Sunbrella fabrics is thrilled to be featured in the current issue of Better Homes & Gardens Real-Life Kitchens and Baths. The article, “Off the Shelf,” gives suggestions for making life indoors easier with products that easily move between indoors and out. Get all the ideas in the full story, on shelves now!

We especially love the vibrant picture of Les Toiles du Soleil pillows made using Sunbrella fabric.  For more, see the June issue of This Old House magazine.

To learn more about how to clean your Sunbrella upholstery, visit the Sunbrella Care & Cleaning page.  You can also view our Stain Chart, which explains how to remove almost any stubborn stain.

Lighting featured in the video are available through Woodard.

Fabrics featured in this video include Meridian Denim, Karate Denim, and Tie Dye Denim.  All fabrics are from the Joe Ruggiero/Sunbrella collection and are available from Miles Talbott.

The Northwest Women in Boating brings together women with a common interest, and focus mostly on boating safety.  To read more about Judy’s time with the organization, check out her blog.

All of these different looks are brought together with worry-free Sunbrella fabrics.  Some of the fabrics featured in the video include Trax Cadet, Cote Parchment, Meridian Denim, and Trax Vellum.  All fabrics are part of the Joe Ruggiero/Sunbrella collection, available through Miles Talbott.

We all associate particular colors with distinct emotions, seasons, brands, or memories. It is often a difficult task to choose color schemes or styles with such meaning behind all of our choices. Companies and corporations conduct exhaustive searches to determine what color will share the most about what they represent. Designers and home owners alike make purposeful color decisions in order to visually express the home owners unique style and who they are as people. Color matters and holds deep meaning in our lives; it’s as simple as that.

When it comes to inspiring hues and unique color choices, it is often about the creation of a memorable or recognizable look. There is something extremely powerful about a bold and fresh look. It is a brave thing to step outside of the box with our color use, be it within our homes or within color branding and marketing. The significance of color branding and the creation of color influence and recognition is important in many fields; the host of the Olympics should be no different. This year, with the impending glamour and excitement of the summer Olympics, London has taken it upon themselves to create a truly distinct and fresh look as a representation and color brand for the main 2012 event. In order to make an individualistic change, London has chosen pink, purple and orange as the main colors with yellow and blue accents. Such bright and vibrant hues give great life to the games and provide the viewers and attendees an unmatched scheme that will leave a lasting impression.

As a representation of the games and all that this exciting summer symbolizes, the 2012 color scheme is expected to be seen throughout the entire event space. Whether that be the city of London or the surrounding countryside. For example, residents of Mole Valley, where the cycling road race will take place, have been asked to plant dahlias, petunias and sunflowers in the approved shades of the Olympics in order to further accent and draw attention to the pinks, purples, and oranges of the event. It’s not simply about creating a fresh look and perspective to the Olympic games, it’s about creating a colorful representation for London itself.

When discovering and creating unique color schemes for our own homes, we should all take note of how the London Olympics committee has benefited from going bold. Whether you approve of their grand statement or prefer a more traditional color scheme for the Olympic events, there is no doubting the impact and splendor of pink, purple and orange.

All of that being said, now is the perfect time to be inspired by these shades. Purple has long been the color pertaining to royalty and luxury due to its long history of exoticism and steep prices. In today’s world, purple might not be so rare, yet the association of grandeur and luxury to the shade has not changed. Because of its nature, being a combination of red and blue, purple has simultaneous warm and cool undertones, allowing it to be extremely versatile while balancing out the stimulation found in reds and the calm nature of the blues. This leaves us with an original result that can be playful, sultry, exotic and soothing, all at once.

Physically, the color purple has been known to uplift the body and mental state. Also, through its sense of spirituality, it can calm and sooth the mind and nerves. When it comes to the creation of a get-away in our own backyards, purple in any shade is the perfect addition because of its soothing qualities. Why not extend a purple color scheme beyond furnishings and accessories? It is easy to supplement a purple outdoor room with nature by planting lavender or hydrangeas. The options are seemingly endless. Purple is truly a shade that stimulates creativity and provides a bold and distinctive way to express your personal individuality.

Pink is a color based in hope and soft stimulation. In all shades, it inspires the sense of having the world at our feet, as if we were children engrossed in the carefree days of our childhood. Naturally, lighter shades are associated with happiness and lightheartedness. When we think of the soft characteristic that light pink has, we can’t help but be soothed. In fact, it is thought that pink is the most calming of all the colors. It is also known to encourage friendliness and passion. On the other hand, bright, deeply saturated pink shades invigorate and excite us with its high energy and passionate tone. Bright pinks encourage action and confidence within all of us. What a perfect contribution to your outdoor space!

Orange is a color of flamboyant warmth. With the color of orange, you either love it or hate it. In the outdoor design world, we absolutely LOVE it! It is a great addition to any space, offering spunk and fun. With such a bright look, it is natural that it would stimulate energy and encourage socialization, offering each of us an invigorated spirit and positive outlook. Deeper shades offer a great backdrop or design element for warmth and intimacy, with its associations to the coziness of fall. Lighter shades, alternatively, create a light and airy atmosphere of subtlety and understated distinction.

