Labor Day alfresco: Billy Cotton’s year-round solutions for your outdoor space



Image credit: John Lewis

BILLY COTTON: Perhaps because summer lasts just a few short months, our outdoor spaces are usually the most aesthetically overlooked parts of our home. Yes, the season may be sadly short, but if you are lucky enough to have ample outdoor space it is also a time of year ripe for the pleasures of relaxed entertaining and lounging. To match the relaxed mood of summer, outdoor furnishings should be likewise comfortable and easy. To keep things stress free, don’t be afraid to bring your indoor furniture outside (or outdoor furniture inside, for that matter). You can never go wrong with the classic and comfortable adirondack chair.

Image credit: Adirondack Chairs

Folding director’s chairs offer easy storage and extra year-round seating. Because of its construction, the director’s chair allows you to easily mix and match cushions for a contrasting seat and back if the chairs are different colors.

Image credit: Conran Shop

Rattan is under-appreciated to be sure, but can offer warmth and style if kept to a minimalist or geometric shape. A rattan director’s chair offers simpler lines than typical patio furniture while maintaining its ease.

The informality of outdoor spaces also calls out for DIY projects that add to a relaxed atmosphere and help to make hot summer days more comfortable for your guests. I love the idea of repurposing humble contractor’s materials for a table. A block of cement or sawhorses make rugged and easy table bases – perfect for exposure to the elements.

Image credit: Tool Barn

For the tabletop, a piece of of salvage wood or plywood can be painted or cut to size depending on how many guests you tend to have for al fresco dinners (do go crazy with the shape though). But a plain tabletop will do when topped with fun, bright fabrics. Layla, in Brooklyn, is my go-to for eclectic textiles. Give  Alayne a call to get her indian sheets, towels, coverlets, blankets…the everyday Indian stuff is her magic.

Image credit: Layla

You will be amazed when you pull your sheet out and use it as a tablecloth or a roof for your little backyard tent! If you prefer not to DIY, this good-looking, inexpensive table from CB2 is probably the most chic mass furniture item out there – outdoor or indoor:

Image credit: CB2

Found fabric can make a beautiful and highly functional awning, eliminating the need for the standard, heavy and often cheap patio umbrella. We love the idea of a repurposed sail.

Image credit: Patio Umbrellas

As a bonus, the sail offers already grommeted edges to work with. Most importantly, a sail is unique and colorful, which is key to keeping the atmosphere outdoors what it should be – fun!

Billy Cotton is a New York-based industrial designer whose work has been profiled in New York Magazine, Domino, and The New York Times, among others. Cotton has received widespread acclaim for his designs, including a 2004 prize in the tabletop category from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Billy Cotton was born in Boston and raised in Vermont.