Prado Outdoor project

Venice Beach Retreat

This Venice Beach retreat uses its outdoor space every month of the year, which is the defining fact of the project. In Southern California there is no seasonal pack-away, so every piece is on display and in service three hundred and sixty five days a year.

Year-round exposure shifts the risk from weather events to accumulated UV. Coastal Los Angeles delivers high sun hours with marine layer moisture most mornings, a combination that fades printed fabric, chalks painted finishes and greys out timber unevenly. The specification uses solution-dyed acrylic, where pigment is added before the fibre is extruded and colour holds for years rather than months, along with Grade A teak heartwood that weathers to an even silver instead of blotching.

The layout favours flexible, movable groups over a single fixed arrangement, matching how the space is actually used through the day. Cushions were built in our South Carolina program on quick-dry reticulated foam so morning marine moisture does not leave seats damp into the afternoon.

Specified for this project

• Grade A teak heartwood, weathers evenly under high UV
• Sunbrella solution-dyed acrylic, pigment added before extrusion
• Quick-dry reticulated foam for marine layer morning moisture
• 316 stainless hardware for coastal air
• Movable seating groups rather than one fixed arrangement