Outdoor Impressions, a Riverview-based company that specializes in outdoor kitchens and furnishings, kicked off its summer season by joining the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce.
The business, in Riverview for more than a dozen years, is showcasing several new furniture lines, which it rolled out during a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony performed by the chamber.
Mitzi Davis, who is marketing the new furnishings, said the sturdy, fashionable outdoor couches, love seats and dining sets are meant to complement the company’s bread and butter – the actual outdoor living spaces it creates.
According to the company, the Tampa area is one of the most prolific in the nation when it comes to adding outdoor kitchens. And nearly every new model home these days features one, with or without a pool.
“We’ve actually worked with a lot of builders,” Davis said. “One is David Weekly Homes, which is building in Encore, the 55 and older lifestyle community adjacent to FishHawk Ranch. We’ve done all the models with outdoor kitchens for them, and we’ve worked with clients there. One of the popular things right now is fire pits. We can also do water features.
“When designers are creating the outdoor space, we can make it come alive right in front of you” using computer software, much like so many have seen on HGTV programming. We can take away, or add to it. We have the ability to sell furniture, so how cool is it for me to work with them and coordinate colors and personal touches to go along with the design.”
Nick Rankin, sales manager and design consultant for Outdoor Impressions said he and his teammates can work with a client and from the time the design work starts until a project is completed takes two- to three months. The cost of new outdoor spaces can be as low as $1,500, but the median cost is somewhere between $5,000 and $20,000, depending on what a client wants.
Rankin said, “We provide patios, outdoor kitchens, concrete, wood pergolas, some water features and fireplaces. The last several years in many of the spaces, clients aren’t doing pools, but a screened sitting area. That kind of package is our most popular.”
Outdoor kitchens remain hugely popular and in some neighborhoods, a homeowner would be considered the odd guy out if his house didn’t have one, Rankin said. “Now, it’s almost expected in some communities. Up in Wesley Chapel, they would expect an outdoor kitchen.
“In Riverview, Ruskin and Apollo Beach, we’ve done Waterset, Waterleaf, David Weekly and models in Triple Creek.
“Our process is a little bit different than our competition. A lot of times clients will meet with us at our design center first, because of our computer abilities. I’ll physically see the home before we meet and create a computer model so we can build the space together. They can actually see what it’s going to look like and be part of the process as it’s being designed.
“We can keep up with the conversation as it’s being built out.
“Clients get to see all building materials. A lot of clients appreciate feeling like they are in the space.”
Outdoor Impressions was featured several times on DIY Yardcrashers. “That was a lot of fun,” Rankin said. “That really kind of helped us get a leg up in the community.”
Outdoor Impressions is located behind its Foundation Coffee outdoor coffee shop at 10020 Carr Road, just off Boyette Road. All the company’s selections can be viewed online at www.outdoorimpressions.net.