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Summer Special

Summer is here at last! After months of being rugged up and kept indoors, we can now spend the afternoon relaxing in the sun. With so many new outdoor products available, we can make the most of the warmer weather.

Every room in the house has now found its way into the garden with stylish comfortable adaptations for outdoor living. You prefer designer or period furniture? Not a worry! You&rsquoll just love Pierre Paulin&rsquos polycarbonate Flower chair or Thierry Massant&rsquo Louis XVI wing chair in teak. The watchword on the outdoor furniture scene today is imitation.

There is no longer any clear separation between indoors and outdoors.  Beds, sofas, meridiennes and pouffes &ndash a whole repertoire that used to be kept indoors has now moved into the garden. Mythical designer objects in the realm of lighting now exist in an outdoor version such as Michele de Lucchi&rsquos Tolomeo and Starck's Superarchimoon.
 
Designers are delighted with the new-found freedom offered by the use of increasingly sophisticated materials. Both resistant and ultra-light, synthetic and aluminium furniture is easy to move around and weather-resistant. Seating comfort is provided by cushions made of new quick-drying foams. And to make your outdoor nook really feel like a living room, special outdoor speakers are now available such as Ron Arad and Francesco Pellisari&rsquos waterpoof, cordless Freewheeler.

The kitchen and bathroom are also getting some fresh air. Portable kitchenettes have appeared on the scene. Bruno Houssin&rsquos modular kitchen can be folded up and put away at the end of the summer. It can be equipped with a sink, an electric grill, a bar area and even a pergola. Everything you need to whip up a summer meal at an affordable price.
 
Taking a shower in the garden is no longer a luxury reserved for pool owners. Elegant, easy-to-install models connected to a garden hose, such as the Delta designed by Inga Sempé (Tectona), are a wonderful way to cool off in summer.
 
Balconies, which are often neglected or decorated with a jumble of ill-assorted flower pots, deserve more attention.  You don't need much to turn them into a little oasis of greenery. To optimise a small space, the secret is to use vertical structures as much as possible. Modular partitions with hanging baskets are ideal and can instantly create a green wall. And if you install an automatic watering system, you will be able to relax and enjoy the benefits of nature all year round. Another advantage is that this type of wall also provides sound and heat insulation, which can be very useful in the city. Once you&rsquove got into the habit of relaxing into your hamac, you&rsquoll no longer be able to do without your bubble of chlorophyll!

But you don&rsquot have a garden or a terrace? That doesn&rsquot mean you have to stay indoors. Picnicking has become an art in itself. Refined, environment-friendly disposable picnic ware, insulated baskets and compact floor cushions will make picnics a breeze.
 

&ldquoF-Light Series by David Enon&rdquo at the ToolsGalerie, Paris, June 10 to July 24 2010

In this display of his work, David Enon offers a reinterpretation of standard and iconic lights... and also creates his own pieces. He uses energy-saving light bulbs as a starting point and redesigns them, or designs new ones. The bulb serves to redefine and refine iconic lamp designs, making them more simple, more economic... a new life.
Ten lamps on top form, radical and poetic, will be edited for the occasion and displayed from June 10 to July 24, 2010.

www.toolsgalerie.com