McKinnon and Harris—”a perfect drinks piece for anyone and anywhere, designed to pull up to almost anything.”
2. Trellis Backs
For a full secret garden escape, Taylor can’t get enough of trellis backs—”something that nods toward tuteurs for growing vines and climbing things, especially.” For a more subtle take, she is loving the new Abbot dining chairs from McKinnon and Harris. The line features a Greek key back and an alluring Klismos shape. “It’s so chic, but could fit anywhere. It truly could make a dark corner magical,” she adds.
3. Wicker Furniture
When it comes to outdoor furniture, wicker is never not on-trend. “Over time, the design has changed, but the outdoor wicker furniture has stayed. It’s built to last and stands the test of time,” offers Wodicka. “I love mixing something more classic, like wicker furniture, with an unexpected coffee table that feels more modern.”
Contemporary brands like Serena & Lily continue to create these timeless pieces, or you can easily reinvent vintage designs. Wodicka recently painted her porch a beautiful shade of green, adding green-and-white striped cushions and painting some of her prized wicker furniture green as well.
4. Unexpected Textile Patterns
Performance fabrics have come a long way in recent years, and Wodicka always brings her outdoor designs to life with vibrant textiles and patterns. This season, she is loving the outdoor fabric collection by Penny Morrison, whose designs borrow inspiration from East African spices and fruits, antique embroidery from the 1700s and folk artistry.
5. Architectural Planters
To really finish your landscape design, Wodicka loves adding structure through boxwoods, Otto Luyken shrubs and ornamental flowers. Architectural planters can also help to create subtle division for outdoor vignettes that designate spaces to gather, sit down with a book, and relax.
“One brand that I think is crushing it right now that I recently discovered is Eastover Collection,” she offers. “I think what they are doing with planters, and the ability to customize the design and color, is absolutely wonderful.” The brand’s designs exude timeless luxury, for a bespoke look suitable everywhere from a Nantucket seaside home to a Charlotte estate to a traditional English garden.
Related: These Are the ‘90s-Inspired Decor Trends Designers Say Are Making a Comeback
