Trends in patio furniture

Listen to this radio story (MP3 download) or read below.

Radio interview source: Henry Vanderminden, president, Telescope Casual Furniture

The concept of outdoor kitchens and living rooms is growing, and that means a need for stylish and comfortable weather-tough furniture. I found some antique metal chairs at an auction. They have a clamshell back to them and I painted them red. That's about as trendy as we get at our place.

If you're after more of an "updated" look, there are some distinctive styles emerging this year.

Henry Vanderminden is the president of an outdoor furniture company, and says customers are asking for an alternative to the clear glass patio table.

"It is a porcelain tile -- it's a flooring tile," Vanderminden says. "And we've used porcelain instead of ceramic because porcelain is ideal for outdoor use. It doesn't absorb any water or red wine, or oak leaves, or anything that could stain the material."

A neat feature of using porcelain tile is that the tabletop is made of removable 12-inch squares, so you can mix and match color to complement any other decorating you choose. You can pick something like tropical- or Mediterranean-inspired sets with exotic patterns and textures.