Vibrant, durable furniture and accessories create an outdoor room

A traditional living room layout ― sofa, chairs, and tables ― can make a cozy nook outdoors. That’s how Seattle condo owners Tom and Nancy Roth decorated their favorite living space, a 30- by 50-foot beachfront perch. Their deck and its vivid, weatherproof furnishings make year-round alfresco living possible.

Color and form. While the deck’s layout may be traditional, the furniture is not. Molded from durable polypropylene, the chunky Chesterfield-style sofa and chairs are in dusty shades of banana, terra-cotta, and honeydew green. Accent tables and stools in gray, green, and waxy white anchor an oval orange artificial-turf rug. The rug helps define the main space.

Materials and function. Architect Philip Christofides designed an “invisible” glass-and-steel railing to eliminate any visual obstruction. The couple wanted to be able to do on the deck everything they do in their main living room. “We eat breakfast here, and at night we sit with our martinis looking over the beachfront promenade,” Tom says. “It’s the best people-watching spot.”

Design: Philip Christofides, Arellano/Christofides Architects, Seattle (206/623-0511)

Info: Philippe Starck Bubble Club sofa, armchairs, and tables; Pankotto Bench by Bruno Rainaldi; Prince Aha Stool by Philippe Starck, all at Design Within Reach