How To Choose The Right Garden Furniture

Buying new garden furniture is an investment, and there are definitely lots of things to consider.  I recently took delivery of this beaut coffee set, from Garden Site – the Rowlinson Willington.  It seats 4 people comfortably, and with it’s low-level coffee table, makes it great as informal seating area for drinks, or tea and cakes, as we did recently.

Willington Seat Features:

• Includes 2x Armchairs, 1x Bench and 1x Coffee Table
• Crafted with Hardwood Timber
• Sturdy and Attractive
• Comfortable Shaped Seat Design
• Complete with a Stain Colour Finish
• Simple Assembly

My husband built the whole set in less than an hour, and it was easily done by one person, so I was just supervised..ahem. I’m quite good at that job.  We were both impressed with the quality, construction and also the instructions which were very easy to follow. All of the screws were in little white cloth bags (which we have since reused) and not plastic ones, a really nice touch I think.

So what should you consider when you are looking for garden furniture?

Here are my hints to get you started :

Measure your available outdoor space!

I’ve been caught by this more times than I can remember, so now the tape measure is my always in my bag. Everything looks smaller until you get it home, so my top tip is measure, or that bargain set of furniture you found, no longer seems like a good deal.

Consider what pieces of furniture you need

Think of the layout and kind of feel you want from the garden furniture you buy. It is also important that any outdoor furniture you purchase is based on the needs of your family and how you use your outdoor space.  If BBQing is your thing, and you usually invite lots of friends and family then a large table and chairs is needed for example.  We do have BBQ’s but every evening, one or all of us sit outside if the weather is nice, so this table will be perfect for us.  We’ve actually put our table and chairs away for the winter already, we are definitely fair weather BBQ’ers.

Pot of tea was on its way!

Think about storage

Now it may seem strange, but how the furniture is going to be stored, sometimes for us comes before anything else.  Storing it over winter really does prolong the life of it.  Even if its hardwood, or ‘all weather’ it still needs protection. If you don’t have a garage or shed, then think about pupose built storage for the garden, or maybe even repurposing some of the pieces inside your home.

Consider the different materials

When shopping for outdoor furniture, another important decision you have to make is regarding which material is best for you.  There are three main materials :

• Timber garden furniture
  I must admit this is my favourite. It’s got a warm natural feel. However it does get effected by the weather with fading, splitting of the wood, warping even.  The good thing is this generally can be rectifyed with sanding and paint or stain.  I would recommend though that you go for a hard wood that is dense and moisture-resistant, such as teak. Also how this is joined is important, look out for brass and stainless steel fittings.
• Metal garden furniture
  We have lived in this house for over 11 years, and during that time our next door neighbours have moved twice.  The same metal garden funiture is being used though.  Why? Well for a couple of reasons I think.  Its incredibly hardwearing and heavy. You do need to make sure the furniture has a UV-resistant powder-coated finish as this will prevent oxidation on the surface.
• Rattan garden furniture
  The modern material, that has really been a big deal in the garden furniture inductry.  They come in so many styles and colours, its an interesting one to go for, as it looks more natural and rustic even, but it isn’t, its very hardwearing and durable.  Again consider how the furniture is contructed.

We absolutely love our coffee set, and its been used lots as we seem to enjoying this late blast of summer sun. Huge thanks to Garden Site for letting me review the coffee set, I’m sure we’ll have many years of use from it.