Teak a moment to think about patio furniture

You've been working hard on your deck, patio or balcony - sweeping, scrubbing, staining, planting. Now what about some furniture?

There are many places to look and all kinds of pieces to buy.

Lands' End Home suggests teak. And the company even has teak table and chair sets that fold up for easy storage. Check out the bistro cafe table for $400 and folding chairs that are $275 each or $295 with arms. A larger folding table also is available for about $800.

The first teak benches were recycled from ship decks, according to a piece from the company. That means the wood is unaffected by weather - even very cold winters. It ages to silver gray

And here's what Lands' End Home recommends looking for when buying teak furniture.

• Solid, not plywood with a teak veneer

• Clear and consistent grain.

• Kiln-dried wood, which is stronger and avoids warping.

• Mortise-and-tenon joints at the corners for superior strength.

• Fabric made by Sunbrella resists damaging sun rays and even chlorine, and is water repellent.

You'll have to shop to find your tile style

Matte finishes are among the latest looks in stone and tile - perhaps to offer relief when computer users finally turn away from the screen.

That's the word from Coverings, a recent trade show in California.

Even metallics are trending toward warmer colors such as bronze, copper, rose gold and pewter rather than steel.

Brown and gray are up-and-coming colors. You'll see every shade of purple. Black and white are still dramatic, especially with a shot of lipstick red. And who can resist cream?

You'll see glitter, all kinds of textures, florals and geometrics.

This is Helene from Tau's Galileo Series - concentric squared circles in black on a red and gray ground.

Fans of pattern or plain will like this

Elle Decor gives us a variety of styles in its June issue, of course.

If you're interested in pattern in your design, you'll want to see what Emma Pilkington did with the summer home of Chris Cuomo of ABC's "Good Morning America" and his wife, Cristina, who is a magazine executive.

The living room uses a neutral palette to carry off a large pattern on the sofa, a smaller one on a chair and very wild pillows that look like a Rorschach inkblot test.

In the study, the comfy chairs look like purple zebras. The drapes are much more subtle with a pink design on a dark background.

The designer and the homeowners must really like that faux zebra because they used it in navy blue and white on a settee in the master suite.

Continue through the magazine and you'll find a home with a very different look. White is very important here - inside and out.