Questions & Answers
Our trusted network of 1stDibs sellers answer common questions
What is the best color for patio furniture?
1 Answer

The best color for patio furniture greatly depends on your style and color scheme, however one aspect to always consider is how much UV will the furniture receive. If it is completely uncovered most items will fade over time, and brighter colors will fade the most. White is a popular color for that reason, and so are natural finishes. Two highly popular and sought-after patio furniture designs are the Richard Schultz for Knoll collection which predominantly comes in white to avoid sun fading. And the other is Walter Lamb for Brown Jordan as the copper frames develop a beautiful bluish green patina color which continues to develop over the years resulting in furniture that actually gets better over time, just like a fine wine.

AutomatonMarch 11, 2021
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Shop for Yellow Outdoor Furniture on 1stDibs
Yrjö Kukkapuro 'Skaala' Leather Lounge Chairs for Avarte, Finland, 1970s
By Avarte, Finland 1, Yrjö Kukkapuro
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Incredible collectible 'Skaala' lounge armchair by Yrjo¨ Kukkapuro for Avarte, made in Finland, circa 1970. Featuring original burgundy red leather seat and back cushion, birch and t...
Category
Vintage 1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Materials
Steel, Chrome
$1,650 Sale Price
25% Off
Roche Bobois 'Iron Tree' Stainless Steel Wire Cocktail & Side Tables, Set of 3
By Roche Bobois
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A complete three-piece "Iron Tree" freeform table set by Roche Bobois, designed by Wood & Cane Design and executed in hand-woven stainless steel wire.
Unlike examples that appea...
Category
2010s French Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Materials
Steel
$7,360 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Henredon for Ralph Lauren Thick Leather Wingback Writer's Club Chair, Signed
By Henredon, Ralph Lauren
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This gorgeous 'Writers' wingback club chair by Henredon for Ralph Lauren has such incredible leather, very thick and quality natural hides were used in it's making. The original Writ...
Category
Early 2000s American Modern Wingback Chairs
Materials
Leather, Wood
$6,460 Sale Price
25% Off
Mid-Century Modern Steel Tanker Desk in Olive Green w Glass Top and Brass, 1960s
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A classic American mid-century modern steel tanker desk, circa 1960s, featuring a olive green finish and custom protective glass top. This iconic double-pedestal form is constructed ...
Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal, Brass
Willy Guhl for Eternit Rectangle Concrete Outdoor Handle Planter, circa 1968
By Willy Guhl, Eternit
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This designer on-trend architectural rectangular concrete planter is by Swiss architect Willy Guhl for Eternit, crafted circa 1968 Switzerland. This special low-profile rectangle-sha...
Category
Vintage 1960s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Planters and Jardinieres
Materials
Concrete
$480 Sale Price
49% Off
Edward Wormley for Dunbar Ivory Velvet Sofa w Hexagonal Walnut Legs, 1950s
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An elegant Edward Wormley for Dunbar sofa (1950s), produced in Berne, Indiana, and embodying the designer's celebrated ability to balance refined modernism with timeless comfort. Res...
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Materials
Fabric, Wood
Shop More furniture from Automaton on 1stDibs
'Mole' Brazilian Rosewood Sofa by Sergio Rodrigues for OCA Brazil, 1960s, Signed
By OCA Brazil, Sergio Rodrigues
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A rare signed example of the 'Mole' sofa by Sergio Rodrigues, produced by OCA Brazil in the 1960s (see image gallery for a photo of the OCA stamp). This Mole sofa has an expansive am...
Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Materials
Rosewood, Leather
$26,800 Sale Price
21% Off
Paul Evans Sculptural Art Metal Cabinet Model 'PE-40A', Signed & Dated 1974
By Directional, Paul Evans
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An exceptional and monumental cabinet, model PE-40A, designed by American sculptor and furniture master Paul Evans for Directional, signed and dated 1974. This important example repr...
