Outdoor living notebook

Pull up an Alki, and we'll talk

If care is not taken, the elegant home can end rather abruptly at the back door. Patio furniture can be so, well, outdoorsy.

But furniture designer and builder Tim Celeski is here to keep that from happening. His West Seattle company creates a custom line of Arts & Crafts pieces that marry fine furnishings to outdoor furniture. The new line is called the Elliott Bay Collection and features the Medina (recalls Greene and Greene designs noted for their Asian influence), the Alki ('30s modern with sweeping curves), the Bainbridge (traditional Northeast Adirondack), the Wallingford (Craftsman/Stickley) and Leschi (with elegant Limbert details).

Pieces include casual seating, dining sets, benches and stools, and come in a choice of woods and a variety of sizes. This stuff is really custom: "Some men request a slightly longer chair back if they have a long torso. Easily done," according to the studio's Web site.

It's all beautiful enough to drag inside and leave it there. But you could also have it custom finished for indoor use.

The price range, for furniture made of mahogany, for example, is $650 and up for Adirondack chairs or benches, $695 for stools, and $2,300 and up for dining tables.

Call Tim Celeski Studios at 206-932-4466 or check out the Web site at www.celeski.com for more information.

Woven for the weather

So you've snagged the gorgeous patio furniture, and now it needs a nice new weather-be-damned outfit.

Perennials Outdoor Fabrics has what it takes to fill material needs in gardens, near pools, on yachts and for casual-living areas. Coordinating acrylic stain-resistant fabrics come in solids, reversibles, prints, wovens, stripes, trims and sheers. Designer John Hutton's prints combine contemporary flair with a classical foundation, taking care not to overpower the natural surroundings. There are probably more than 300 choices to be had at Perennials, and the new line, Paradise Found, is bright and light.

The fabrics are guaranteed for three years against color fading (prints guaranteed for one year). "Uh-ohs" rub out with soap, 409 or Simple Green and lukewarm water. The suggested retail price range is $98 to $138 per yard for the 54-inch-wide fabrics. They are available locally to the trade from Susan Mills Showroom at the Seattle Design Center, 5701 Sixth Ave. S., Suite 200, 206-682-6388. Browse the fabrics at www. perennialsfabrics.com or call 888-322-4773.

Tote, tote, cheerio!

Dig this, a tough but terribly fashionable Burberry garden tote with a plaid lining. It's not inexpensive — at $485 — but it does come with garden twine, two shovels and a planting fork, so it's not like you have to start from scratch or anything. And with the pretty paisley design in leafy greens and a hint of pink, this tote could double as a summer bag. Who's to know? Find it at www.vivre.com or call 800-411-6515.

For the birds

Prefab housing is the big wave of the future. But if you'd like to begin with just a little wave, check out the prefabs for birds at www.modernbirdhouses.com.

First a bit of history: As the country faced the challenge of housing millions of soldiers returning from World War II in the mid-1940s, a few architects rejected the idea of suburban developments filled with identical homes. In 1945, Arts & Architecture magazine kicked off the Case Study House Program, enlisting architects to design houses that would demonstrate modern alternatives to tract housing.

We told you that to tell you this: Modern Birdhouses harks back to that movement. The dwellings for the finely feathered are inspired by modern architects Richard Neutra, J.R. Davidson and Ralph Rapson. They are known by the architects who own Modern Birdhouses as the Case Study Master Series. Such a fancy name for a house on a stick.

They are handmade from sustainably harvested teak, and feature simple lines and modern details. The wood is finished with an oil that protects against water, mildew and UV rays. Roofs are sandblasted ¼-inch-thick aluminum plate and aluminum dowels. The opening, 1 3/8 inches in diameter, will satisfy the usual cavity-nesting birds, such as chickadees, bluebirds, wrens and swallows. The three styles range from $150 to $175. You can also contact the company at 888-252-3146.

What a way to water

If it rains a bunch more and becomes p.c. to water the lawn once again, hook up the hose and water to your garden's delight with Smith & Hawken's new sprinkling lawn sculpture. If it's too dry to water, plant it and leave it simply as a piece of outdoor art.

Works either way.

Water pressure from the garden hose causes the handcrafted copper hoops to slowly spin, casting a gentle spray. Stakes at the base anchor the piece. The medium sprinkler, at 23 inches tall, costs $149. The large, 43 inches tall, is $199. The sprinklers can be had via the Web or through the catalog only, but sales people can order them for you at the two local Smith & Hawkens: a store and nursery in Bellevue at 12200 Northup Way, and a Seattle store at University Village, 4622 25th Ave. N.E. See them at www.smithandhawken.com.

Rebecca Teagarden is assistant editor of Pacific Northwest magazine.