Last-minute summer

WORDS Malibongwe Tyilo and Nadine Botha

Make the most out of the last few summer weekends with these indulgent outdoor loungers and shades.

Puzzle pleasure

With the innovative outdoor furniture designs of Ego Paris now available in South Africa, relaxing outside doesn’t have to mean letting your sense of style slip.

The Puzzle EM7 comprises nine pieces in total – four chairs, two loungers and two coffee tables in fabric-covered foam, as well as one aluminium side table. When you’re done in the sun, they all stack up into an architectural sculpture. This Tetris-like concept was inspired by Verner Panton’s legendary Living Tower sofas of the 1960s.

The Puzzle EM7 pieces are available in a variety of bold mix-and-match colours and finishes, with more than 300 possible combinations.

egoparis.com
Available at Cane Time from R12 000 per piece, 021 510 1072, canetime.com

Lounge around 

Because there’s nothing better than lounging about on a summer afternoon in South Africa, and now you can bring the luxury of a boutique hotel right to your own patio. Why not make every day feel like a holiday? 

South African outdoor furniture designer and manufacturer Bloc Outdoor is known for supplying tranquil holiday destinations, such as game reserves and beachfront boutique hotels, with stylish outdoor furniture. 

However, the Bloc Outdoor experience is not limited to holiday escapes. With the Serengeti range, you can take that beachfront hotel experience home with you. Our favourite piece from the range to chill on this summer is this double lounger (R17 995, including cushions) with height-adjustable matching backrests. When the sun gets a bit much and tanning turns into roasting, fit the parasol (R4 995) into the hole in the centre. 

Poolside, seaside or garden patio, it’s a great way to lie back, relax and enjoy the long summer days.

To get your hands on this magnificient piece, or browse the rest of the Serengeti range, visit Bloc Outdoor- 021 461 3506, outdoorfurniture.co.za

Life is a picnic

At the core of Belgian brand Extremis’ design philosophy is a simple phrase, “Tools for togetherness”. Their new line of picnic furniture shows even greater space for togetherness, and is transforming picnics into extremely stylish affairs. 

The seemingly endless picnic table from its new nautically inspired Marina line is the perfect embodiment of that phrase. With a length of up to 12m, the table can sit more than 40 people. Theoretically it can be as long as you want, even double the length, “but in that case the customer has to come and pick up his table himself,” jokes Extremis founder Dirk Wynants. It’s also available in a smaller size and can be customised with or without detachable chairs to create a free-standing table.

The Marina line is not Extremis’s first foray into picnic furniture. Even though the Hopper table is just over a year old, it is already considered a classic because it has won six international design awards.

As an accessory to the popular piece, Extremis has now created the Hopper shade (left). An adjustable Teflon-coated sunshade, it perfectly follows the lines of the Hopper table. The shade is available in the same variations as the table – a four, six, eight or 10-seater. 

Now you can elevate the humble beach picnic to a stylish gathering – something the VISI team wholeheartedly endorses.

Extremis, extremis.be
Ora the Outdoor Boutique, oraoutdoor.com

Foolproof brolly

This umbrella is the ultimate summer accessory for those long, hot days on the deck. The aptly named “Powerbrella” distinguishes itself from other umbrellas by its completely stainless-steel mechanism and lack of pins, pulleys and latches. Its super-sleek “finger-light” mechanism makes it a cinch to open and close, which means you’ll spend more time lying in the shade than fighting with your umbrella. It’s available in square and hexagonal shapes, and sizes start at 4.6m² and go up to 8.1m².

Available at Shade Forever from R6 500, 021 670 8100, shadeforever.biz