Category
Vintage 1970s American Brutalist Cabinets
Materials
Slate, Steel
$74,900 Sale Price
20% Off
Documented 'Kono' Dining Table / Desk by Lella & Massimo Vignelli, 1984, Italy
By Massimo and Lella Vignelli
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This exceptionally rare documented 'Kono' table, which works excellent as either a dining table or a desk, by Lella Vignelli and Massimo Vignelli was designed in 1984 and this example created in the mid-to-late 1980s by Casigliani in Pisa, Italy. This rare example of the 'Kono' design features a monumental Black Granite slab for the top, two thick slabs of Imperial Red Granite which connect together to form one of the bases, and the Vignellis signature Patinated Copper cone which forms the other base.
The 'Kono' design was normally made as coffee tables so it is quite rare to find examples made scaled up in dining table size. In addition, typical Kono tables were made with glass tops and a single slab granite base. This example however, the Vignellis selected Black Granite instead of the typical glass tops. Also, rather than using a rectangular single-slab base, this example features an L-shaped base constructed with two slabs that connect together along one angled edge. It still employs the cone-shaped patinated copper base typical of Kono tables, however this example is much larger of course than cocktail table versions.
The Vignelli Center for Design Studies, which houses the artists’ archive, confirmed this table to be one of two known drawings by the Vignellis (a copy of the Vignelli sketch, which they provided, is included in the photo gallery) though it is unknown if the other table was ever produced, making this table potentially an important one-of-a-kind.
The Black Granite top in lower light settings is dark, deep and mysterious. With direct sunlight its luminosity is intense - see the photo gallery for images of the table in direct sunlight from our skylight above. It glows, shines and shimmers with incredible vibrancy, similar to diamonds - to see it in person is quite exquisite and remarkable. While we only had it set up under our skylight for a couple hours, I would describe the experience as recharging - I felt like I had just spent a couple hours meditating, this would be incredible to wake up to every day before leaving to work.
The Vignellis described the 'Kono' table as: “This design exploits the relationship between geometrical figures and material finishes." Over the course of their four-decade-long design practice, Lella and Massimo Vignelli collaborated on projects that ranged from product design and brand identity to interior and furniture design. Whether designing New York City’s subway map...
Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Dining Room Tables
Materials
Granite, Copper
$32,585 Sale Price
32% Off
Important Double Dresser by Vladimir Kagan for Kagan-Dreyfuss, 1950s, Signed
By Kagan-Dreyfuss, Inc., Vladimir Kagan
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This very rare and important sculptural double dresser was designed by Vladimir Kagan and handcrafted by Kagan-Dreyfuss Inc during the 1950s in New York. Each of the two chests are s...
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Materials
Walnut
Paul Evans Monumental Three-Slate PE-42 Deep Relief Cabinet, Signed & Dated 1968
By Directional, Paul Evans
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This exceptional and rare PE-42 'Deep Relief' cabinet by Paul Evans, executed in 1968, represents one of the most sculptural and architecturally significant forms produced by the Pau...
Category
Vintage 1960s American Brutalist Cabinets
Materials
Slate, Steel
Finn Juhl 'Judas' Rosewood and Sterling Silver Dining Table, c 1950s, Signed
By Finn Juhl, Niels Vodder
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Exceptionally rare and sought after, this Finn Juhl for Niels Vodder 'Judas' dining table, 1950s Denmark, was professionally restored and features gorgeous Brazilian Rosewood with sterling silver inlaid medallions which assist in tableware placement and gives the table its infamous name.
Signed underneath with Finn Juhl / Niels Vodder stamp which reads: "Niels Vodder Cabinetmaker Denmark Design Finn Juhl". The table is expandable, with a 22 inch leaf making the table just over 100" fully expanded.
The Judas table...
Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Materials
Sterling Silver
$54,150 Sale Price
27% Off
'Tucroma' Leather Bed and Nightstands by Guido Faleschini for i4Mariani, Italy
By Guido Faleschini, i4 Mariani
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This famous 'Tucroma' bed design, as seen in the Lenny Kravitz Architectural Digest magazine photoshoot, was designed by Guido Faleschini in the 1970s and produced by i4Mariani (Italy).
*NOTE, the bed we had in stock, which is shown in the photos, has sold, therefore any current order would include lead time for production and shipping from Italy. However custom colors, finishes and leathers can be selected. In addition, you can select from Full, Queen, King, Cal King, or even custom sizes. Please contact us with any questions.
The Tucroma bed includes two leather wrapped bed...
Category
2010s Italian Modern Beds and Bed Frames
Materials
Chrome





