At the Knight house, the pool project is coming to a close. There are a few odds and ends that need to be taken care of but from a timing standpoint, it's landscaping and patio decorating time. I'll talk more about the landscaping plan later, so for now I'll focus on one aspect of my decorating plan. The new pool area will have a cabana and I'm pretty pumped about it! Here is a rough digital mock-up I did using Z Gallerie's
Portofino Pavillion...
The cabana will be on the north end of the pool and it will be pivotal in terms of form and function. From the function standpoint, it will provide shade and protection from the elements for the outdoor sofa/cushions. Located near the new built-in gas firepit (which is at the top of the waterfall structure in the photo), the structure will anchor a fireside seating area, that will basically replace the
covered patio that is going away because of the
bathroom remodel.
As far as the form aspect goes, I'm trying to nail down the style. I do love the bold black and white cabana stripes as shown above. Unfortunately we can't use the
$700 ready-made ZG option because the size isn't right and I'm pretty sure that the construction wouldn't be up to snuff. So even if I go with a stripe, the cabana will have to be custom and thus the options are endless!
Since cabanas don't fall into the realm of things that I regularly design, I've been doing reconnaissance on different styles. Here are some examples I've found and reasons why they made the inspiration file:
I'm pretty obsessed with striped chaise cushions but wasn't sure if doing the cabana and the seating in stripes would be overkill. This setup eases my qualms...
The super wide stripes on this one are AMAZING. It was featured a while back in
Lonny Magazine...
The detailed edge on this one is whimsical and charming...
Ours will be a bit wider than the typical cabana, like this one here...
The Viceroy hotels have become known for their poolside cabanas. I love the classic dentil trim on the top of this one...
The tailored, regency trim details on the top are cool although the look isn't right for our space. I do, however, love the bordered curtains and black tiebacks.
On the interior furniture arrangement, I like the idea of doing horseshoe seating around the perimeter of the cabana like in this one...
Although this one isn't styled all pretty like the others, I like the subtle notched bordered corner details. That treatment would work well with striped fabric.
This one has a fun, Dr. Seuss-esque metal-tipped top (like the umbrella below from Hotel Saint Cecilia in Austin). I also like the solid top with the striped sides...
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| Via Beach by the Sea blog |
Boutique Tents specializes in unique tents and cabana-like structures and they offer a range of different styles and edge profiles. Their portfolio showcases lots of unique details like the interior fabric on this funky
Chinois tent that was used for a wedding. I'd die to do contrasting fabric on the interior of the top, but we shall see how expensive that element is!
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| Event design by Blue Moon Events, photo by A. Bryan Photography |
Whew...too many ideas flying around! Enough with the brainstorming. I've got to make decisions and get a drawing to the fabricator. Besides the general dimensions and structure materials, elements to spec include:
- Fabric
- Shape and style of the top, including edge profile and trim detail
- Interior fabric for the top
- Side panel construction
- Tiebacks
- Electrical (for overhead light)
Wish me luck :) And let me know what your thoughts are on all of this. Are there any particular cabanas from above that you love? And are there other examples from the interwebs that you think I need to see before I place my order? I'm sure there are some amazing ones from hotels that I've missed!
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