As the remnants of Summer fade into Fall, as the leaves turn into fiery gems and make their last descent, as the signs of harvest take over the landscape (both city and country alike), what is it you dream of? Fall’s always been my favorite time of year, but I can never quite shake the feeling that I’m missing out on something authentic, something in the realm of getting back to earth, of procuring my own food perhaps…

Canasta. Designed by Patricia Urquiola. Manufactured by B&B Italia.

Surely we’ve all lost something during our historical exodus to the cities (even if we never knew we had it). How else to explain an affinity for the artifacts of harvest: wreaths of dried husks, the technicolor corn that emerges from same, the ubiquitous pumpkin. Here’s an image to speak to this atavistic longing: an old stone villa in the verdant hills of Tuscany or Aragón, undulating fields of grapes on the vine, a formidable slab table of sturdy Spanish oak heaped with seasonal bounty, the smoky aroma of the outdoor hearth, primed to bake all manner of bread and pizza formaggio, Rioja or Chianti by the carafe.

Now for the secret ingredient-B&B Italia’s Canasta Collection of outdoor furnishings. Spanish for “basket,” Canasta evokes an old world sensibility, an age of finely handcrafted furnishings made from locally produced materials. Designer Patricia Urquiola, hailing from Oviedo, Spain but now living in Milan, “approached the outdoors starting from the theme of woven patterns-reviving and personalising the concept with a traditional look in mind, but giving it a decisively contemporary look without using too much nostalgic influence. Vienna straw, with its decorative geometric shape, was the element of inspiration.”

If the aim is to evoke the past while incorporating the future, the collection succeeds admirably. Consisting of high and low-backed armchairs, sofas, loveseats, picnic style tables, side tables, a funky, pillow-backed, “beanbag” style low-slung chair, and a pair of enticing chaise lounges, each piece features an aluminium or stainless steel frame, polyethylene interlacing painted with polyester powder in white or bronze, and thermoplastic glides and castors. The cross-hatching gives the collection its connection to the old-the subtle undulations and thickened quality of the backing remind one of earthen stucco, the very same material at the heart of those impossible Italian villages, suspended on the ribs of a promontory of rock. And the contemporary feel is owed to the rigid foam cushions and steel elements of the frame. This feature is most apparent with the chaises, in which the structural components are emphasized rather than hidden, thus evoking such classics as Kiesler’s Party Lounge, or the Eames’ Lounger. But Canasta never loses sight of its roots-the collection is just the ticket for a drowsy afternoon spent dreaming of the old country.