Moss Outdoor helps customers transform
their outdoor spaces into sun-drenched
sanctuaries for relaxing and entertaining.
Written By Kimberly Rodgers
Photography by Theodore Bott
For decades, artists and designers have flocked to Santa Fe, New Mexico, inspired by the area’s natural beauty and landscape. The locale’s high concentration of galleries, museums, dining, and shopping attracts millions of tourists each year who are eager to explore and soak up Santa Fe’s rich Southwestern culture, characterized by adobe-style architecture and Spanish influences. It’s easy to understand why Santa Fe has made Travel & Leisure magazine’s 2009 World’s Best award list of top 10 travel destinations in the continental United States and Canada for the eighth year in a row.
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| Moss Outdoor features a striking chair gallery illuminated 24 hours a day. |
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| The Barcelona dining table and chairs by Dedon form a transitional grouping perfect for the Santa Fe outdoor lifestyle. |
The city’s revitalized Railyard district, which celebrated its grand opening in September 2008, has quickly become a popular gathering place for locals and tourists. Located within walking distance of downtown Santa Fe, the Railyard is a busy, thriving development, especially since the recent opening of the New Mexico Rail Runner Express, which provides commuter rail service from Albuquerque (about 60 miles to the south).
Home to restaurants, a farmers’ market, a youth center, children’s play areas, a recreational trail, and lively street musicians, the Railyard features many galleries and museums that focus on the contemporary side of the Santa Fe art scene. It is also the perfect setting for luxury casual retailer Moss Outdoor.
Gloria Moss worked in the New York design and art community for 20 years for noted contemporary furniture companies Cassina and Knoll. She also collaborated with a range of powerhouse architectural firms (including HOK and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill), as well as with designers John Saladino and Mario Buatta.
After moving from New York to South Africa for her husband’s banking position, Moss remained there for five years before the couple relocated to Santa Fe. She opened Moss Outdoor in June 2007.
People are often taken aback when they walk into the showroom (of slightly less than 2,000 square feet) because it is “quite stunningly beautiful,” Moss says. Concrete floors, wooden ceiling beams, and an exposed-brick wall made of materials from 1913 provide the foundation for the space. “We wanted to make it very rustic feeling, but sophisticated, and I think we have addressed that,” Moss says. A highlight of the space is a striking chair gallery, which is illuminated 24 hours a day.
Moss carries upscale contemporary furniture lines from Europe and the United States, including collections from JANUS et Cie, Sifas, and David Sutherland. She also offers Denyse Schmidt quilts (one-of-a-kind pieces handmade by Amish craftswomen) and garden accessories from Eva Solo and Blomus.
The Dedon and Kenneth Cobonpue collections by JANUS et Cie are both very popular with Moss Outdoor’s client base, as is the outdoor teak collection by Sutherland. Modern (yet practical) bird feeders in stainless steel and porcelain, garden tools, and other outdoor accessories also sell beautifully for Moss.
While other casual retailers in Santa Fe carry more traditional lines, Moss Outdoor is unique in its product offerings. “No one else carries this luxurious type of product,” Moss says. The chic outdoor lines found at Moss Outdoor often grace the pages of stylish design publications such as Architectural Digest and Metropolitan Home.
While distinctive in design, the lines that Moss Outdoor carries are also noted for craftsmanship and quality, along with the ability to withstand all types of weather. For example, various pieces from JANUS et Cie feature handwoven polyethylene over steel, aluminum, or stainless-steel frames.
While she is not a licensed designer, Moss does provide site surveys for customers, and she also will take products to a potential customer to stage an area before a purchase is made. Tastefully supplying the outdoor needs of Santa Fe residents is not her only focus; Moss has also shipped furniture to clients located throughout the United States, including customers in New York, Connecticut, Minnesota, Texas, and Florida.
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| A collection of unique seating options—including the Kenneth Cobonpue Lolah easy lounge armchair (bottom center) from JANUS et Cie—graces the Moss Outdoor chair gallery. |
Moss runs her operation with the help of a store manager, and both of them (and the company) have been well received in Santa Fe. Moss is actively involved in the vibrant local design community, which gives Moss Outdoor fantastic exposure.
Moss is a member of Santa Fe Interior Designers Present, a trade association that recently hosted Design Santa Fe 2009 (a three-day design event held at various venues throughout the city), and her residence was part of a personal home tour. The closing-night party was held at her showroom. “I am very proactive with the design community,” Moss says.
Moss has also been the subject of a feature article in Luxe Magazine, and Moss Outdoor was mentioned in an article in the Wall Street Journal about the new Santa Fe Railyard district. Moss advertises in a local trade publication, but does not have a targeted marketing campaign. “A lot of our advertising is word of mouth,” she says.
The eclectic design tastes and styles of Santa Fe residents are definitely positive factors for Moss Outdoor. “There is everything here; it really runs in all directions. We fit in that nicely,” Moss says. “The furniture we carry is contemporary and transitional. It fits every need. While there are some very contemporary pieces, it’s also just a very luxurious outdoor-furniture collection overall.”
PHPR November/December 2009
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