Outdoor living at its best

Trends and winners from SOLEX 2023.

Sustainability remained high on theagendaand brighter colours were definitely in evidenceat SOLEX, the outdoor living exhibition in July.Alongsidethese latest outdoor livingtrendsand design ideas, buyers were treatedtoa host of award-winning newproducts andlivelyoutdoorcooking andbarbeque demonstrations.“The hallwas buzzing,and it was great to see such engagement in thenew ranges and productsondisplay,”saysGina Hinde, LOFA Marketing Manager.“As always, the exhibitorspulled out allthe stops. Thestands looked fresh andvibrant, and the furniturewas plentiful,with many newdesignsand some exciting additions to their ranges. But it wasn’t just the furniturethatimpressedeveryone-the BBQexhibitors were also on topform, andwecouldn’tget enoughofthe fantastic food theywerecooking in the Loving Outdoor Livingarea.”

Furnituredevelopments

Aluminium and weavesets remainon trend,and although it’sbeen aroundfor many years, therewas agreater selection of furnitureincorporatingbraided polyester rope, strappingorsimilar in avariety of widths. As well as looking attractive, sets havethe advantage of being lighter in weight– useful for transportbysuppliers and consumers too. Newranges were on display by many companies including Garden Impressions and Firmans Direct which also twins its sets with all-seasoncushions.According to Director Jilly Firman, its newBali range wasextremely well received.

Muchofthe furniturewas aimed at the luxuryend of themarket and forthose with large outdoor spaces, buthome owners with patiosorbalconieswerenot forgotten. Many of thelargersetshavemodular options giving consumersthe flexibilityto choosewhatwill fit in theirspaceand there arestill plenty of ‘tea for two’ and bistro offerings. Kaemingk’s rangewas certainly aimed at thismarket

Bring on the

colours

Trade shows area great wayfor companies to gaugecustomer opinion and Supremo wasacaseinpoint. It’sMirfield four-seater dining setand barset stoodout from the crowd and MarketingManager Kim Tomlinsonsaidthe chairsingreen and pale bluewerethe best sellers. Orangewas popular but the brightbluehad just afew followers

Asimilarstory wastoldbyGarden

FurnitureGlobalwhich introducedits Harbo Your Wayinitiative allowing buyers to customise their ranges by choosingstyles, features and colours of rattan or aluminium furniture but also eightcolours of cushions. Sagegreen and terracotta were creating much interestbut again the bright blue provedtobea‘marmite’ colour

Glencrest Seatex went down another routefor adding colourwith thenew Sara BlakeDécor range of 20 colourfuland highly patternedcushions partneredwith throwsand scentedcandles.The idea, says

Sara, allows customerswho arenot ableto buy awhole newset of furniture,tospruce up and add ajoltofcolour to what they already have.

Forcooking outside

The capabilities of barbeque cooking continue to improve with many companies making full use of what the digital world has to offer.Linking to aps, those, including Kamado Joe let youknowthe temperatureof your food and when its ready throughmobile phones, allowing cookstojoin the party

Outside in the Loving OutdoorLiving area,the smelloffoodtempted many visitorstowatch lively demonstrationsand enjoy thefun of the BBQ Herocompetition. Judges deemed the best 30-minute steak sandwich was madebythe team at Cheeky Charlie Ovens. Theotherstaking partwere Kamado Joe,CharBroil andGrillStream.

Newproduct winners

Previn Patel, Chairman of LOFA,says thatconsidering the challengesof the past fewyears, he was pleased and surprised to seethe highlevels of innovationand newproduct entered into thecompetition. He was ajudge alongwithAlyn Williams from Zest andLOFACouncil Member; Marcus BawdenofThe BBQ School; Chris McCormack, LeisurePlan; Stephen Davis, Southsea Deckchairs andLOFA Council Member; James Storey, PlanetMark.

1. Best Small Stand. CharBroil

Freshand cleanwith agood layout cleverly usingthe small spaceto clearly showingall the ranges. “We areoverthe moon to getthisaward and excitedtoshowour ranges to our customers,”saysLukeHopkins, General Sales Manager

2. Large stand. Bramblecrest

Aclose competitionbut it’s clear signagepipped theother entries to thepost.

3. Best Individual Product. Lifestyle Appliances PowerPack

Ahighquality and compact power pack robust enough forcamping but also suited to home garden entertaining

4. Best Sustainable Product. LifestyleGarden OnyxChairs

Recognised forits stackabilityand aluminium legs.

5. Best FurnitureProduct. Tramontina Mood Lounge Set

Judges lovedits quality and attention to detail and AlexandreFrubel, UK Managing Directorysays: “It was great to be recognised and to be able to stand out from the crowd.”

6. Best BBQ Product. Kamado Joe Konnected Joe Highlightedfor itsgame changingtechnologytoattract anew audience to theworld of barbequing.“We builtthis barbeque as we aretrying to get more peopletouse charcoal, to access as many people as possible and to makeithassle free,”says Ben Forte, Kamado Joe’s Global MarketingManager