Minotti Aston Cord outdoor armchair

Cord backs on pewter

Aston is a set of individual pieces with no modules to lock together. That makes it simple to furnish a home terrace and a hotel bar from the same family: a sofa and two armchairs around a low table, a chaise longue at the edge of the deck, chairs and stools along a counter. The high stool is made in two heights, which helps match it to different counters and bar tops.

The backs are braided polypropylene cord, a synthetic that does not rot. Open weaves drain and dry fast after rain, so the seats are usable again soon after a shower. The frame is metal finished in a pewter polyester paint made for outdoor exposure, and the cushion padding is durable expanded polyurethane wrapped in water-repellent fiber. Each seat also carries a laser-cut geometric pattern designed by Minotti Studio.

Cord colors listed for the collection include light gray, dark brown, sand, sunflower, khaki green and rust, chosen to sit with the Art Lifescape 02 fabrics and the dark brown finish of Alison. Availability shifts, so ask which colors are current. Among Minotti armchairs for the outdoors, Aston Cord has one of the most open looks: the woven back lets light and views through, which helps on a small balcony.

Rodolfo Dordoni, Minotti's art director since 1998, drew Aston so the same pieces could move between indoors and outdoors, and between private homes and public spaces. The outdoor pieces date from 2014. On a restaurant patio, the chair and the stool give matching seats at table and bar, while the sofa and the daybed carry the same pewter and cord into a lounge corner.