Behind the curtain of casual design

Behind the curtain of casual design

Cinde W. Ingram -- Casual Living, 8/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

As the casual industry continues steady growth, more designers from other categories are taking on the challenges of making furnishings and accessories for outdoor living.

While some designers’ names may be better known than others within the casual furniture industry, it’s the product visions they capture and the innovations they make that often make a lasting difference. That’s true on manufacturer showroom floors, in catalogs and in retail stores across the nation.

Casual Living continues its series of designer profiles, which started in August 2005 with features of influential casual furniture designers, including Richard Frinier, Fredric Doughty, John Caldwell, Carl Muller, Philip Behrens, Scott Coogan, Marshall Mullins and Shaun Sweeney.

Designers Peter Homestead, Robert Mainville, Povl Eskildsen and Michael Burridge shared their stories in 2006. Last year, we gathered the perspectives of Zac Bryant, Trifu Boronka, Dale Campbell, Victoria Dawson and Mike Ferrell.

This year’s crop of talented designers includes Kirsten White, who expanded her range with woven designs for Rock Wood Casual Furniture; Pride Sasser, who built his reputation on eclectic indoor furnishings; Joe O’Brien, a former retailer known for designs branded as Cabana Joe’s; Marcia Blake, who designs Outdoor Couture for O.W. Lee and Rebecca Cole, an author and television host whose tile designs have outdoor inspirations for uses indoors and out. With their homes ranging from Canada, Cebu, Alaska and Southern California to New York, each of these designers took the time to explain how their creative visions evolved and what led them to take on casual furniture.