Together, purple and pink are an extremely versatile combination. Whether you are going for a delicate, more romantic feel or a modern, sleek design style, purple and pink together fulfills any design need. When using both shades, or any colors for that matter, thoughtfully put lighter shades with the darker, more jeweled tones in order to bring about a natural depth and visual interest to the space. Colors and shades can thoughtfully be added to any outdoor room with outdoor pillows, throw rugs, umbrellas and other accessories or landscape options. Pops of orange or yellow within a purple and pink palette offer a chance to delight with flair, bringing about an increased sense of expression and an inevitably striking effect. When done correctly, these colors have the power to pop and impress all. Let’s all celebrate being bold this spring!

What unexpected color palettes do you love?

Plus, these throws come in a wide variety of colors and textures, so you are sure to find the perfect one for your home.  To view the entire Joe Ruggiero collection of throws, visit the Textillery Weavers website.

Fabrics used in this week’s video include Trax Cadet, Prague Mineral, and Germaine Silk in the first furniture arrangement.  The beige arrangement uses Trax Vellum as the base fabric.  And the last furniture arrangement features Trax Cloud and Tamaran Mist.

All fabrics are from the Joe Ruggiero/Sunbrella collection and are available through Miles Talbott.

Sunbrella has released a new advertising campaign this month, entitled “Live Free Style.”  The new multi-platform ads include artistic print ads, stop animation videos, behind-the-scenes footage and website enhancements that instantly connect visitors to the Sunbrella brand.

Each ad draws attention to one of the many applications of Sunbrella fabric and tells a story from the perspective of a child’s imagination.   Each print ad showcases the scene in the child’s imagination, and features a QR code that brings the ad to life by taking visitors to a stop-animation video, and offering additional information on Sunbrella fabrics.

Settings for each ad were built using Sunbrella fabrics, creating a piece of interactive art for the actors and showing the range of colors, textures and designs available from the iconic brand. In BMX, the premiere ad of the campaign, a young boy rides his bike through a rough terrain of boulders, rocks and a flowing stream, all made from Sunbrella fabrics.  Three ads from the Live Free Style campaign have been unveiled to date – BMX, Wave and Hang Glider – with additional ads slated for release in the coming months. The print ads will appear in trade and consumer publications throughout the year.

An additional component of the new campaign is www.livefreestyle.com, a website providing behind-the-scenes footage of the creative process that brought the campaign to life. Two-minute videos tell the story of each ad, from an artist’s sketch to the building of sets, while providing glimpses of the Sunbrella creative team and the finished product.

See the ads below:

Wave Ad

Hang Glider Ad

Fabrics featured in this video’s color schemes:

Blue: Chevy II Marine, Paisley Face, Tesora Indigo, and Zig Zag Indigo

Green: Tie Dye Linden, Deville Parfait, Kenya Leaf

Neutrals: Courtyard Wren, Trax Vellum, Palatzo Parchment

All fabrics are from the Joe Ruggiero/Sunbrella collection and are available through Miles Talbott.

The Sunbrella 50th Anniversary Book took home a Gold award and the Judges Pick award in the “Collateral Material” category.  The book is a gorgeous history of Sunbrella and highlights the people who have guided the company forward over the past 50 years.

The Brooklyn Museum Event also took home a Gold award in the “Sales Promotion/Trade Show” category.  Last year, Situ Studios created reOrder, a beautiful exhibit in the Great Hall of the Brooklyn Museum using over 2000 yards of fabric.

The Gatalea project won the Silver award in the “Interactive Media/Micro or Mini Site” category.  The Galatea was a sailboat makeover project, documented in a blog about the process and featured a series of webisodes following the makeover process.

Finally, the Sunbrella Imagine video scored the Silver award in the “Interactive Media/Internet Commercials” category.

The Sunbrella team congratulates everyone at Wray Ward for all of their hard work!

You can have a marvelous outdoor retreat, even if all you have to work with is a small patio. The moment that you step outside of your house onto a terrace or patio, you have moved into an extension of your home. If the location of your patio or terrace is set a few feet away from the home, then it will become a destination for yourself and your guests.

With a bit of forward planning, you can transform any space into an accommodating retreat.

The configuration of the space will add to its character. For a traditional home and garden you can have stateliness with systematically set right-angled concrete pavers. For a look that resembles the countryside, simply arrange flagstone in a structureless design.

A patio that functions as both a kitchen and an outdoor living room makes entertaining delightful for the guests and uncomplicated for the entertainer, as a result of the closeness of these spaces to the house and to each other.

All of the components of an exceptional interior room, such as a fireplace, rustic brick wall and high quality furniture can add alluring warmth on a crisp night as they create an attractive and romantic space.

Whatever your distinctive style is that you employ indoors can be expressed in the outdoors, too. Finishing touches are my personal favorite – like throw pillows, throw blankets, drapes, rugs and accessories – these make the outside patio, porch, terrace, or deck feel welcoming and an extension of the indoors.

What better way to have an excuse to spend more time outside? Whether you are relaxing, eating, playing, cooking or entertaining having a porch, deck, terrace or patio that encourages you to stay a while and enjoy.

