How to Create Vignettes in Your Outdoor Living Space
Outdoor living has moved beyond strictly seasonal to a year-round way of life. Designing with intention ensures your space feels both functional and beautiful. We love to achieve this through creating niches: distinct “rooms” for dining, lounging, gathering, and relaxing.
Thoughtful settings transform your outdoor sanctuary into a seamless extension of your home. Whether you have a sprawling backyard or compact terrace, dividing your space into purposeful areas makes every moment you spend outdoors more inviting.
Why Create Distinct Outdoor Spaces?
Think of these distinct spaces as creating outdoor “rooms.” Just as you move through a home’s kitchen, living, and dining areas, outdoor vignettes establish dedicated spaces for different rhythms of life: meals with friends, fireside evenings, poolside lounging.
Once you define how you want to live outdoors, shape each space around that. Furniture, natural light, and flow guide the design, while shared materials and colors maintain harmony.
Dining: A Table Under the Sky
Welcome to the heart of entertaining, a place where meals linger into conversation. Comfort and elegance are essential here.
Our Palm Beach Teak dining collection embodies that balance with rounded backs, vertical rope detailing, and a mix of materials that infuse classic silhouettes with modern elegance. The Palm Beach Teak Rectangle Dining Table is a Parsons-style design in solid teak with angled legs and a travertine top, creating a sophisticated focal point.
For a more contemporary approach, the Santorini collection brings indoor comfort outside with customizable sectionals, seating, tables, and dining designs, all in outdoor fabrics. Clean lines and luxe upholstery make this collection ideal for refined dining that feels effortless.
Pairing collections can also create dynamic interest: mixing Antigua’s contemporary European styling and subtle curves with Santorini’s tailored comfort creates a layered dining environment that feels both modern and inviting.
Dining Zone Design Tips
Position your dining area toward a view
Allow at least three feet of space behind chairs for easy movement
Add ambient lighting with string lights or lanterns for evening meals
Include a side table or console for serving and storage
Fireside: Warmth & Connection
Nothing draws people together like a fire. A fireside space should feel cozy, intimate, and a little tucked in.
The Tulum collection is perfectly suited for this moment. Organic with a rustic bohemian touch, these low-slung teak chairs with plush cushions bring relaxed comfort fireside. Made from Grade A teak with bold angles and clean lines, Tulum creates a striking silhouette against the glow.
At the heart of the space, the Mason collection sets the tone. Featuring natural travertine as the grounding element, these fire tables infuse warmth, energy, and light into any outdoor setting. Mason offers endless ambience and functionality, bringing people together around a handcrafted centerpiece.
Fireside Zone Design Tips
Arrange seating in a circle or U-shape around the fire
Mix seating styles for visual variety
Keep a consistent material palette (like natural teak) for cohesion
Add side tables within reach for drinks and snacks
Consider smoke direction when placing seating
Living: Everyday Lounging
Your outdoor living area is the most versatile space, made for conversation, reading, or simply relaxing.
The Como collection offers organic curves and indoor-level comfort, with sofas, sectionals, ottomans, and a sun lounge upholstered in performance fabric. It’s an invitation to settle in for hours.
For a sculptural, high-design approach, our MLB Teak collection, a collaboration with Martyn Lawrence Bullard, adds zig-zag profiles, modern lines, and bold silhouettes.
The Victoria Teak collection provides another timeless option, combining the warmth of natural teak with contemporary silhouettes that complement both traditional and modern settings.
Living Zone Design Tips
Face seating pieces toward each other to encourage conversation
Anchor with a large ottoman or coffee table
Layer cushions, throws, and rugs for texture
Position to maximize views
Maintain easy pathways between seating areas
Pool: Resort at Home
The poolside setting calls for furniture that’s both resilient and stylish. Prioritize pieces that withstand water while creating a resort-level aesthetic.
Our MLB Teak collection excels here, with bold geometry and sculptural profiles that create striking silhouettes against the water. Finish the space with a cantilevered umbrella for on-demand shade.
Or add sophisticated simplicity with the Newport collection. Crafted from sustainably sourced Grade A Indonesian Teak, Newport features oval-shaped legs and wide, flat arms that bring comfort and architectural elegance poolside. The collection’s deep seating is designed for all-day lounging, balancing durability with a luxe, elevated feel.
Poolside Zone Design Tips
Choose quick-drying, water-resistant materials
Position loungers to catch morning sun and afternoon shade
Keep side tables nearby for poolside essentials
Use furniture reflections in the water as part of your design
Ensure clear space around the pool edge for safety
Connecting the Areas
Continuity is the key to creating intentional outdoor spaces. Using similar materials across collections, such as natural teak, creates visual harmony while allowing each zone to define its own character.
Thoughtful flow creates natural movement between areas, and a consistent color palette ties it all together with neutral fabrics, layered textures, and subtle accents.
Your Outdoor Sanctuary
With the right setting, a simple patio transforms into a personal sanctuary. Dining, lounging, gathering, and poolside relaxing take on their own atmosphere. Together, they create an escape that flows seamlessly.
From the organic ease of Como to the rustic elegance of Tulum, the tailored comfort of Santorini to the sculptural presence of MLB Teak, our collections bring heritage to modern outdoor living.
Your new sanctuary awaits: crafted with intention, designed for connection, and made to embrace the great outdoors.
