Moving Right Along

No longer in: outdoor rooms.

By Carol Tisch

At first blush, the shuttering this month of Sarasota outposts of Miami-headquartered Angsana (Main Street) and Fort Myers-based West Indies Home (US 41) might appear to be fall-out from a lackluster real estate market. But think about it. Both stores specialized in Southeast Asian/ South Seas primitive looks that were wildly popular in the 1990s (and a couple of years into the new millennium). People decorated whole rooms in this style, especially in Florida, and now have pulled back to buying one or two pieces for accents. That can’t support the rent of one-look stores in a city the size of Sarasota.

Remember when Binjara Traders sold furniture exclusively in its long-gone south Trail store, and interspersed home furnishings with fashion on St. Armands Circle? No more. I know because I visited the Circle store recently in quest of a home accessory for our June shopping feature, Into the Wood. There were no home products to speak of. We all know fashion is cyclical, and by extension consumers are, too.

So I was a bit saddened, but not all that surprised at the Wall Street Journal’s article on June 8 (Giving Up on the Outdoors), predicting the demise of outdoor rooms -- or at least the use of outdoor rooms. Apparently, some homeowners still like to admire them from inside the house.

Beautiful outdoor furniture pushes the limits of luxury (for French settee) ; outdoor resort style amenities (outdoor showers).

The article says consumers who fell in love with the concept of lavishly furnished and equipped outdoor living rooms and kitchens did not anticipate the time, work and upkeep costs the lifestyle brings with it. Who knew? The Journal cites everything from pigeon roosts and resulting droppings in outdoor pavilions to dangerous fire ants (attracted to the hum and vibration of outdoor speakers and TV sets) nesting in such equipment. Then there are the cleaning and maintenance issues.

That brings to mind the ultimate expression of machismo at our house: a $4,000 Dacor barbecue. My husband simply had to have it, ordered it before we moved to Florida, and used it twice in almost five years. Although it’s kept covered, much of the stainless steel is embedded with rust stains that are impossible to remove. Before reading the Journal report, we considered building an outdoor kitchen around the barbeque to camouflage the stains.

The Dacor grill works great; the stainless isn’t stain-less

Quotes from consumers who’ve covered up their hot tubs, turned off fountains, and never-used fire pits because they don’t want to clean up afterwards, are a bit off-putting, however. The Journal also quoted furniture industry analyst, Jerry Epperson who at one time was a columnist for a retail home furnishings magazine I edited. Of the once-booming outdoor furniture industry, Epperson says consumers are apathetic. He’s usually right.

Posted: 6/11/2007 10:47:25 AM | 0 comments

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