Summer is coming and it's time to get creative with your outside space. Viva speaks to Danish furniture supremo Anders Noorgard about the hottest trends in outdoor luxury.
If you ever meet Anders Noorgard, the charming CEO of Gloster Outdoor Furniture, this is the best way to wind him up: ask if he can make you a garden bench.
"I still meet people who think that outdoor furniture begins and ends with a wooden bench," he says. "Thankfully, things have moved on a bit from there." Noorgard is fresh off the plane from trade shows in Europe, via a brief stopover in Singapore, where he lives half the year, but jet lag is clearly something he conquered a long time ago. Born to a Danish father and Ghanaian mother, furniture is in his DNA; both his father and grandfather were furniture makers in Denmark.
"During [my] teens I tried to rebel and do something else, but I couldn't resist the pull of furniture design," he says. Noorgard is in Auckland for the unveiling of the latest range of Gloster luxury outdoor furniture at Coastal Design, in Parnell. If you've ever been at a rooftop garden in a luxury hotel and marvelled at the outdoor furnishings, there's a good chance you were staring at a Gloster piece.
The British-owned, Scandinavian-designed furniture company boasts an impressive list of clients: top boutique hotels in New York, the most exclusive spas in Istanbul, and even the odd English palace (Hampton Court, in case you're wondering).
"What I love about outdoor furniture is that it reflects our changing lifestyles," he says. "Modern life can be hectic, and people are placing increasing value on the time they spend outdoors in the sunshine, relaxing."
Another sea change is that modern family life is an open plan life.
"Fifty years ago a mother might have been stuck in the kitchen, the kids would be in the garden and the father might be in his study. Today, families want the sort of home where they can all interact, and not feel shut off from one another."
While Noorgard started out making furniture with his own hands, a course in wood engineering soon led to him taking on a more senior role at Gloster, working with an elite team of furniture designers. His eye for design is apparent in every area of his life: he names his iPhone as an example of great design ("a perfect marriage of style and functionality") and couldn't resist the charms of a vintage Triumph sports car.
"It's actually a hopelessly unreliable car, but it's got such style," he says, laughing.
And what is happening in the international design scene, when it comes to furniture?
"Comfort is a huge factor. These days, people want to be able to lounge and relax outside with the same degree of luxury as you'd have indoors. There are some fantastic innovations, such as stunning 100 per cent weatherproof fabrics."
Even more futuristic is a trend taking the US by storm: outdoor televisions, outdoor paintings and outdoor rugs.
"Essentially, it's about creating an outdoor lounge. If you live in California, why would you want to sit indoors? Many homes now have outside kitchen areas - complete with fridges, marble counters and ovens - so that dinner can be prepared and eaten al fresco."
To Noorgard's mind, Europeans tend to lead on style, but when it comes to comfort and new lifestyle innovations, Americans do everything first.
Another design trend he has noticed at the European shows is a modern update on 1950s-style furniture. "Sleek wooden lines, rounded upholstery - outdoor furniture is definitely heading in a retro direction," he says.
Sustainability is a key theme. "Ten years ago, it was considered eco-minded to reject hard wood furniture. Today, people realise ethically-sourced wood is intrinsically sustainable, and creates much less of a footprint than plastic or metal furniture. And they are increasingly looking for 'investment pieces', the sort of furniture that can be passed on to the next generation, rather than [being] replaced every few years."
Gloster have been making furniture for 50 years, and yes, they did start off with the humble garden bench.
"What makes Gloster unique is that we don't restrict ourselves to a particular style or material," says Noorgard. "We aim to design and produce the best outdoor furniture in the top-end market, which means we can respond with flexibility to trends and innovations."
Here in New Zealand, we're blessed with a summer climate perfect for outdoor dining, barbecues are a national institution, and the scenery isn't bad either. We treat outside space as an extension of our house, and this is why Noorgard is excited about the the market.
"People in New Zealand aren't afraid to dream big when it comes to creating stunning outdoor spaces," he says. "There are no limits to the imagination here."
Fifties-style furniture in our outdoor lounges? The future's looking pretty good from here ...
* Gloster Furniture is available at Coastal Design, 24 Garfield St, Parnell. For more information visit coastaldesign.co.nz. See also gloster.com
