Outdoor Cushions – Outdoor Living With A Twist Of The Exotic
Outdoor Cushions – Outdoor Living With A Twist Of The Exotic
With summer here and the weather heating up outdoor living is very much a part of the Australian way of life.
Adding a bit of colour with outdoor cushions to your outdoor living spaces and outdoor furniture is a great way to bring your own personal style to different parts of your life.
You could easily be mistaken for thinking you were poolside, in a riad in Morocco – sipping mint tea from a gold embellished glass while plucking dates from a branch – and that’s just the way Perth graphic designer and owner of Moteef, Terri Ioannou, wants it.
Moteef is a supplier of vibrant coloured outdoor scatter cushions reminiscent of decorative tiles and luxe outdoor candles. We wanted to know more –
Tell us about Moteef and why outdoor scatter cushions?
“As a country we spend a lot of time entertaining and relaxing outdoors and I felt there was a place for a dedicated outdoor living brand aesthetically inspired by the exotic destinations that appealed to me. The idea for Moteef was driven by my interests in graphic design, travel, Perth lifestyle and the love of a long chat over a good tapas platter! But seriously, my aim is to invigorate personal interactions in outdoor living spaces. Form and function go hand in hand and colour is very powerful – it can affect mood, appetite and willingness to communicate. What better place to start than with unique scatter cushions? They offer big visual impact, are easy to move around, they enhance relaxation and comfort and, in the scheme of things, are not a big investment.
All Moteef cushions are wonderfully soft, mildew, stain and water-resistant – perfect for those who like unique homewares but need them to be family and pet friendly too. They have been designed in sets of four to help with the potential overwhelm of colour matching but there is no right or wrong and many designs work outside of their intended combos.
Photographer Mon Palmer
Photographer Mon Palmer
Luxe outdoor candles –
The recent addition of three luxe outdoor candles to the range supports Moteef’s mission of designing products that create a vibrant, comfortable outdoor living space that inspires good mood and personal connection. “Scents have an odd way of bringing back memories don’t they? That’s what I had in mind when I was conceptualising these as well as wanting the essential oils to be effective against mozzies. I teamed up with Perth based Self Organics to help me realise the range and I’m proud to say we now have 3 very different scent blends designed to repel insects but also enhance a social space.”
Using 100% natural soy wax and a lead-free pure cotton wick, these luxe
outdoor candles are a custom blend of citronella, essential and fragrance oils –
chosen for their well known insect repelling properties.
How can we use colour in our outdoor areas?
Tips for decorating with colour outdoors:
- It’s good to really consider how the space will be used. A small balcony will have different considerations to a large patio with an alfresco kitchen. There is merit in decorating consciously to create a space with purpose. My advice to anyone starting this way is to select main furniture pieces that are neutral in colour to use as a base.
- I believe colour is best introduced in the accessories like cushions, floor rugs, occasional tables, planters and lanterns. This way individual items can be moved around depending on the event and changed seasonally with ease, especially if the core pieces are neutral.
- Colour cues can come from foliage, flowers, pools or other painted surfaces and it can be a nice to echo those in your accessories. A quick flight around Pinterest, as a basic tool, will show up loads of great colour combinations that work seamlessly in nature if you’re really stumped. A decorative theme is another good start for colour and décor selection. Hamptons, tropical or eclectic boho, for example, will each have style features that can guide your choices. Failing all that, pick colour(s) that really makes you feel your best and go from there.
- Select a main colour and introduce two or three complementary colours into the mix to add visual interest and relief from monotony in the space. (Refer to a colour wheel if you need to – colours on opposite sides of the wheel generally work together.) The secondary colours can be reflected in other cushion designs, tablewear and pots for example.
- Lastly don’t be scared to mix patterns. The trick is to find common colours in different patterns in order to tie them together. Use scale too – a larger print design with a smaller one.
Moteef – Vibrant outdoor cushions which are water-resistant, mildew resistant, soft and durable.
Available online and made in Perth, Australia.
What is your favourite outdoor furniture stores?
Eco Outdoor
Archipelafo Living
Online interiors inspirations?
I like to stay in the know about contemporary styling, other product developments in and around my niche and design trends in architecture and garden design, outdoor living, interior design and homewares. I follow a few sites to help me stay up to date.
http://www.theoutdoorcooperative.com
What social media accounts do you visit on a regular basis for inspiration?
On Instagram, I enjoy flicking through these (among many others) to get my daily dose of eye candy.
@mydearmorocco
@Bazaar_living
@greenhouseinteriors
@mon_palmer
All images are owned by Moteef and used with permission.
Visit Moteef For More Details
Moteef Website – Facebook – Instagram – Pinterest – Twitter
