Having outdoor furniture is a way bigger deal when you can actually sit outside for most of the year.
While I was living in Boston, I would lug out a couple of simple iron chairs on sun-filled days. In retrospect, there were preposterously few of those.
The Martinique Beach Daybed by Zuo. Photo by Michaela Ristaino
June was often an iffy month filled with rain and a tease of warmth. July, August and September were full-tilt perfection. October taunted us with shorter sunlit days, and November could be ominous when the day’s light was extinguished by 5 p.m.
There is a name for people who get bummed out as the winter nights grow long; it is called “Seasonal Affect Disorder” or SAD (which is no accidental acronym). I am one of those “SAD” saps who feels claustrophobic as the days get shorter and need to pop vitamin D tablets to keep from weeping by the calendar.
This is my first winter in Florida. To celebrate this snowless season, this is the first time in my entire life that I have indulged in grown-up outdoor furniture. To be utterly truthful, my newly acquired wicker-esque pieces bring me more elation than my last car and first marriage combined.
First, I invested in a double chaise that is as wide as my bed. Every morning I plunk down on the chaise with a strong cup of coffee and sip, sigh, smile and repeat. Delightful.
Then, there is what I call “the nut,” which is my most beloved piece.
It is shaped like an acorn — or, some say, a Hershey’s Kiss. It is nearly 8 feet tall and 7 feet wide. The inside is decked out with a massive oval cushion and a bunch of pillows. I would describe nestling in it as being in a Bali beach hut or the inside of “I Dream of Jeannie’s” bottle.
It sits in a overgrown patch of philodendrons by the lake. It has become my sanctuary and also a well-advised place to take a needed time-out.
Epic backyards don’t just happen — they require excessive amounts of sunlight and the proper outdoor furnishings.
