rope outdoor furniture braided over a tube

Rope outdoor furniture reads from across a garden. A braid in a bright color, pulled tight over a tube, gives a seat a pattern and a give that wood and metal lack. Meroni & Colzani, the Cabiate workshops north of Milan, use rope on two families in the outdoor line: the Marettimo seating and the Gargano pouf.

A rope seat starts with a tubular structure. The workshop paints it, and then a craftsman wraps the rope around it by hand, row after row, until the braid forms the seat and the back. The rope takes your weight and flexes a little, which is the comfort people notice first. The tube stays hidden in part and shows in part, and on Marettimo its color contrasts with the rope on purpose.

Polypropylene is the fibre the factory names for its outdoor braids. The fibre sheds water, so a seat caught in a summer shower dries out on its own. Sun and salt air work on any outdoor fibre over the years, and a rinse now and then slows that down.

Bonura Design drew Marettimo with soft, sinuous lines. The family holds a sofa, an armchair and a chaise longue, and the factory's collection text also names a lounge chair and a coffee table. The design comes down to one idea: ropes in bright, bold colors woven over a tubular structure in a contrasting shade.

You choose two colors when you order, one for the rope and one for the tube, plus the cover of the cushion. On a gray stone terrace a saturated rope gives the eye a place to land. In a busy garden full of flowers, a quieter rope can let the planting lead. Ask us for the current color range and we send the options open on the day. See the Marettimo family.

Gargano is a single piece, a pouf you can use as a seat, a footrest or a low table for a tray. Inside, the factory fills it with a polystyrene core under a water repellent lining. Outside, braids of polypropylene cover it. That build lets it live on a terrace through the season.

A pouf in rope pairs well with a Marettimo sofa, since the two share the braid. It also works on its own beside a pool, where a wet swimmer can sit on it without a second thought. See the Gargano family.

Rope asks for little. Rinse it with fresh water in spring and autumn, brush off sand after a windy day, and wipe a spill before it dries into the weave. Mild soap and warm water handle most marks. Skip the pressure washer, which can fray the fibre and push water into the cushion.

The cushion needs more thought than the rope. Bring it inside or under cover when a long run of rain comes, and stand a soaked cushion on its edge to dry. A breathable cover for the frame helps through a wet winter, and a plastic sheet can trap moisture under it.

Tell us the pieces, the rope color and the tube color you have in mind, or send a photograph of the terrace and let us suggest a pair. Add your city, since freight depends on it. The workshop builds each Meroni & Colzani rope piece after the order, and our reply carries the colors open on those pieces, the lead time the workshop gives, and a price for each one. Use the form below to start.