Inside Out: Sky's the Limit: Outdoor Entertaining Reaches New Heights of Luxury and Comfort

May 12--The latest trend in home furnishings: Thinking outside the house.

"The perfect weather in our area makes people want to spend as much time outdoors as they possibly can," says Dan McKeown, manager of Barbeques Galore in Folsom. "People are really focused on creating a retreat, a place where they can relax, visit, cook and entertain their family and friends."

With new technology, it is now possible to have all the comforts of your family room, including a sofa and a television, in the backyard, says Leslie Wheeler, spokeswoman for the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association.

Today's textiles can withstand weather and sunlight better than ever, but they still have the comfort qualities of indoor fabrics. Composite materials used for grills, tables and other furnishings help them last many years instead of a few seasons, and they are relatively maintenance free. Some entertainment systems such as televisions and iPod docks are now marine-grade so they hold up through wet weather.

With these new materials at hand, designers have responded with attractive and functional furnishings that give consumers more outdoor decorating options than ever before.

The result is that the backyard of today barely resembles that of just a few years ago. Gone are the picnic tables with attached benches, aluminum frame lounge chairs with nylon webbing, and old charcoal grills. Replacing them are outdoor rooms with coffee tables, lounge chairs, ottomans, lamps, rugs and sofas.

"With the ease and convenience of a backyard entertainment area, more and more people today are turning their yards and decks into inviting outdoor living spaces," says Wheeler.

"With the leisure lifestyle industry on the up-and-up -- now a $6.2 billion industry -- consumers are forgoing traditional plastic picnic tables and folding chairs and choosing functional furniture, dining tables, and chairs to adorn their backyards," Wheeler says. "Along with bigger grills and full-fledged kitchens, consumers are enjoying the ability to bring the comfort of indoor living outside. And manufacturers are meeting consumers' growing interest with extensive product lines from barbecues and fireplaces in all sizes and styles, from simple to high-tech and plush patio furnishings."

Buzz Homsy, owner of California Backyard, says designs of outdoor furnishings are modeled after trends in indoor furnishings.

"Everything you see indoors is now possible outdoors including coffee tables, lamps, end tables, recliners and even televisions and stereo sound systems," he says.

At a recent HPBA trade show, manufacturers were showing off the latest products. Many of those items were the stuff of which dreams are made.

Outdoor kitchens

What's available in an outdoor kitchen? Maybe a better question is what's not available.

If you can dream it, you can have it, says Wheeler.

"Not just grills, but also wood-fired pizza ovens, refrigerators, dishwashers, built-in sinks, bottle rails, cocktail bars and food preparation areas," she says.

Cal Spas was showing a sports fan's dream: an outdoor kitchen with three pop-up TVs with marine-grade stereo system; DVD and CD players; a cocktail mixing center with stainless-steel sink; a refrigerator with beer tap; bar seating for eight; and a five-burner stainless-steel grill -- all under a cabana roof. Additional pieces include a fire pit, fireplace, iPod dock and outdoor recliners. The cost? About $50,000.

"Many of the trends in outdoor kitchens are influenced by what's in style for indoor kitchens," says Homsy. "Viking and Thermador stainless steel ranges became the thing to have indoors. Then stainless steel was approved for outdoor use, and it became popular in outdoor kitchens. Granite was the rage for indoor kitchens; now it's the thing to do in outdoor kitchens."

Living areas

Most people begin with an outdoor dining table, then go on to create a comfortable conversation area with cushy chairs, chat tables (tables low enough to be comfortable next to lounges) and reading lamps.

"People want to create the same comfort and atmosphere that they have indoors," says Homsy. "Consumers are very big on the concept of the outdoor room. The patio is no longer an 18-by-36-foot space. It begins at the back door and includes the whole yard with a pavilion or a pergola. They add a fireplace or a fire pit to create a conversation area, a lounge, an outdoor television. And because we now have such wonderful all-weather materials, anything is possible."

One of the hottest trends is outdoor beds, including daybeds and hammocks.

So what do people with small backyards do?

"You just downsize it all," says Homsy. "Instead of a 12-foot kitchen you do a 60-inch island. Instead of a massive fireplace, you do a fire bowl."

Fire pits

Fire pits and outdoor fireplaces are the second-hottest trend after outdoor kitchens, but there's a catch.

"It is confusing to consumers," says Homsy. "In Southern California, they are not allowed to burn wood, and that will probably happen in Sacramento, too. But people like to burn wood. They associate it with being inside the house, and they also like the look of a chimney on a wood-burning fireplace. So the option is to go with ventless gas logs or propane fireplaces. They are heat generators, but they don't need a flue and they don't generate the smoke like a wood-burning fireplace."

For now, an inexpensive way to go is a fire bowl or a fire pit. Fire pits can be fueled by natural gas, propane or wood. Most are portable, like a barbecue.

One of the most popular designs is a table with a fire bowl in the center similar to a wok. It's compact, easy to clean and gives that comforting glow you'd get from a fireplace without the heat.

A chiminea is another option. Most are portable and resemble a potbelly stove. Use caution, however. Chimi-neas are not recommended for use on a wood deck.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

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