Poliform Ketch outdoor seating

A back stretched like a sail

The idea is literal. On the sofa and the armchair a flexible back is held in tension between two solid iroko uprights, so it gives when you lean into it instead of stopping you dead. Most outdoor seating solves comfort by piling on cushions; Ketch solves it in the structure, which is why the cushions on it can stay thin.

Iroko is the reason this family survives outdoors. It is a dense West African hardwood with natural oils that handle rain and strong sun, and left unoiled it drifts from honey toward silver grey. That change is not damage and cannot be prevented by covering the furniture; it can be slowed with oiling twice a season if you prefer the darker tone.

The coffee tables repeat the solid legs of the seating and carry the collection's weight down to ground level. Placed inside a sofa run they finish the group; placed alone on a deck they read as objects, which is how Massaud draws most of his tables.

For an American terrace the practical question is salt and sun rather than rain. Near the coast, rinse the frames with fresh water a few times a season; in a desert climate, the cushions age faster than the wood and are the part worth replacing rather than the whole piece.

The back gives because it is stretched, not because it is padded.