When Telescope Casual chose that name for their company around a century ago, it might have been prophetic; Telescope has consistently seen into the “distance” and has stayed on the leading edge of casual furniture design and construction for decades. From their iconic “director’s chair” to the uber-modern Bazza contour chaise Telescope rocks.
So for the last couple of years Telescope has begun to produce patio furniture built from marine grade polymer (MGP to its friends). Absolutely beautiful patio furniture that is incredibly comfortable to boot. I mean, incredibly comfortable. I’m sitting on a lumpy leather couch right now, wishing I was sinking into one of their ultra-thick and hear-the-angels-sing cushions.
MGP isn’t really new; as its name suggests, it has been used for marine applications for years, but it is relatively new to the patio furniture industry. It’s an ideal application; MGP is a high-tech plastic that can endure a lot of abuse; it isn’t fazed by the sun, salt water, rain, snow or any of those other elements that can wreck a set of patio furniture. It won’t peel, chip, fade…to give you a better idea of how amazing this stuff is; you know those white cutting boards you can buy for your kitchen? That’s the stuff. You can’t even cut it with a knife.
New for 2014 is Telescope’s “St. Catherine” – not to be confused with the Saint Catherine who was beheaded back in 305 AD – I’m guessing (hoping) it was named after the Saint Catherine parish on the island of Jamaica (Jamaica, mon) ormaybe Lake St. Catherine in Vermont. But I digress…
The St. Catherine is not only practical and comfortable, it is also beautiful. (Which is one of the reasons why St. Catherine got beheaded, not that it has anything to do with this.) It features wide, curved MGP arms and legs; sort of an updated mission furniture look or a more modern take on traditional wooden patio furniture. It’s big, but not over-powering; in fact it is down-right graceful in its charm and design.
The St. Catherine cushion collection includes a sofa, loveseat, swivel rocker, arm chair and ottoman; there is also a coordinating St. Catherine “sling” collection that includes dining and lounging furniture. The St. Catherine is available in a variety of frame finishes and you have your choice of a huge array of outdoor fabrics to customize the cushions. I’m kind of partial to “Astoria Lagoon” a new striped pattern by Sunbrella; I also like “Mod Mink” and the funky “Tide.”
Another newbie is the Bazza Collection; Telescope’s first venture into combining patio furniture’s ubiquitous aluminum frames with MGP. The Bazza Contour Chaise is a killer contemporary design; the aluminum frame is topped with a plank of MGP which keeps it cool to the touch and lengthens its looks and life considerably; perfect for commercial venues.Other offerings in Telescope’s MGP line-up include the Leeward (awesome) and Adirondack Collections as well as otheraluminum/MGP marriages including the Avant, Cooper and Chandler groups.If you are shopping for new patio furniture, take a look at Telescope Casual; they have been in the bi’ness a long, long, long, time for good reason. Cutting edge design, all-star construction, astonishing comfort…and did I mention it’s all made in the good ole USA?
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