Designing the cast-aluminum Avery Collection came naturally to outdoor senior furniture designer Esse Tarrolly. You might even say it was in her blood. When she was growing up, her father specialized in selling historic homes, and that gave her a taste for antiques. She was intrigued by the intricate details and extensive thought that went into creating each unique building. So it’s no surprise this is where she turned for inspiration for our latest outdoor furniture collection.
“Every time I’m looking for inspiration for a new collection, there’s an aha moment, where I know I have it.”
For the Avery Collection, her aha moment came in the form of a gate she spotted in photos of Parisian architecture. “I wanted to do an update on classic Parisian quatrefoil designs. I kept a traditional look in the legs, but created a more modern and geometric pattern in the details on the side of the chair”, she says.
Esse Tarrolly, Senior Furniture Designer
Avery’s detailed design is a modern interpretation of the classic quatrefoil.
Sketched detail of the chair’s leg.
After sketching concepts for the lounge chair, the vision she had in her aha moment started to come to life. “To get the form only took about eight sketches”, she says. I knew I wanted to create a faux-wingback feeling for the curvature. The side detailing was a labor of love – and I finally landed on it after nearly 100 sketches.” Once she perfected the lounge chair, she carefully translated the design to a sofa, loveseat, side table and dining set. “I wanted all the pieces in the collection to speak the same elegant language,” she explains, “but still feel like individual pieces you might mix with other styles.” Esse’s eye for detail reveals itself in unlikely places. The dining chair’s seat, usually covered by a cushion, reflects the geometric design detail seen in the seating collection.
After the sketches were translated to computer designs and a sample was made, Esse and a team of merchants tested it and she made adjustments. “I check the arm height, the seat height and, of course, the comfort”, she explained. “I also make sure the furniture feels as special in person as it did in my sketches.”
