Alfresco Home Offers Historic Mosaic Style for Your Patio

With collection names like Gibraltar, Asti, Ponte and Floret, it's quite obvious Alfresco Home offers patio furniture inspired by Mediterranean cultures. If you love the look of old-world mosaic artwork found in the villas and hills of Spain and Italy, you must consider Alfresco Home.

While they do offer powder-coated cast aluminum patio furniture, such as the Floret Dining Collection (view the Floret Dining Collection here), the main attractions of Alfresco Home patio furniture are the mosaic table tops such as the Compass Marble Mosaic Table pictured right as an example (view the Compass Dining Collection here).

Typical of Alfresco's mosaic table top line, the Compass Collection copies classic forms, concepts and designs. In this particular collection, which offers dining, bistro and bar-height bistro seating (view Compass Bistro here; view Compass Bar Height Bistro here), the overall placement of the tiles should look familiar.

The Compass tables (60" for dining and two 30" round tables of various heights for bistro and bar height bistro) copy the elegant geometric look of the compass rose. Also known as a windrose or compass star, the compass rose is the radiating figure found in the center of any traditional compass and in the corner of nautical charts and maps.

You will find the other marble mosaic collections offered by Alfresco equally attractive, such as the 30" Ponte Marble Mosaic Bistro Table Top pictured left (view the Ponte Marble Mosaic Bistro here). Each takes the look of ancient marble mosaics and transforms them for modern patio life, and the names reflect this origin. For example, Ponte is the fifth rione (municipal district) of Rome, and the collection named after it features a color scheme and layout similar to the mosaic masterpieces found in the basilicas, villas, monasteries and churches that can be found in and around the ancient Roman city.

How do they achieve this high-end look? Alfresco uses skilled artisans to build each table. So each piece of travertine, marble and slate is individually placed by hand. It's a painstaking process, but ensures the best quality when it comes to tile.

And Alfresco combines these ancient designs and materials (the mosaic tables are framed by traditional wrought iron) with modern production techniques. Each piece will last for ages outdoors, resisting water, rain, snow and wind.

The traditional mosaic table tops of the past were quite vulnerable at the grout and tile level, coming apart and deteriorating sometimes after one summer. Alfresco solved this problem by improving the grout, utilizing a super-strong adhesive used in industrial applications. It ensures a strong lock between the tile and grout.

And traditional wrought iron patio furniture could be suspect, quickly rusting, chipping and fading due to the rain and the sun. Alfresco has solved these problems with an electrostatic finishing process that adds layers of powder coatings that chemically bond to the wrought iron. The chemical bond ensures no water, moisture, mold, mildew or UV rays can damage this patio furniture.

There are numerous other marble mosaic collections offered by Alfresco in a variety of types, such as the 36" Asti Marble Mosaic Dining Collection pictured right (view the 36" Asti Marble Mosaic Dining here). Pick amongst outdoor dining, bistro and bar height dining collections (view All Alfresco Home Patio Furniture here).

Family Leisure offers all styles and types of patio furniture from the very best manufacturers; view All Family Leisure Patio Furniture here. Looking for the best patio furniture possible? Remember to shop online, save money and hassles with Family Leisure, which offers free shipping nationwide on all patio furniture!