Choosing outdoor furniture is really a question about time. Sun, rain, salt air and the swing of the seasons will meet the piece every day. The materials decide whether that meeting adds character or takes it away. At SIMONINI, every outdoor family is built from four material languages, each with its own way of living outside. This is how they work, how they age, and how to care for them.
Brazilian hardwoods for the open air
Our outdoor pieces are built on three woods, each documented in our Care & Use Guide:
- Cumaru (Brazilian Teak). Golden amber to deep brown, with fine linear grains. Offered in Natural and Ebonized Black finishes.
- Sucupira (Brazilian Chestnut). Chocolate tones settling into soft golden. Offered in Natural finish.
- Teak. Golden brown when it arrives, moving toward a silvered patina as the seasons pass. Offered in Natural finish.
Outdoors, wood does not stay still. Tones shift with the climate, and that evolution is the material breathing, not a defect. The care is patient and simple: a soft dry or lightly damp cloth, residues from rain or sea air removed promptly, no solvents, no abrasives, and no airtight covers, because wood needs to breathe. Oil based finishes may ask for periodic reapplication. Done regularly, this is minutes, not hours.
Handwoven nautical rope
Rope is where our outdoor families carry their maritime memory. In the Drift Nautic Collection, handwoven nautical rope wraps the frame as a tactile skin. In the Fence Collection, it works alongside solid wood and milled aluminum. Under your hand, rope is warm and textured in a way metal and wood alone cannot offer.
Care follows the sailor's logic: keep it clear of abrasion, sand, grease and saltwater, let it dry in the shade, and clean it with a soft brush, warm water and mild soap.
Outdoor mesh
Mesh is the quiet worker of outdoor furniture: a taut textile skin, made for open air. The Drift Collection offers it as an alternative to rope. The Rise Collection stretches it across bent metal and warm wood. The Branch Collection softens a refined aluminum architecture with a flexible textile skin. A weekly vacuum or a wash with mild soap and water keeps synthetic fibers ready.
Metal structures
Metal is the skeleton. Drift anchors its tubular frame with diamond cut buckles. Fence pairs its wood and rope with milled aluminum. The rules of care are mostly about what not to do: no varnishing, no submersion in water, no bleach, chlorine or muriatic acid, and no sand or dust left to build up. Water and mild soap solve almost everything.
How to choose for your exposure
A covered terrace, a pool deck in full sun and a seafront balcony are three different lives. Fully exposed pieces ask for daily cleaning to preserve appearance and stability; transitional pieces, weekly. Salt air asks you to be prompt about residues, especially on rope and metal. If you are unsure which material belongs in your space, write to the studio: we advise on suitability, species and finish before you purchase.
Questions we hear often
Which wood is best for full sun and rain? All three of our outdoor species were chosen for the open air. The honest difference is visual: cumaru holds warm amber tones, sucupira moves between chocolate and gold, teak silvers over time.
Does teak really turn silver? Yes. Left natural outdoors, teak develops a silvered patina over the seasons. It is the material's way of recording time.
Can rope furniture live outside all year? It was made for it, with care: shade drying, no saltwater left sitting, storage when long out of use. The full instructions live in the Care & Use Guide.
Materials chosen well do not fight the weather; they keep it company. Explore the outdoor families and let the years do their part.
