Mosquitoes in the Mist
 Mosquito Nix's system keeps the bugs at bay. |
Mosquito Nix is adding a store in Jacksonville, its eighth in the state. As its name suggests, the Dallas-based company specializes in keeping mosquitoes and other outdoor bugs, including "no-see-ums," at bay, using a fully automated misting system composed of a series of nozzles placed in an outdoor living area that spray a natural pesticide twice a day, 40 seconds at a time. The company can install a typical small system, which costs about $2,000, in a day. A large area can take as many as 10 systems. Quarterly maintenance is necessary to check nozzles and refi ll the pesticide drum. "About 60% of our business is in the high-end residential market," says Tampa general manager Eric Kroon.
Catering to the Outdoors A Smith & Hawken all-weather wicker Concord sofa. |
 Smith & Hawken lamps are made for outdoors or indoors. |
Smith & Hawken, a purveyor of upscale outdoor living accessories from furniture to fi xtures and gardening tools, opened its Florida fl agship store at Downtown at the Gardens in Palm Beach Gardens this spring. It's the fi rst of several planned for the state. The 11,000-sq.-ft. store showcases the company's new Renaissance format -- a contemporary take on the furniture showroom idea but with outdoor rooms and products.
The store's best sellers are all-weather wicker and teak furniture, outdoor lighting and fi re pits. These all fi t the latest trend, says company spokeswoman Noelle Smith, of decorating outdoor spaces to look like indoor spaces with sofas, lounge chairs, coffee and end tables, even lighting and overstuffed cushions and throw pillows made from weather-resistant fabrics.
The Palm Beach Gardens store has an in-house consultant.
Smith & Hawken was founded in 1979 and purchased by Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. in 2004. Florida resorts such as The Breakers in Palm Beach, the Ritz-Carlton in Key Biscayne and the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo have used Smith and Hawken outdoor furnishings for years. Tile Trends
 Coverings Etc's Sierra Negra lavastone tile. |
Miami-based Coverings Etc, which specializes in unique and eco-friendly indoor and outdoor tiles, introduced a new lavastone surface material this summer called Sierra Negra. The company owns and operates two showrooms, one in Miami's Design District and the other in New York City's Soho. Its tiles are large, about 18 inches by 36 inches, and come in a variety of hand-chiseled surfaces and work well as trims and pavers for landscaping as well as outdoor wall surfaces. The tiles sell for about $11 per square foot. In Europe, the eco-friendly building materials movement is more mainstream, says Sonja Bergensperger of Coverings Etc. The products are very durable, she says, simple to install and require little or no maintenance.