A touch of vintage

RIEDEL Magazine, Issue 02 Summer 2025 | Text: Barbara Jahn | Reading time: 4 minutes

Small to start with, then big: the joy of setting up and designing a garden is truly timeless. The furniture used for this is too, even if some of it was ‘born’ in a different decade.

This article appeared in RIEDEL Magazine, Issue 02, Summer 2025. The outdoor furniture trends featured are for the 2025 season; availability and model names are correct as at the time of publication of this issue.

The garden as a living room

It looks set to be another hot summer – the perfect opportunity to turn your garden into an extension of your living room and spend as much time there as possible. By the pool, on the terrace, in the loggia or simply in a quiet, secluded corner surrounded by greenery, the most delightful temptations await, like an invitation to take a little time out and simply relax with an exciting book, a refreshing drink or a cosy cushion.

Enjoy the summer

Two women in light-coloured swimsuits sit on a white air mattress at the edge of a pool with limestone terraces. — Cacao lounge furniture and air mattress by Diabla. Design: Odosdesign

That summery lightness is undoubtedly also a particularly strong link to the 1980s, which keep cropping up in the current furniture collections. Looking back, one recalls a very carefree decade in which so much was possible, as growing prosperity fostered a degree of independence that had not existed to that extent before.

That summery lightness is undoubtedly also a particularly strong link to the 1980s, which keeps cropping up in current furniture collections.

Holiday travel was booming, as was the iconic architecture that spilled over from America to Europe – such as the work of Richard Meier and Frank O’Gehry – which set new standards. Not to mention the trend for installing a swimming pool – after all, people wanted to continue enjoying a bit of that holiday feeling at home.

Cut-out image of a tiered sofa with blue-and-white patterned outdoor upholstery and loosely placed cushions. — Outdoorsofa DS 1025 Terrazza by de Sede. Design: Ubald Klug

Today, those who own a property of this kind are reaping the rewards of a golden age that has inspired people to enjoy what they have created to the full. The gardens laid out back then now delight visitors with mature trees providing shade, lush vegetation, spacious terraces and conservatories, as well as a beautifully designed pool area that can be fitted out with new furnishings.

For some, this idyll would probably be complete with songs playing on a wireless retro radio, such as ‘La isla bonita’ and ‘Holiday’ by Madonna, or ‘Walking on Sunshine’ by Katrina and the Waves.

Celebrating life

Large modular sofa with petrol-coloured patterned outdoor upholstery on a lawn in front of dense greenery. — Standard sofa with ‘Every Stone’ outdoor upholstery by Edra. Design: Francesco Binfaré

Following the revolutionary 1960s and 1970s, full of colourful patterns and garish colours, the trend continued in a similar vein ten years later, albeit in a slightly more subdued manner. Space was no longer the issue – there was plenty of it, after all – some of the patterns remained, the colours became more subdued, and photo wallpaper made its debut. As a contrast to this, the first signs of minimalism began to emerge, with delicate woven patterns, chrome-plated textures and, certainly, plenty of glass.

If you look around at trade fairs today, you – at least those of us who grew up in the 80s – are reminded of that era, when a life brimming with beautiful and extraordinary designs was not only possible but also something to aspire to. It was a time when creative minds such as Ron Arad could really let their imaginations run wild with plastic, or when Alessi, together with Philippe Starck, reinvented the art of cooking and tableware using stainless steel. In Italy, the Memphis Group was founded in 1981; its artistic legacy still resonates and remains a prominent feature at trade fairs to this day.

Armchair and matching pouf with a light metal frame and green patterned cushions, cut out against a white background. — Emmi Cord Outdoor armchair and pouffe by Minotti. Design: Hannes Peer

So the stripes, curves, ornate details and opulence – but also the so-called ‘anti-designs’, which emerged at the time as a counterpoint to the staid order – are back.

So the stripes, curves, ornate details and opulence – as well as the so-called ‘anti-designs’, which emerged back then as a counterpoint to the staid order – are back, preferably including an outdoor version that once again evokes memories of a happy childhood in the garden. As you gently rock back and forth, you can lose yourself in these memories undisturbed. But what could be better than escaping from everyday life in this way? So don’t think about it for too long – just go for it!

Green woven metal rocking chair hanging freely from two ropes, cut out against a white background. — Lisa rocking chair by Scab. Design: Marcello Ziliani

Why mature gardens are so sought-after these days

The article highlights a point that is often underestimated in the property market: anyone who owns a house from the 1980s with a garden laid out at that time has something today that cannot be rushed. A shade tree takes thirty years to grow, and a mature hedge almost as long. New-build plots with freshly planted plots will only reach that stage in a generation’s time.

In terms of valuation, this means that the age of the garden and the mature trees form part of the property’s substance, not its fittings. Outdoor furniture for the garden can be replaced with every season; a thirty-year-old tree cannot. Anyone wishing to sell such a property can get started by looking at ‘Selling a house in Munich’, and property staging is available to help with the presentation. The Munich market report shows how supply and prices have developed recently.

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