Upcoming Patio Trends

You may not have guessed it, but outdoor furniture can be just as trendy as the fashion industry. Okay, maybe not that extreme, but... the trends do fluctuate quite regularly. We've put together this guide to help you get your outdoor space "on fleek", as the youngsters are calling it these days. Not sure what that means, ask your teenager - assuming you can pry them away from their phone for a minute or two. 

Frames and Finishes:

The finish of a patio furniture set is what everything else builds off of. The finish of your furniture is the building block that will help determine the look and feel of your patio furniture.

This year, we’re seeing a huge spike in cast aluminum frames. Not to toot our own horns, but we’ve been carrying almost exclusively cast aluminum frames for as long as we can remember. Canadian weather is harsh and a lot of times, people don’t have a place to store their outdoor furniture in the colder months. Cast aluminum won’t warp in the cold and the welds won’t loosen. The finish stays put and when your covers come off in the spring, your furniture will look just as good as it did in the fall when you covered it.

Zena's Backyard with Mallin Eclipse Set

We’re also seeing a lot of interest around softer, more muted designs. Think beiges and neutrals with soft lines and linen-type fabrics. This is a bit of uncharted territory for us, but we’ve risen to the occasion with the Pelham set from Plank and Hide. It’s unlike anything we’ve ever carried, but boy are we in love.

Pelham Set with Square St Tropez Fire Table

Colours:

We’ve got a serious case of the blues in our showroom. Not the sad kind, the “we have an insane amount of blue” kind. This year we’re seeing a turn away from the teals and turquoises of the previous seasons, and a head towards deep saturated blues. Think blue like the ocean, or an inky night sky.

We’ve got just about every shade of blue imaginable right now, so mix and match your pillows, umbrella, outdoor rug and even the glass in your fire table to create a fun and eclectic design. One of our favourites is the Neptune fabric from Sunbrella, you can find it on the big cantilever umbrellas in the store.

Mallin Dakoda Sectional with Neptune AKZ Cantilever Umbrella

Outdoor Space:

This year, it’s all about creating an outdoor living space. Somewhere you can go, that’s outside, but just as comfortable and inviting as your furniture inside. The easiest way to do this is with accent pieces. After all, you don’t just put a coffee table in front of your sofa inside and call it a day. You add accent pieces that tie the space together. Think outdoor rugs, luxurious throw pillows, funky accent lighting or a fire feature.

Ross's Backyard with Mallin Dakoda

You can create an extension of your living space indoors, following the same kind of design elements and styles. Or, you can totally switch it up, and go crazy outside. The fact that your backyard is already pretty colourful, lends itself to being able to handle some seriously bold colour choices.

Debra's Backyard with Mallin Barletta

The world is your oyster! Just make it inviting, comfortable and fun and the people will come.

Fire Features:

Fire features have been a staple at Barbecues Galore for a couple of years now, and everywhere else as well. And for good reason. A fire feature adds some warmth to your outdoor space while also adding an interesting design element. If there’s one thing we love, its functional pieces that can do more than one thing in your yard.

 Brown Jordan Equinox Fire Feature

We’ve got all kinds of fire features, from big tables down to little round standalone burners. This year, we’re seeing a huge spike in interest around more natural looking pieces. Think concrete bowls, marble designs and wood constructions. Just a reminder that these kinds of pieces do require a bit more maintenance than a cast aluminum table, but it’s well worth it for that amazing piece of functional art sitting in your backyard.

Fabrics:

Fabrics, fabrics, fabrics. We could talk about fabrics all day. We spend months pouring over our favourites each year, getting ready to order for the next season. We agonize over colour choices and textures to make sure we’ve got the best selection available.

This year, we’re all about the greys. We’ve got a whole spectrum of grey fabrics to suit every backyard we could possibly think of.

 1867 Milo Sofa and Two Chair Set

But, we bet we can guess what you’re thinking! “But I don’t like grey…” Well, that’s just fine too. Grey isn’t for everyone, so we’ve brought in a plethora of other colours and designs for you to choose from too.

 Mallin Eclipse Kamal Chestnut and Eclipse Stone with Fire Table

We’ve got probably one of the biggest selections of patio furniture in stock. Right now. Like, it’s all already in our warehouse just waiting, biding its time for the warmer weather.

One Last Thing…

We couldn’t even dream of writing a blog about patio furniture without talking about covers. If you’re going to create a beautiful, inviting backyard oasis, the last thing you want is to be brushing leaves and dust off the cushions before you sit down. Or worse – accidentally leaving your cushions outside in one of Calgary’s freak July snowstorms and then not be able to sit in them two hours later when it’s back to being beautiful and sunny outside.

Patio Furniture with Covers

We carry a huge range of patio furniture covers, and while we won’t force you to take some with you, we’ll also try very hard not to judge you when you come back looking for them in a month or two.

So, there you have it. Now all that's left for you to do is stop by one of our stores, check out our amazing selection, and pick out your favourite pieces so you can start creating your own backyard oasis.

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