Outdoor cord furniture wrapped strung woven

Cord runs through Minotti furniture for the outdoors from end to end. You find it on the round back of Torii Nest, across the seat of Yoko Cord, around the whole frame of Halley and in the cannage of Rivera. The word covers different fibers laid in different ways, and those two choices shape how the piece feels under you and how it behaves after a storm.

The fibers

Most Minotti cord is polypropylene, a synthetic fiber that does not rot and holds its color in sun. Open weaves in polypropylene drain and dry fast, so a chair is ready to use soon after rain. Halley, Lido Cord, Aston Cord, Bézier, Patio and Rivera all use it, some braided, some woven to look like wicker.

Yoko Cord uses polyester cord. Polyester takes up little water and dries soon after a shower, and it gives a little under your weight when strung across a frame. Sunray uses flat cord, a band in place of a round strand, laid in a straight linear weave on its curved back. Patio Teak carries ecru polypropylene rope on its back panels.

Strung on a ring: Torii Nest

Minotti Torii Nest by Nendo builds the whole chair around one element. A tubular steel ring, drawn as a perfect circle, carries cord strung in a pattern taken from Vienna straw, the cane of bentwood chairs, opened up to a wider mesh. Air and light pass through the weave, so the back dries fast and the chair looks lighter than its cushions suggest.

The seat sits on natural teak or on mahogany stained dark brown, on aluminum legs with a polished bronze-colored finish. You can order the armchairs fixed or on a swivel base that does not spring back. In 2023 Nendo stretched the circle into a curved two-seat sofa and a round sofa, the nest the name promises. Cord comes in ecru or dark brown. See the Torii Nest collection.

Strung on a frame: Yoko Cord

Stringing is an old technique: a maker winds cord back and forth across a frame to make a seat with a little give. Minotti Yoko Cord by Inoda+Sveje, the Japanese and Scandinavian design duo, uses a balanced weave on the seat and on the top of the ottoman bench, so the pattern stays even from edge to edge.

The frame is natural teak. The one ornament is a button varnished in a bronze color where the frame meets the rear legs. Cushions are optional. Without them, the strung seat is the finished surface, handy by a pool where people sit down wet. With them, a small teak tab keeps each cushion from sliding in wind. Pale ecru cord shows each line of the weave on teak; dark brown reads quieter. See the Yoko Cord collection.

Wrapped and woven

Halley shows the wrapped approach. Rodolfo Dordoni had the metal frame sandblasted and powder coated in a color that matches the cord, then covered it in polypropylene cord that looks like hand-woven wicker. On the dark cords, the frame under the weave takes a pewter finish.

Two more families wrap cord in their own way. Belt Cord, also by Dordoni, winds a band of sand or dark brown cord around a shiny bronze metal frame, tracing the outline of each seat like a belt. Tape Cord by Nendo covers its frame in wicker-effect cord in Mud or Licorice.

Rivera shows weaving. Its wraparound back is polypropylene woven into the open cannage pattern of bistro chairs, in light gray or dark brown, on a base of iroko heartwood. The mesh lets air through and dries fast after rain.

Care for cord

Cord asks for little. Rinse it with a hose to clear dust, pollen and salt, and let it dry in the sun. For a mark, use mild soapy water and a soft brush, then rinse. Skip bleach and solvents, which can dull the color.

Cushions sitting on cord need more thought than the cord itself. Pull them off after heavy rain so the weave under them can dry, and store them dry through winter. The frames of Torii Nest and Yoko Cord can stay out under a breathable cover; their teak turns silver gray unless you oil it.

Light cord or dark cord

Cord colors change from season to season. The collection slides above list the colors on each collection page of this site; ask which ones are current before you set a scheme. Two tips from our desk: a light cord shows the weave, so it suits a chair seen from behind, like a Torii Nest back facing the garden. A dark cord hides pollen and dust, which helps under trees.

List the pieces you like in the form below, with the colors of your paving and cushions. Each piece comes back with its cord and fabric choices and its own price on paper. Minotti builds after you approve and states the weeks up front.