Easy, Colorful Ways to Elevate Your Space for Summer Entertaining

Oliver Furth, a fourth-generation Los Angeles native, A-List interior designer, and AD100 winner, is best known for his irreverent ability to blend different styles and eras seamlessly. He is a firm believer that making a home for oneself is in itself an act of optimism and the most important ingredient when designing any space is joy. 

In his recently released monograph, OP! Optimistic Interiors, Furth masterfully combines classical and contemporary influences with California cool, creating vivid spaces infused with color and happiness prized by celebrities, creatives, and collectors alike. Here he shares four tips on how to infuse a little “West Coast Optimism” into your outdoor styling this summer.

Ye Rin Mok

Material Mix

Don’t be afraid to use a juxtaposition of materials when it comes to selecting upholstery fabrics, rugs, and outdoor furniture finishes. “Having a certain tension within materiality lends dynamism to a space and will encourage more interesting dialogs and unexpected connections,” says Furth. Think smooth against rough, or soft against slick—any combination can elevate your style and create intrigue.

Plant Play

Furth likes to incorporate live plants and trees whenever he can, embracing how “they change and grow over time in surprising ways, which can help keep things from feeling static.” Specific plant selections vary from project to project, but he suggests personality of the home and context play a big factor when choosing botanicals. Furth encourages to lean into location. If it’s an exotic tropical vibe, source large palms and aralia trees. For something more early 20th-century, specimen ferns give the right feeling. Try extending the surrounding landscape into more intimate communal areas with a mix of small trees and lush shrubs in containers.

Reprinted with permission from ‘OP! Optimistic Interiors.’ Copyright © 2024 by Oliver Furth. Photographs copyright © 2024 Roger Davies. Published by Rizzoli.

Bright Idea

When it comes to choosing one of the most important items to elevate an outdoor space, Furth suggests investing in lighting, suggesting “it’s crucial to be able to see, and setting the mood for evenings alfresco is important to outdoor spaces’ usability.”

He also notes how it is wonderful to see the outside, even while you’re indoors. With outdoor lighting products spanning from discrete solar landscaping spotlights to architectural statements with table lanterns, a well-lit garden will extend your home’s enjoyability and livability throughout the year.

Small-Scale Style

No matter the size of your outdoor space, always add in a bit of nature. Oliver suggests even a small patio or balcony can be greatly improved by a single potted plant, adding “having plants to tend to will not only force you to spend some time outside connecting to the earth, but those few minutes per week watering and caring for a plant can greatly improve your experience living in your space.”

Buy the Book

‘Reprinted with permission from ‘OP! Optimistic Interiors.’ Copyright © 2024 by Oliver Furth. Photographs copyright © 2024 Roger Davies. Published by Rizzoli.

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