The British summer may be a capricious thing, with any given week seeing torrential downpours followed by baking heat, but that makes it even more important to seize every moment in the sun when it does appear, whether that’s over a long, lazy al fresco lunch or evening cocktails with friends in the garden.
While the weather may be inconsistent, Indian Ocean is the opposite: for 35 years the British brand has stuck to its core principles of innovation, environmental awareness and craftsmanship, making it the most trusted name in outdoor furniture, both in the UK and worldwide.
The firm’s Creative Director Heather Hobbs notes how their arrival on the design scene in 1990 coincided with a shift in the way people use their outdoor living spaces, whether that’s a garden, courtyard or balcony. The blurring of the boundary between indoors and outside called for a new kind of furniture tailored towards those seamlessly flowing spaces. ‘There has been an evolution in outdoor furniture design towards more relaxed outdoor sofa seating using innovative materials such as rope with open, yet sculptural, silhouettes,’ she explains.
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Heather says, ‘in 1995 we helped to establish WWF95, a ground-breaking partnership between businesses and the WWF. As founding members, we strived to ensure that our timber would always be sourced in well-managed forests. The creation of the Forest Stewardship Council® followed on from WWF and helped us to supply FSC® certified Teak products.’
So what’s next for the brand? Conquering America, if the opening of their first space at High Point Market in North Carolina this spring is anything to go by. Sticking to their values but always innovating is a surefire recipe for success, ensuring maximum enjoyment of the great outdoors. indian-ocean.co.uk
