Deck Accessories

Thank you all so much for your comments on the deck.  As for the loungers –  I have decided to embrace their redness and ignore their clunkiness.

So we now we need to talk accessories.

First up, in the spirit of embracing the redness, I was thrilled to get the last two red and white Marimekko Unikko pillows in the Finnstyle.com sale (found through Decor8).  I know the pattern is everywhere nowadays but I do love it, and I’m hoping they’ll look great against the red of the lounge cushions.

Not for the deck, but I also splurged on another couple of Moomin mugs.  I know they’re everywhere as well, but we’ve got Moominpapa and Moominmamma ones from before the Minx was born, so I needed to get another one now we’ve got a Snork Maiden in the house.

What I’d really like to do of course is get a Unikko Fatboy to go with the cushions.  I’m not sure we have room though, and I’m also not sure I can be bothered to lug it up and down the stairs everytime it rains, which, as you may have noticed, it does here fairly often.  The Minx would love it though.

The next thing we don’t have room for, which I’m really, really gutted about, is a hammock.

I was fully intending to get one, and found this, which I REALLY love (possibly in lilac?).  But I just don’t see how we can fit it in.  I had a vision of swinging in it at the front of the deck, sipping mojitos and enjoying the view (and trying to ignore the inevitable yells of ‘mumm-mmeeeeee’ from the Snork Maiden) but the problem is that from everywhere else on the deck all you would be able to see is hammock.

I’m still trying to work out if there’s some sort of pole arrangement I can come up with, from which I can hang a hammock on occasion without needing a permanent stand, but I haven’t yet been able to think up anything.

The next things I need to source are dining chairs.

In order to alleviate the clunkiness of the loungers a bit, and in the spirit of the Marimekko, I quite fancy a couple of Eames wire chairs, particularly if they’re  wearing an ultra-cute ‘eamesbikini‘ (that way at least something on the deck will have a bikini-worthy figure).

Sadly I’m not entirely sure I can get the price-tag past the Husband, even for the repro versions, and I would probably have to commission a hot pink ‘bikini’.

Speaking of loungers, these (by Gloster) are what I would have bought, had money been no object.  How very cool are they.

Also cool, in a completely different way are the limited edition artist-designed deckchairs being sponsored by the Royal Parks (found via Designers’ Block).

The Damien Hirst canvas is already sold out, not surprising since he is so collectible, but also because it is one of the prettiest ones (much as it pains me to say it since he’s such an old charlatan).  Deckchairs are so quintessentially British  – I haven’t seen a single one here – that I feel we should have one. Maybe the Sam McEwen one, which I think would look fab with the loungers.

Hirst canvas                                     McEwen canvas

As for lighting, I’ve just bought some – in the form of these solar-powered deck post lights from er, Home Depot, which look surprisingly nice.  I was hoping we’d have them in situ for the party tomorrow, but it looks like they’re not going to arrive in time.

I’ve also got hold of a tragically hip Sunjar, not just for me, but we’ll be selling them on ‘mirrormirror‘ just as soon as I’ve photographed it and got it online. 

Finally, any idea where I might be able to get a canvas patio umbrella in Lilac??  I think it would be really cool, but can’t find a supplier/manufacturer who agrees with me.