Outdoor furniture has been in the Lee family for three generations. Now, Brian Lee and his son, Collin, are on a mission to restore that kind of longevity to weather-battered pieces from premier manufacturers.
“We started in 2012 as a resource for people to secure and protect the investment they have made in high-end patio furniture,” Collin says of the family-based business, CFR Patio.
When the desert climate takes a toll on those strappy loungers and vintage dining sets by Brown Jordan, Tropitone, O.W. Lee, and Salterini, CFR picks them up and then returns them fully refurbished. Completely rust-free and bent back into shape or repaired when needed, the furniture is ready again to face the party with a freshly power-coated frame and new vinyl straps “for half of what it would cost to repurchase it.”
What gives the furniture an edge over new is the client’s ability to go custom, from frame color to cushions. Under one roof in Pomona, CFR crafts custom outdoor cushions and offers 30 stock finishes along with the option to order a custom powder-coat.
“We recently did a curry color, but anything is possible,” Collin says. “Golfing community clients in La Quinta and Palm Desert usually want to stay with neutral earth tones; customers who are really into the midcentury look choose bright colors like orange, turquoise, or even light yellows and greens.” The company has also started to fabricate midcentury-style sun shades, and all work is done in house for quality control.
Inside the Palm Desert showroom, opened in late 2019, high-quality chairs and tables that were once strewn about CFR’s “boneyard” display the range of restoration possibilities. “And they’re ready to go home right off the floor,” Collin adds.
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