A Breath of Fresh Air

Mark McMenamin -- Interior Design, 4/1/2010 12:00:00 AM

Progressive proclivities need not wilt in the open air. Proving that point, the Essential Nature indoor-outdoor line from Paola Lenti celebrates the interplay between humans and their environment.

Francesco Rota designed six of the collection's seven seating options. The Afra chair's basketlike seat of braided polyamide, which fits around a stainless-steel frame 37 inches across, can be removed for cleaning. Wabi, a sofa 77 inches wide, combines a cushion covered in UV-resistant polyester terry cloth with a back constructed from waterproof polyolefin rope or polyamide woven through iroko rods. With the Ami chairs, he discovers color: There are 10 choices, all polyester, for the indoor version, while the outdoor edition comes in 18 choices in polyolefin or polyamide woven around stainless-steel frames that are 31 inches wide.

Blue polyolefin, braided this time, provides a segue to one of the collection's modular rugs: Shang's modules, 27½ inches across and offered in 16 colors, combine to create a standard size of 79 by 110 inches. Claesson Koivisto Rune's Kaleidoscope, available in more than 50 colors, is constructed from the manufacturer's signature wool felt at a standard 78 by 114 inches. Or specify custom dimensions for both. Karkula, 212-645-2216; karkula.com. circle 418