Picnic table made modern: the Hopper by Extremis

May 30, 2011 8:18 AM PT

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The Belgian company Extremis has made the picnic table a little cooler.

At the Milan furniture fair last month, Extremis showed its new Hopper shade, touted as one of the few rectangular sun shields on the market.

The UV-resistant fabric scrolls in two directions from the center, allowing picnickers to tilt the shade poles and expand or contract the piece depending on the position of the sun.

Extremis’ newly expanded Hopper line of outdoor furniture is framed in powder-coated aluminum or galvanized steel, then topped with a hardwood called iroko. Openings on the sides of each bench make getting in and out easier.

Extremis’ agent in the U.S. is New York-based Nova Studio International, which said customers must call for lead time and pricing: (212) 624-1400.

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-- Craig Nakano

L.A. at Home

Craig Nakano

Craig Nakano is the assistant managing editor for Entertainment and Arts. He joined The Times as an assistant travel editor, later served as home editor and most recently was the fine arts editor, leading a team whose accolades included a Pulitzer Prize and an Online Journalism Award. A California native, he worked at the Desert Sun of Palm Springs and at the San Francisco Chronicle after graduating from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He lives in Long Beach with his husband and son.