Room to dine under the stars with Fast
Outdoor dining is the pandemic legacy we are all embracing, and Italian furniture manufacturer Fast has been quick to respond.
By Fast and Emma Moore for
Fast
April 20, 2022 | 10:00 pm CUT
Fast has built on the idea of the outdoor dining room, introducing inviting, tactile materials to its palette. Shown here: Ria armchair with quilted backrest and Allsize table with Iroko table top
The base of Fast’s outdoor tables is always aluminium, but there is an expanding choice of tops. A recent addition is a top for the Allsize model in warm Iroko – a hard-wearing African wood
Outdoor dining is here to stay
And then there’s the most ubiquitous of al fresco activities – dining. Commercially, outdoor dining has boomed. Within the States, 18,000 businesses are reported to have added tables outside over the past two years while OpenTable data says 82% of US diners want restaurants to continue to increase their outdoor seating. On urban pavements and private gardens across the world, gathering around a table to eat, under open skies, is the welcome legacy of the pandemic. When it comes to accommodating these new habits, we are turning to outdoor furniture companies like Italy’s Fast to refine the experience and use problem-solving, gap-plugging design expertise to iron out the bumps.
Corten-effect stoneware is also a material option for Fast's tables. The Corten-inspired rusty tinge brings warmth and harmonises well with stone, brick or concrete surrounds. In the picture: Allsize table and Zebra chairs
Inviting furniture made to resist the elements
Not that Fast, which has traditionally used aluminium as its material of choice, needs to change its business plan too much to fit in. With over 25 years of expertise in furnishing the great outdoors, its evolution towards an ever-broadening, and ever more functional collection of outdoor furniture is a constant. The brand’s latest offering includes customised sizing and new tops for some of its classic tables, including Allsize, now in either Iroko, which is an African wood particularly suitable for outdoor use, treated with water-repellent oils but retaining an inviting warmth usually associated with interiors, or Corten-effect stoneware, which is naturally scratch-resistant and easy to maintain, while bringing industrial chic to the table.
Ninfea is a new line of sideboards in painted aluminium, designed to further develop the outdoor dining area into a fully furnished room. They come in a variety of modern colours
Ninfea storage units can be used to house dishes and utensils for exterior use, so that the traffic between indoors and outdoors is minimised during mealtimes
Rounding out the al fresco dining room
Another convenience that Fast has identified as an upgrade to the outdoor dining experience is the presence of additional dining furniture to complete the exterior room set up. Ninfea is a new range of sideboards made from painted aluminium and built to live outside; they can store dedicated tableware, close to hand. The armchair, Ria, meanwhile, comes newly with a padded backrest and cushioned seat, introducing increasingly comfortable table lounging. 'All the proposals aim to contribute to our enjoyment of time in nature,' says Alberto Lievore, who has authored many of Fast's most recent designs, ‘And what better feast for the senses than staying with our friends around a table... enjoying the open space?' With this much consideration to our comfort on offer, we don’t need to be asked twice.Project Gallery
