Outdoor storage units stand up to summer heat
“Summertime, and the living is easy …” — George Gershwin (1898-1937), “Porgy and Bess” American composer and pianist
It’s a fact that summertime can be fun and living can be easy, but if you live in places like Las Vegas or other climes that warm up a lot, summertime can also be a challenge.
Interestingly it seems that Las Vegans do a switch sometimes when the temperature changes. We tend to be outside more when the weather is what most describe as spring and fall, and some of us are indoors more when others use summer as the time to be outside.
Living in a hot climate gives designers the opportunity to change out furnishings, carpets and window treatments. Heavy wool rugs and fur throws and pillows often take vacations, and lighter fabric rugs or sisal ones come out. Throws disappear and sometimes heavy thick pillows are replaced with light cotton ones.
A lot of things change during summer. In addition to our electric bills going up, we sometimes have critters around inside and outside,and we seem to appreciate our heating/cooling systems more. Outdoor potted plants need more attention, and sometimes even high-end upholstered pieces need to be covered during the hottest times of the day.
But regardless of how hot it gets, we do tend to spend at least some time outdoors in the shade — late in the day or in the pool. So being outside calls for places to put things we are using. And we also don’t want to carry everything in and out each time, so it helps to have interesting, functional and attractive ways to store them.
Finding appropriate ways in which to store items can be a challenge. Is it sturdy enough to handle extremely hot weather? We don’t get much rain in Las Vegas, but we do get monsoon rain in the summer. So can your storage container withstand a heavy rain or two? We do get a lot of wind, so is it strong enough to withstand Las Vegas gusts?
Somers Furniture, a local manufacturer of outdoor furniture, has come up with a new line of outdoor storage pieces that fill all of those criteria. The pieces are functional and attractive, and some can store your pillows, towels and cooking utensils. They also serve as a surface for a drink or food.
The pieces can certainly stand up to Las Vegas weather and look very cool with your other outdoor pieces. The company uses a marine-grade, heavy-duty water sealant to coat and protect its wood framing. This marine-grade seal protects the framing from moisture and condensation.
So you don’t have to have a plastic box to hold your things; think outside the box. Adding these beautiful pieces to your outdoor space just adds to its beauty and appeal.
So when you think about living in the Las Vegas area in the summer, we’re pretty lucky. Sure, it gets hot and windy, and, yes, it does rain occasionally, but we have mastered the art of living in the desert.
Living large in the summer doesn’t have to break the bank and we do have options. The indoors can easily accommodate summer, and the outdoors just needs a little help. Once we have a little shade, a little food and drink — and pretty functional pieces to work for us — “the living is easy.”
Carolyn Muse Grant is a founder and past president of the Architectural &Decorative Arts Society, as well as an interior design consultant/stylist specializing in home staging. Send questions to creativemuse@cox.net.
