Getting Ready Again for the Outdoor Life With AJAR

Vondom Plant Pots and Planters

Perhaps you are considering embellishing your terrace or balcony with new plants, and you are looking for planters and plant pots with a higher aesthetic value than those which can commonly be found in gardening stores or home improvement retailers. Known worldwide for having one of the best outdoor furniture collections, Valencian brand Vondom has some interesting pieces to offer you. Designed by Marcel Wanders, the Suave planter is a classy contemporary take on the traditional chess-piece shape. Additionally, its availability in three different sizes (from 65cm to 1.5 m high) makes it all the more versatile. Maybe you are looking for something a bit more playful? If this is the case, then Finnish designer Aero Aarnio’s Peacock planter would probably fit the bill. As hinted by the name, Aarnio’s minimalistic piece is inspired by the colorful bird, with the charming detail that its tail will be conformed by the plants you chose to place in it. If you want something with a bit more edge, personality, and colour, Teresa Sapey’s endearing Adan nano glossy pot is a solid choice. Available in clear amber, crystal, smoke, sapphire colours, this polycarbonate diamond-like faceted face-shaped planter will surely stand out from all the rest.

Intensive Outdoors Living With RS Barcelona outdoor furniture

Besides improving your garden or terrace with new planters or outdoor furniture for lounging with pieces such as those mentioned above, there are also a bunch of playful designs that will stir some excitement into your domestic outdoors experience. Based in Catalonia, RS Barcelona’s catalogue has several designer outdoor furniture pieces which are tasteful reinventions of the traditional ping pong and foosball tables. One-piece we are particularly fond of (which was featured in a previous blog post is the You and Me outdoor ping pong table. Designed by Antoni Palleja Office, what makes this table so striking is the versatility of its design. How often have you come across a functional ping pong table that can seamlessly double as a classy minimalistic table for an outdoor dinner party? Not so often, we would think! Made from durable steel and wood, the You and Me table is made to withstand both inclement weather and intense ping pong matches in equal measures. It even comes with a discreet in-built compartment where you can store the net, balls, and paddles for when it’s time to bring out the tablecloth and cutlery. Additionally, the table can be accompanied by the outdoor benches which are part of the same You and Me collection and share the same elegant design and colour palettes. Available in Iroko (and also the option for Oak timber for indoors use), the You and Me benches come in several different sizes and optional cushions which match the dimensions of the ping pong table itself and allow for different setups. The 2.20m long bench, for instance, will run along the whole length of the table, resulting in a seating setup similar to that of traditional picnic tables.

A bit further afield in the spectrum of outdoor furniture with an integrated play element lies Rafael Rodríguez’s RS2 dining foosball table. Available in both indoor as well as outdoor versions, the RS2 consists of a fully functional stainless steel-structured foosball table with a sturdy 1cm thick tempered glass tabletop. The details of the foosball table itself are all fully customizable: from field colour and player lineup, to the colours and logos on the uniforms. With it, you can play, eat, or eat while you play. In short, the RS2 could be the perfect entertainment centerpiece for those upcoming summer barbecue parties.

Outdoor Lounging and Dining

Foosball excitement opportunities notwithstanding, the domestic outdoors are also the perfect space for more relaxing activities, such as reading, lounging, or just soaking up the sun. If this is what you are looking for, Eugeni Quitllet’s stackable Ibiza sun lounger could be an ideal addition to your terrace lounge setup. Already being a masterfully designed outdoor furniture piece in itself, the manufacture of the Ibiza lounger also reflects Quitllet’s  environmental concerns: it is completely made out of recycled plastic collected from the Mediterranean Sea. The Ibiza lounger could be complemented with other lounge-style seating options, such as the Season Outdoor pouf. Designed by Piero Lissone for Viccarbe, the outdoor pouf is a practical, playful, and weather-resistant piece, which comes in different colours and shapes (which can be used for sitting or as footrests). This piece of outdoor furniture can be easily carried around and scattered around your terrace, making it a versatile option for spontaneous gatherings and parties.

What about outdoor tables? The Trino outdoor side table (also from Viccarbe) could be a perfect companion for the Season Outdoor pouf, both in terms of aesthetics as well as in versatility. This charming and lightweight side table designed by Elisa Ossino stands out due to its handle, which has a clear functional role but also endows it with its particular sculptural character. We particularly fancy the version that comes with a graceful green marble handle, fabricated by the renowned Italian design firm Salvatori, which specializes in natural stone. Another option of a lounge-friendly side table is the intricate Plec side table, a stylish piece designed by Antoni Palleja Office.

If you are looking for an iconic centerpiece for your outdoor dining setup, the Burin round outdoor dining table is hard to beat. Conceived by world-renowned designer Patricia Urquiola, the Burin dining table is another work which is both a piece of outdoor furniture and a sculpture in equal measures. Its faceted base is a tribute to traditional wood carving techniques, recalling the shape and dimensions of a tree trunk. This hefty-looking column  contrasts with the thin tabletop, but a careful balance is attained by the way in which the base is gently tapered towards the top—a clear example of Urquiola’s craft and experience. Designed by Victor Carrasco, the>Maarten Outdoor chair makes a perfect match with the Burin table. This soft-silhouetted sled base chair is available in solid plastic or with comfy upholstery made from high quality outdoor fabric.

Finally, any outdoor lounge setup is not complete without proper home lighting, a role that the Cestita Alubat portable lamp can fulfill. The Cestita Alubat (Spanish for “small basket”) is the latest addition to the classic Cesta family from the Santa & Cole catalogue. It was designed by Miguel Milà, a pioneer of Spanish design with a prolific career that spans for over 70 years. The original Cesta dates back to 1962, when Milà found an abandoned opal globe in front of a glass factory in his hometown Barcelona and decided to build a lamp with it. Inspired by the traditional lanterns used in homes and terraces along the Spanish coast, the Cesta has become one of Santa & Cole’s trademark pieces. The Cestita Alubat swaps the wood of the original model for aluminium and also gets rid of the cables, making for a  tasteful portable lamp which can light up your terrace for up to 24hrs at the lowest intensity. Due to its lightness (weighing under 1.5kg) it can even be easily brought along for a nightly stroll on the beach or countryside.

Whether your future plans involve outdoor lounging surrounded by plants, late night dinner gatherings, or heated fussball-enhanced barbecue parties, in AJAR’s carefully curated catalogue you can find designer outdoor furniture suited for whatever might lie ahead in the upcoming spring and summer months.