En Plein Air

Artists have long appreciated nature's many charms. And even if we don't spend our days painting landscapes worthy of the Louvre, we get immense pleasure from being outdoors. Fortunately, that's possible year-round in Southwest Florida, encouraging the transformation of simple patios and lanais into lavish spaces for cooking, dining, lounging and entertaining.

The furnishings and finishing touches of outdoor rooms now rival those of their indoor versions. To complete the illusion, sliding glass doors and disappearing corners often make the demarcation virtually invisible, completely blurring the line between indoors and out.

Creating your outdoor space is a new art that combines functionality with color, design, light and texture. Like a fine painting, it will provide lasting pleasure for years to come. Here are some suggestions from the pros.

It's Not Van Gogh's Bed.
It's Better

Tipsy, nondescript white plastic chairs have given way to a whole new level of furniture-quality outdoor décor. Bart Kuhn, exterior design consultant at Robb & Stucky Patio in Sarasota, notes, "Our clientele may invest more in Robb and Stucky's interior store next door, but this is why they live here-casual outdoor living."

Kuhn recently sold a $16,000 king-size bed specially designed for outdoors. It's fully upholstered and features a Sunbrella canopy. Though the bed is pricier than his store's usual line of outdoor furnishings, the Sunbrella fabric is a luxury open to all. The solution-dyed acrylic vastly expands your options, he says. "It's revolutionizing outdoor furnishings."

"Fabrics used to be limited to solid sailcloth," Kuhn says, "but today we have incredible prints and textures, like cut chenille, that reflect home interiors, with cushions for deep seating in lounge chairs and fully cushioned pieces."

Colors are more sophisticated, too. Ken Garofalo of Patio America is seeing a lot of earth tones and plush seating. "There's not much white in anything anymore," he says. "We're moving the indoor lounging area outdoors with double chaises and deep seating, such as loveseats and sofas. You can even find modular sectional sofas that look like their indoor cousins."

Homeowners are entertaining on a grander scale outdoors; and as a result, Garofalo's clients are purchasing larger tables, including massive stone-top tables as big as 42 by 84 inches, with six or eight chairs.

For the more casual cottage look, new synthetic versions of wicker are increasingly popular. They have a natural appearance and texture but can handle exposure to the elements without cracking.

Even televisions are showing up outdoors-and we're not talking about the small portable you plug in. Impressive flat-screen models are installed on walls, often over a fireplace. Of course, the electronics need a roof or other cover. Manufacturers are responding to the trend in outdoor entertainment with new solutions. A company called Calspa even makes a TV that rises from within a weatherproof cabinet.

For a finishing touch, outdoor acrylic carpets define and soften furniture groupings. Accessories such as lamps, mirrors and paintings are now especially crafted for the exterior. Window treatments include automated screens that slide down the sides of the patio or lanai. Though not walls per se, they provide privacy and sun control.

Fireplaces and fire pits add ambiance at night and warm the atmosphere on chilly evenings. We like the new idea of a fire pit that forms the center of a large coffee table. That's something that can't happen inside the home.

Dining Alfresco

The simple outdoor grill has morphed into a complete kitchen. Andrew Gwilliam of Sarasota Fireplace & Barbecue Centers has his own theory that "people spend more on outdoor kitchens than indoors when they want to entertain more. When people see us installing these [outdoor kitchens], it's amazing how many we end up doing in a neighborhood!"

Range tops and ovens, rotisseries, warming drawers, even pizza ovens enable you to prepare full meals outside. For this reason, Billy Friedli of Outdoor Kitchens is a big fan of side burners. "They enable you to complete the meal with side dishes or cook aromatic items like shrimp outside the house," he says. The emphasis on larger grills lets you feed a crowd. Plus, the newest grills have more BTUs, so they cook more quickly. Infrared cooking with a sear plate cooks at 1,200 to 1,400 degrees to grill a steak to perfection in just two minutes.

Instead of an individual grill, adding preparation areas such as a counter, cutting surface and sink lets you work more efficiently. Gwilliam suggests that counters be created with bar tops and table ends to encourage guests to sit and chat. "People are realizing the poor guy out there grilling may want some company while having a few cold beers," he says.

Don't forget a hood for the grill. Yes, you're outdoors, but smoke can spoil the ambiance or discolor your home. A refrigerator, icemaker or wine chiller-even a beer cooler with its own integrated tap-lets you enjoy a cold drink at the pool without hassle. Commercial-grade refrigerators are especially good at withstanding Florida heat. While you're at it, add a dishwasher and cabinets. That way you can clean and store dishes, glassware and serving pieces right where they're needed.

Water Colors and Design

Your home pool could transport you to an exotic resort-think island grotto. At Freestyle Pools, John Ritzenthaler uses a lot of synthetic Reco Rock to create "stone" walls and shelves, often adding a waterfall that tumbles over and through them. A dark-bottom pool enhances the lagoon imagery. Ritzenthaler even uses the same pebble finish of the rock to create a gas fireplace that blends into the tropical ambiance.

For dramatic impact, there's nothing quite like a vanishing-edge pool. But choose it, says Ritzenthaler, "mainly when there's a view: water or a hillside drop, something to give it drama." He did one where the homeowners "walk out the door and step into the pool, which looks like it's flowing into the canal."

Ritzenthaler also creates pools with viewing windows. "They look as though the pool is raised, and you can see through it like an aquarium from the patio or bar area," he says.

Surrounding the pool, an artistic alternative to traditional brick pavers is a new paver product made of seashells poured into molds and smoothly polished. Durable and low-maintenance, these pavers don't need sealing.

Painting with Light

Lighting extends the usefulness of outdoor rooms at night, and it also adds drama by illuminating trees, flowers, sculptures or architectural details of your home. A relatively new technique called moonlighting focuses a subtle glow on the tops of trees.

Best of all, this glamour comes at relatively low cost, says Randy White of NiteLites, "With low-voltage lighting you can get a lot of illumination out of very little electricity, so you don't really notice it on your electric bill," he says.

Accent pieces come in the form of specialty planters, such as flowerpots that glow. Mood light candles change colors on the dining table or bar. You can even serve guests from a wine bucket that glows in different colors.

Innovative spheres called Moonlights are designed to sit within a landscape, hang from trees or float in a pool or pond. Moritz Inderbinen, who offers them at Light Up Your Life, is enthusiastic about their otherworldly effect. "They look great in high grass or bushes, and color filters let you change colors for the holidays," he says.

Don't forget your pool or spa. Dramatize it with fiber-optic cable and color wheels that change hues as you watch. If you live on the water, even just a small pond, consider lighting to highlight the motion of the waves or wind. Underwater lighting, especially near a dock, throws a beam into the water, attracting fish for an aquarium effect.

When lighting the outdoor room, remember to choose your fixtures well. They will have to withstand the elements, so be sure to pick aluminum, copper or brass to avoid rust and dissipate heat.