The Ultimate Outdoor Florida Room

People who live in paradise stay in paradise, especially if their little bit of heaven is in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Here, great golf courses and incomparable beaches are key factors in an ever-increasing passion for home owners to stay home and beautify our outdoor living spaces.

"People with high-powered lives see their homes as havens of rest, relaxation and rejuvenation," says Lucas Congdon, president of high-end pool and patio building company Lucas Lagoons. "Our customers have the means to travel, but say, 'Why bother going on vacation when we have it all right here at home?'"

The biggest trend, he reports: a demand for flowing water in outdoor spaces. Until recently that meant rock garden waterfalls in swimming pools. "But new homes on the water have to be 12 to 15 feet above sea level, and our clients are asking us to convert vast, ugly areas under the indoor living spaces into something spectacular," he says. That goes beyond pool and patio to total exterior design of outdoor rooms that typically incorporate rock walls with water features, fire pit or fireplace and outdoor kitchens.

One of the most innovative and trend-setting sources of outdoor kitchens in the region is Elite Outdoor Kitchen and Design Center in Sarasota" Husband-and-wife team Chuck and Rita Pogany create outdoor kitchen cabinets that look as if they were made for an indoor great room, replete with corbels and traditional styling. The only difference is that instead of wood these beautiful cabinets are made from King StarBoard ST, a premium marine-grade polymer produced by King Plastic Corporation in nearby North Port.

A general contractor in Pittsburgh for most of his career, Chuck Pogany says the quality of King Plastic product and the company's proximity to Sarasota"  inspired the creation of his outdoor kitchen company. "When we moved to Florida, we found that there were great outdoor appliances built to withstand the elements here, but the cabinets were not as durable. You had to choose between beauty and durability; wood cabinets are naturally beautiful and desirable but not very practical," he explains. �

"King StarBoard carries a lifetime guarantee and requires no maintenance," Rita Pogany adds. "Our cabinets are water and weather-proof; they won't mold or mildew, and there is no staining or painting so you don't have to worry about chipping. And clean up is easy: Just spray with 409."

The company also prefers outdoor appliances made from 304-grade stainless steel and recommends Lynx, a premium brand on display at the Elite showroom. "We have seen a trend in consumers turning to outdoor appliances that offer the same style, performance and convenience as professional indoor kitchen equipment," says Rita. The Lynx Professional Grill, outdoor refrigerator, outdoor ice machine and side burners are among the most popular items in Sarasota"  Pogany says. One covetable feature is Prosear, variable searing technology in which infrared searing burners with variable settings allow you to sear meat first, and then throttle back the heat to cook delicately.

Elite also recommends marine-grade high-performance glass cook tops and electric grills by Kenyon, a company specializing in appliances designed for safety and easy cleanup for use on yachts. Most of the kitchens Elite has built and installed also use granite countertops from Valencia Stone.

Once the architecture of the patio and its flooring, plumbing and cabinetry are in place, the fun of decorating begins. "We're seeing a strong preference for creating outdoor rooms as an extension of the interior, and a trend toward furniture with cleaner lines and smaller scale," says Jon Rubenstein, vice president of patio at Robb & Stucky. �"For the past several years, outdoor rooms were more about larger-scaled Tuscan furniture because it complemented the Mediterranean architecture in Southwest Florida. But we are definitely seeing a shift to cleanness, to simpler lines and smaller scale. Our Delta chaise is a perfect example of this look. It's transitional to contemporary, but never ultra-modern."

The blurring of indoor and outdoor decorating has led Robb & Stucky to offer the same extensive Sunbrella performance fabric selections in its patio and interior furnishings stores. The result is an unprecedented amount of coordination of color and pattern between the great room and the lanai.

Robb & Stucky Patio's outdoor offerings go far beyond furniture to include the entire gamut from weather-resistant area rugs to lighting, clocks and even durable but chic tableware and glassware. So serious is the retailer about creating complete outdoor living environments that it offers complimentary site visits to customers' homes, where a staff designer will lay out spaces for dining and lounge areas in addition to suggesting furniture, colors and patterns. Consumers want the lush, relaxing resort-style exteriors that make the back yard as much a destination as an exotic far-off retreat, Rubenstein says, and the high-performance products at Robb & Stucky Patio do indeed rival indoor furnishings for beauty and functionality.

Pam and Marcus Anast of The Collection Home Store help clients transform their back yards into destinations as inviting as any upscale resort. One of the hottest sellers in their chic Rosemary District store is the Lachuza planter, which comes with its own irrigation system and self-waters for up to 12 weeks. These are the same sculptural contemporary planters used indoors and out at the newly remodeled Fontainebleau hotel in Miami.

As an inspiration to customers,  Collection's own "back yard" is decked out as a well-planned outdoor living room, and it's as comprehensive as you'll find at the trendiest resort. The store's designers also make house calls, and say their Kannoa sectional outdoor seating is especially popular.

"Kannoa is great for Sarasota because it's transitional: a mixture of modern Asian design with a traditional touch," Pam Anast says. The collection is made with weather-resistant outdoor wicker and includes dining sets, deep seating groups, chat sets and individual chairs, tables and chaise lounges.

The trend to resort-inspired outdoor rooms is responsible for another best-seller at SarasotaCollection, the renowned TUUCI patio umbrella collection. "This company was founded by Dougan Clarke, a former boat builder, and it uses marine-grade materials to create innovative designs like their M1-Stingray. �Everything this company does is innovative; they're almost pure pieces of art," Marcus Anast says.

Equally innovative is the award-winning JANUS et Cie outdoor furniture collection now offered at Home Resource, a contemporary design showroom nearby in Sarasota's Rosemary District. Design magazines and bloggers are abuzz about award-winning products from this Los Angeles-based company, including the new Slim Line collection of modular lounge and dining furniture designed exclusively for its Dedon by Jean-Marie Massaud. Among the most photographed in this collection is the special edition Dedon Dress Code (also known as DDC) in styles like Cambon, a bold black and white hound's-tooth inspired by the Givenchy and Chanel clothes worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

The Forest armchair, designed by JANUS et Cie in the modernist style of Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi, has won multiple accolades, including the 2009 Good Design Award by Chicago Athenaeum, Museum of Architecture and Design. From ultra modern to retro to transitional, the options for outdoor living rooms in Sarasota promise form, function and fun 365 days a year - a wise investment that will bring pleasure long after vacation memories fade.

"Getting the JANUS et Cie collection is a coup for us and Sarasota says Home Resource owner Michael Bush. "Until now, you'd have to go to design buildings in Miami, New York or Chicago to see this line."