Do you find yourself wanting to spend more time outdoors?

To create this dramatic look, the drapery and pillows are made of Tie Dye Denim.  Other pillows use Asia II Mariner and Karate Denim.  The headboard is Trax Vellum and the coverlet is Chex Vellum.  The throw is from the Joe Ruggiero collection, available through Textillery Weavers.

All fabrics are from the Joe Ruggiero/Sunbrella collection and are available through Miles Talbott.

The event offered many ways to learn with insightful keynote speakers and panelists, and lots of networking and mingling with friends.

Sunbrella was a sponsor of the event, and we had a great time interacting with all of the wonderful people in attendance!

The Sunbrella table

Attending a session

Talking with the sponsors

Getting to know new friends

This video features many fabrics, including Asia II Mariner and Origami Taupe.

These and other Joe Ruggiero/Sunbrella fabrics are available through Miles Talbott.

You can transform the whole character of an outdoor area, either by replacing or adding container plantings, bringing in updated textures, colors and shapes using plants, flowers and pots or in the very same way that changing out or adding new textured and colorful fabrics on various outdoor items like throw pillows, tabletop accessories and drapes will also revamp a space. And this kind of metamorphosis is one of the least costly techniques to create a fast renovation to the outdoor setting. When designing your container motif, check if the vessel will be looked at from all angles, or simply the front. If the only angle that anyone will see the garden container is from the front, then place towering plants towards the back, in the event that a container will be seen from every side, make certain there are attractive arrangements from every position.

A primary principle of design is the notion that if you utilize odd numbers in a creation, it will be more visually appealing. This is why you should consider grouping the plants in batches of three to five flora. The very same way that you select odd numbers of pillows to work together on a sofa, love seat, swing or settee. Using this principle of design you will create a visually pleasing arrangement.

The plants and flora that you select will add new colors and textures to an outdoor room, or it will merely reflect what is thus far occurring in your space. The personality of the receptacle, whether it is short or tall, extremely textured or glossy and featureless, will also contribute to the visual attraction of the area.

When planning your container, select one planting as the focal point. Choose a filler plant to supplement the repository and harmonize with the main feature. Lastly, pick out a third plant that should cascade over the sides of the container, this will add excitement and a natural progression. Just as you select your plants and new fabrics to dramatically change the qualities of your outdoor room, you should look for symmetry of shapes, colors and textures.

We start this week with how to use pillows to transform a room.  Check out these great tips, and check back next week for more Decorating Ideas!

Some of the fabrics featured in this video are: Sweet Sue Wren, Karate Denim, Asia II Mariner, Prague Grain, Asia Horizon, and Tesora Indigo.

All fabrics are from the Joe Ruggiero/Sunbrella collection and are available through Miles Talbott.

Elements

The Elements collection features handwoven Resinweave® over a powder-coated aluminum frame.  Pictured on the sectional sofa are Richard’s new Sunbrella Classic Linens.

Elements Sectional Sofa - Photo courtesy of Brown Jordan

Elements table and chairs - Photo courtesy of Brown Jordan

Swim

The Swim collection features beautiful clean lines with a powder-coated aluminum frame.  The taut upholstery sling fabric from the Richard Frinier Collection for Sunbrella pictured below is called Sailing and the small triangular backrest pillow is sporting Sunbrella’s successful Sailcloth construction also designed by Frinier.

Swim dining collection - Photo courtesy of Brown Jordan

Swim chair - Photo courtesy of Brown Jordan

These new collections are available for the 2012 season.

If you are looking to get inspiration from the runway for your home decor this spring, we have you covered!  Check out these Sunbrella fabrics that are similar to Pantone’s “it” colors for the season.

Sunbrella Canvas Hot Pink and Worchester Fandandango

Sunbrella Canvas Navy and Tab Twilight

Sunbrella Canvas Sunflower Yellow and Foster Metallic

Sunbrella Canvas Celadon and Dupione Peridot

Sunbrella Canvas Glacier and El Greco Calypso

Sunbrella Dupione Dove and Maxim Heather Beige

Don’t see exactly what you are looking for here?  To see more Sunbrella fabrics, visit our showroom.  Tell us in the comments– what colors are you excited to use this spring?

The Sunbrella Jobbers list

Interior designers– Looking for spectacular fabrics, romantic sheers, cozy throws, or beautiful trims?

We often get the question from designers “Where can I find it?”

Beyond the fabrics in the Sunbrella book, there are hundreds of others to choose from.  To make it easy for you to find where Sunbrella fabrics are located, there is a chart on the Sunbrella website that will point you in the right direction.  Here you can find jobbers with Sunbrella sheers, Sunbrella trims, decorative and stock Sunbrella, Sunbrella rugs, Sunbrella throws, the Joe Ruggiero collection, the Richard Frinier collection, exclusive Sunbrella collections, and much more.  All with the beauty and durability you trust from Sunbrella.  With so many options, there is sure to be a Sunbrella fabric for you.

We hope you will find this resource useful in completing your projects.  Happy decorating!