Most of us love to entertain outside during the warm summer months, whether we have a simple apartment balcony or a rambling country garden. Choosing the right garden furniture has the ability to enhance our outdoor spaces, making them places we can enjoy for as long as the weather allows! Here’s our guide to choosing the best patio furniture for your home.
Metal garden furniture is a great value option, adding a modern elegance to your garden. Lightweight and versatile, it can be moved and stored away with ease, taking relatively little effort to maintain. Unless it’s made from aluminium, you will want to protect it with an anti-rust coating. As it doesn’t weigh much, be careful in windy weather as your furniture will be easy to blow over.
Wooden furniture gives your garden a natural, traditional look that is right at home in the outdoors. It can be stained or painted to suit your tastes, and different woods produce unique and beautiful graining. Hardwood options will last longer, as they produce a natural oil which protects the wood from wind, rain and sun damage. These are more expensive than softwoods such as pine, which will need coating with a weather protectant, if they don’t come with it already. Wooden furniture will transform the look of any garden, and is sturdy enough to withstand strong winds. You must treat your wood regularly to protect it from burrowing insects and rot.
A fresh and modern take on garden furniture, rattan offers great flexibility in both functionality and design. It is available in a variety of weaves that mimic woven wicker, but is much more lightweight and long lasting, often pre-treated to be weather resistant. Rattan furniture is easy to clean and looks good in even the smallest of gardens. Be careful in strong winds however.
Outdoor dining sets are perfect for more formal dinner parties and casual dining, consisting of a large table and dining chairs. They often come as 4, 6 or 8 seaters, depending on the size of your garden. Many come with a parasol to protect you from the midday sun, whilst some have a firepit in the middle of the table, providing warmth and ambience well into the summer evening.
Consisting of sofas and chairs with large cushions, lounge sets are perfect for relaxing in the sun and for casual entertaining. Many come with a small coffee table, and make the ideal place to relax with a book in the afternoon sun. Lounge sets are usually quite large and require a decent sized garden.
With a lovely European charm making them perfect for small gardens or patio areas, bistro sets consist of two chairs and a small table. They are compact, with many folding away for easy storage if you need the extra space. They are a great solution for those who have a balcony apartment, but no garden or patio space.
Benches can be placed against walls rather than in the middle of a patio, allowing you to enjoy your garden from wherever you choose. They are usually made from wood or metal, and are a versatile addition to any outdoor space.
The ultimate in relaxation, hammocks don’t necessarily need to be strung up between two palm trees - although we highly recommend this if you can! Supported hammocks can be placed anywhere in your garden, meaning you can enjoy the gentle rocking motion with pina colada in hand, even if there isn’t a tree in sight.
These are great for admiring your garden while softly swinging in the warm sun. Swing seats have cushioned seating, usually seating 2 or 3, that hangs from a sturdy frame and swings back and forth. Many have a canopy to provide shade.
Sunloungers were made for ‘me time’ in the sun, with the recliners allowing you to sunbathe and make the most of hot, balmy weather.
Now you have a general overview of the most common and stylish types of outdoor furniutre, check out our wide collection to find the perfect set for your garden.
