29 COLORADO URBAN HOME JUNE/JULY 2014

By Marc Gillotti

TRANSFORM YOUR PATIO

I N T O A N O U T D O O R L I V I N G O A S I S

Today, patios are being

transformed into

outdoor living areas

– extensions of your

home that can be made

functional, cozy, and

attractive to maximize

your outdoor time.

OUTDOOR LIVING

JUNE/JULY 2014 COLORADO URBAN HOME 30

The trend in patios over the years has gone through a dramatic change. At one point it was all about outdoor dining where a meal was served and then you moved inside. Today, pa-tios are being transformed into outdoor living areas – extensions of your home that can be made functional, cozy, and attractive to maximize your outdoor time. The secret is to fill (club chairs and coffee tables), organize (proportionally), and accessorize (fire pits, lighting, heaters) your patio in a way that allows you to do all the things you can do inside in comfort outside. Enter Lehrer Fireplace & Patio outdoor living expert Lesley Short who hails from the Highlands Ranch store. “Possibly more so than fireplaces and patio furniture, ‘qual-ity’ is what defines Lehrer to its customers.” Lesley describes that in 1954, the family business was started by her grandfather as a metal products company that made fireplace grates and doors. That carried the business for nearly two decades until a demand for custom made furniture took over because no manu-facturer was offering quality that Lehrer would put his name on. This worked well but limited growth because hand making iron furniture was time intensive. Finally, Lehrer came across a manufacturer that would not tarnish his brand and was able to grow. Lesley says “We still have customers coming in to buy new cushions and covers for their custom made furniture that was created in the 70’s. Now the store is about 60% furniture, 30% fireplaces, and 10% grates reflecting the trends in the market place.” As important as quality, Lehrer prides itself on customer service which is what Lesley attributes to a large base of repeat customers that is growing. Like the inside of your home, there are so many options with outdoor choices that it can be over-whelming. To help, Lehrer has interior designers on staff that will help you with color and pattern choices to match what you have or best compliment the structural styles you choose. In fact, if you bring in your patio dimensions, Lehrer is able to do a space layout so you can see how different arrangements will affect traffic flows and use. Because they are a family owned business, they do not sell by commission. This means the shop-ping experience is made fun by them as they really want you to be happy with what you get. Due to their independent status, the can be flexible- if they don’t already have the best price on what you want, they can match or often beat it in addition to superior service they offer. Lesley recommends the optimal time to look for and buy is in March & April (when fresh inventory has arrived at the stores) and then September & October when they restock in-ventory to last through the fall and winter. “Typically, people are in a rush to buy in May through July as they recognize sum-mer is coming but this leads to large lag times in custom orders.” By ordering in March or April, special order lead times are short and the good weather won’t leave you scrambling to beat the rush or miss a party. “Floor models are arranged to show the variety of colors, patterns, and material choices. There are more options than display space available so people see what they like, match it to the furniture style they want, and then place their order.” Quality is still the leading charge of the current generation at Lehrer. They work with manufacturers that offer 20 year warranties. Lesley says it really is worth investing a little more upfront. “Do you want one set of furniture that will last you

31 COLORADO URBAN HOME JUNE/JULY 2014

20 years, or do you want to replace a set every couple of years that will add up to more in cost and will take up more of your valuable time?” With higher quality you get warranties that replace versus repair furniture, powder coat finishes vs. paint that eliminates fading and in-creases longevity, and stronger materials with sturdier construction. Lehrer mostly deals with metals because the Colorado climate is not hard on properly coated iron and aluminum. It is devastating on naturals like wicker and wood – though they look nice, they need constant maintenance. If natural materials are your de-sire, however, Lehrer can help you with select-ing and maintaining them properly.v

Please visit Lehrer Fireplace & Patio to see how your patio can become an outdoor living area. See www.lehrerfireplaceandpatio.com for the lo-cation nearest you or contact Lesley Short directly at 303.795.2507 in Highlands Ranch.

TIPS TO Choosing

Patio Furniture

FOR YOUR SPACE

Quality: Outdoor furniture needs to be higher quality than indoor because of the weather. Inexpensive materials, bad welds, and cheap finishes will lead to a quick demise.

Material Choice: Aluminum is light weight, rust proof, and can have intricate designs. Wrought Iron is beautiful, sturdy, and won’t be both-ered by the wind. Natural materials like wood or wicker can be beautiful but our Colorado climate will wreak havoc on them unless properly maintained.

Shade: Whether you have some sort of pergola or umbrella, having protection from the sun will make your outdoor time a lot more fun. Select fabrics that have high UV protection to guard from fading and consider some sort of anchoring system to fight the winds.

Comfort: Buy the thickest and most plush cushions you can. Take them inside in the winter so critters don’t raid them for nesting ma-terials.

Textiles: The right fabrics will be water resistant and mold proof. You want them to be UV protected so those colors stay bold. Stitch-ing should be heavy duty and tight. Fabrics with venting will allow for cushions to dry much faster. You will want your textile covers to also have zippers for removal and they should be flip-pable to you can dry them more quickly and help the cushions retain their shape.

Accessorize: Coffee tables, heaters, lighting, and throw pillows will make the outdoor living experience more fun and take you further into the night or season.