Specialty retailer, The Fire House Casual Living Store and Castelle make a design score at the Clemson football Outdoor Village.

Q & A 

What made you select the CASTELLE furnishings for the outdoor spaces on this project?

Earlier this year, Clemson University unveiled the results of a monumental team effort—a facility built to shape and enrich their gridiron athletes’ lives including amazing outdoor spaces. The finished result provides the team an outdoor oasis of championship proportions.

On Feb. 1, 2017, the newly crowned national champion Clemson Tigers introduced a multi-million-dollar, 140,000-square-foot football complex. It was conceived and designed by head coach William “Dabo” Swinney and Thad Turnipseed, director of recruiting and external affairs. Within the 55-million dollar football complex, there are amenities for training, study and wellness, but the mental health of the players was also a top priority. The facility’s Outdoor Village is where specialty retailer Fire House Casual Living and Greenville, SC store manager Donnie Owens utilized CASTELLE to create a place for the players, families and staff to kick back and relax.

A conversation with Owens provides insight into the project and his selection of CASTELLE.

Outdoor Plan

Q. How did you become involved with this amazing project?
A. “Nick, the project manager, invited us out to the work site. We discussed how they wanted each area to function. We knew Clemson wanted their outdoor spaces to have a resort style and feel, and to provide their football program with different areas for dining, relaxing and entertainment. From these conversations we determined that Coco Isle collection by Castelle addressed all the durability, comfort and style requirements of the project.

Q. Were accommodations made for the use by healthy athletes?
A. Our national champs weigh in at anywhere from 200 to 360 pounds each. That’s asking a lot from a piece of outdoor furniture. We recognized that durability was just as important as resistance to rust and fading and we were confident in our selection.

Also, on most outdoor furnishings, when you have someone that weighs more than 220 pounds, they are going to feel the frame under the cushion they are sitting on. We took this into consideration in our selection to ensure that didn’t happen.

Outdoor Rooms

Multiple areas for grilling, lounging, dining and gathering were incorporated within the massive outdoor plan.

Q. What were other considerations in your exterior plan?
A. When I was working on this space, I really kept in mind just how hard these guys work both on and off the field and the amount of pressure they must feel. I wanted to give them a space where they could quiet not only their bodies, but their minds, as well.

Also, within the Zen area the fountain was a focal point of the area and I surrounded it with four seating areas again using Castelle Coco Isle.

Clemson Contact:
Thad Turnipseed, director of recruiting and external affairs, Clemson University

Construction Project Manager:
Nick Dalton, Sherman Construction

The Fire House Casual Living Store:
Donnie Owens, store manager
Visit us online: fhcasual.com

Location of Project:
Clemson University, Clemson, S.C.

Furnishings Brand: 
Castelle (Coco Isle Collection)
Fabric Brand: Sunbrella

Photo credit: 
TigerNet/Clemson University Athletic Department