Minotti Belt Cord outdoor sofa

A belt of cord

On the indoor Belt seats, a band runs around the outline of each volume. Outdoors that band becomes a corded contour, wound over a metal frame finished in shiny bronze. The seats rest on a matt painted aluminum base in ecru or dark brown, picked to repeat the color of the cord. Cushions use extra-durable polyurethane foam inserts covered in water-repellent fiber and outdoor fabric, and the rounded body wraps around whoever sits in it.

The full Belt Cord family runs to a two-seat sofa, a bergère, an armchair, an ottoman, and lounge and dining armchairs. Every piece can also be ordered on natural teak legs in place of the aluminum base. That version has a warmer, more classic look and sits easily beside teak tables from the rest of Minotti's outdoor range. Left unoiled, the teak legs will turn silver gray with time.

The sofa and the lounge armchair suit a conversation corner, and the dining armchair pulls up to an outdoor table. Using one family for both keeps a terrace consistent from late afternoon drinks to dinner. For anyone comparing Minotti lounge chairs, Belt Cord is the rounder and softer choice, with a body that curves around the sitter and cord that drains and dries fast after rain.

Rodolfo Dordoni, art director at Minotti since 1998, used the belt as the single idea that holds the design together. Indoors it is an upholstered band. Outside it turns into cord, a material that handles sun and rain and adds texture to the silhouette. The result is an outdoor family that still looks closely related to its indoor original, useful in a house where the living room opens onto the terrace.