Tucked away in an unassuming location in Carpinteria is a local furniture designer with one simple goal: make the best outdoor furniture in the world.
In spring and summer, of course, our mailboxes are flooded with catalogs selling outdoor furniture, much of it mass-produced and often sold at discounts.
The furniture that Mark Singer designs for Giati is not what you might find in one of these catalogs, and although the company sometimes fills large orders, his furniture is neither mass-produced nor available at bargain prices.
“The guiding principles at Giati are quality and integrity,” said Sharon Collier, Giati’s chief operating officer. “Our goal is to make the best outdoor furniture you can buy. Period. Because when you buy quality, it will last.”
Singer has been designing furniture for many years and, according to the Giati website, he continues to design his furniture the old-fashioned way. He draws each design by hand through various stages, and then works closely with prototype creators to make sure that every element has been thought through.
“His work has been represented in a number of the nation’s most renowned museums, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts,” the website proclaims.
Singer’s teak and cast metal furniture, market umbrellas, pavilions and textiles are used at prestigious clubs and resorts, such as The Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on Hawai’i, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Jumby Bay Resort Antigua and The Wynn Las Vegas & Encore Resort.
Before starting Giati in 1990, Singer designed furniture for other companies for many years.
Although his globe-traveling furniture is made in Singapore, shipped worldwide and featured in many design centers across the country, Singer’s home is on the Central Coast. He runs both the fabric and furniture branches of his company out of his Carpinteria headquarters.
Giati furniture is not inexpensive (a chaise lounge can cost close to $6,000 retail), but Collier explains that they pay for themselves over time.
“We have customers whose cushions and umbrellas stand up to 15 years of intense hotel use before needing to be replaced,” she said. “The furniture lasts even longer. It’s that well made, and what you would expect from an extreme luxury product.”
Singer’s designs are diverse and range from contemporary to traditional.
“Without fail, Mark surprises us,” Collier said.
Of particular note are Singer’s custom-made fabric pavilions, which seem to offer another world — one much more romantic and luxurious — to escape to.
Although there is no set date, locals who are in the know are on the lookout for announcements of a once-a-year sale, held each fall at Giati’s Carpinteria location at 1125 Mark Ave. This sale is an opportunity for those who are not working with a designer to have access to the Giati line of products at a discount.
Collier also explained, though, that those really interested in Giati quality should come and take a look at the company showroom. Giati can always help connect a buyer with a designer or order through a design center or showroom.
The words, “Design preferences are subjective … ergonomics, quality and craftsmanship are not” are clearly behind Singer’s unwavering goal to make the best outdoor furniture product on the market.
— Noozhawk contributing writer Hilary Doubleday can be reached at hdoubleday@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
