Founded in 1992 by Kris Van Puyvelde and Frank Boschman, Royal Botania started with a line of teak outdoor furniture meant to be an alternative to poor quality imports designed in colonial style. The company sought to “fuse superb quality and refreshing designs made out of teak wood.” Since its beginning, the company has broadened its scope, now producing outdoor lighting and bathroom furniture in other materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, and synthetic fibers. Headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium, Royal Botania now employs over 800 people internationally, including skilled craftsmen at its factory in Thailand. In addition to its flagship location in NYC, Royal Botania products are sold through distributors and retailers throughout the country.
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D-Lux Collection —
A new collection, D-Lux is outdoor furniture for design connoisseurs. Featuring straight minimalist lines and convex female shapes, D-Lux combines hard and soft elements “to create design purity.” Ergonomics meets aesthetics in the D-Lux range, which uses shiny aluminum as a unique alternative to more traditional outdoor furniture materials.
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O-Zon —
The inspiration for O-Zon comes from the sun, which takes its shape at the center of the circular O-Zon table. With a Lazy Susan in the middle, the O-Zon table makes dining al fresco a pleasure. Created by Royal Botania co-founder Kris Van Puyelde, the O-Zon Collection includes tables of all sizes (ranging from 90-185 cm in diameter), including bar-height tables, as well as stackable chairs, bar-height chairs, and reclining lounge beds. The pieces have a stainless steel frame, with table tops in teak or glass; the glass is available in white, cappuccino, and black. Chairs and lounges are upholstered in coordinating Batyline. The glass is processed through a new technology so it can be smooth. Instead of being sandblasted, the glass has a coat of color applied through a screen-printing process and then is fired at 400 degrees Celsius.
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Wave —
The design of Erik Nyberg and Gustav Strom, Wave hammock has caused a sensation since its debut at The Hotel Show in Dubai in June 2008. The winner of Interior Design Magazine’s Best of Year Award (BoYA), Wave was also a featured product at Maison & Objet’s Outdoor/Indoor section. As much a piece of art as a hammock or lounge, Wave lets you “leave your troubles behind and be overwhelmed by a wave of wellness.” Constructed of electro-polished stainless steel and two types of perforated fabric, Wave surrounds users in a cocoon of privacy and restfulness. The semi-transparent canopy blocks 86 percent of the sun’s rays, and the hanging lounger can swing gently or remain static. Due to its single-point pivot, the piece appears to be floating, further adding to the effect of weightlessness—to be ensconced in Wave is heavenly.
The name Royal Botania alludes to “both the natural beauty of lush botanic gardens and the matching supreme ‘royal class’ furniture” the company designs. Teak is harvested according to internal environmental guidelines, sourcing wood from dedicated plantations and harvesting with sustainable forest policies. Besides using only mature teak, Royal Botania creates furniture out of materials that are “nearly 100% recyclable.”
