Backyard bars may be as passe as Webber kettles but I still cling to both as symbols of putting on the dog when friends come over for a summer barbecue.
The retro Sydney Bar ($749) and Barstool ($249) at West Elm reminds me so much of Wendy Klein’s backyard oasis in the early 60s, which was my vacation home away from my own home around the corner. On any given summer day, the yard was sizzling with company, card shark buddies and their wives, annoying older brothers ruling over the ping-pong table, and as many barbecue potato chips and Hostess Ding Dongs as you could swallow.
The Sydney Bar’s trapeze silhouette and marriage of plantation-grown natural teak with black metal legs recalls the strong monochromatic motif of the era, one in which friends gathered for highballs while kids dove backwards off the diving board into a kidney-shaped pool.
The two-tiered counter also is inventive, one for pouring and one for serving guests on the slatted-back stool. While the cushion that comes with the stool isn’t exactly green, you can easily replace it with an all-cotton pad and upholster in a fun eco outdoor fabric like the new textiles from Phifer.
Pony up!