How to Pick the Best Garden Furniture for Your Patio

The range of garden furniture is ever increasing. From the pleasing curves of the Lutyens bench to the confines of the outdoor sofa, just how do you choose the right furniture of your patio?

Think about it, make a list, draw a plan

Like most projects, the ones with successful outcomes start with a ‘consultation phase’. In other words, they start by people thinking through what needs to be achieved and this is exactly how you should start the process of buying garden furniture for your patio.

What would you like to do with the patio? Is it the perfect spot for dining in an evening, for example? Or is it a sun trap that you would like to enjoy at any time of day?

The activities best suited to your patio will inform the best garden furniture choices.

Try before you buy

When it comes to seating, the best way to get what you want is to take a seat, especially with some of the more fancy patio seating options.

The swinging egg-bamboo seats look great but are they are robust as you would like it to be? And the ‘comfy’ informal garden seating for the patio, is it really as comfortable as the manufacturer says it is?

If you are investing a significant amount of cash in garden furniture, doesn’t it make sense to try before you buy?

Simplicity is key

There are some amazing examples of garden seating out there and they all look so great staged for photos.

But those cluster of outdoor scatter cushions and beige seating covers all need to be stored and cleaned. And for you, this could mean sending just as much time washing and wiping them down, as it does sitting on them.

As well as style, consider the simplicity of maintaining the garden furniture.

Don’t forget about storage

Storage has already been alluded to – just where will you store all those cushions? – and thus, it is worth considering in its entirety.

Hardwood benches, for example, can be left out all year round, providing they are covered and protected from frost in the winter, an outdoor existence won’t dent their finish.

However, other materials don’t fare as well so you will need to consider how you will store the gargantuan L-shaped outdoor sofa and all its cushions, alongside the bistro set and dining table.

Storage is essential in the garden thus, if you don’t have undercover space for your patio furniture, invest in high-quality protective covers that fit at the same time you buy it.

What about colour?

When you buy patio furniture, you aren’t necessarily confined to the colour of natural wood although there is something satisfying about its natural tones in the garden.

There are many colours on offer from neutral tones such as beige and grey, to more vivid colours.

You can, of course, paint your own furniture using suitable furniture paint. Adding a dash of colour to the patio with coloured furniture is great for giving it an extra bit of pizzazz.

Want colour but without adding too much? Consider mellow grey and pretty off-white, as well as sage green and sea blue for a change.

Quality, every time

Garden furniture, as well as being heavily used, is also heavily abused y the weather thus, it makes sense to opt for the very best quality you can afford.

Softwood and plastic tend to be at the cheaper end of the pricing spectrum but won’t have the longevity, certainly in the case of softwood. Hard plastic is tough to recycle so maybe opting for a better quality and natural material would be the better option.

The creme de la creme of garden furniture material is hardwood. With is dense, packed inner timber it withstands all kinds of weather and needs only a little light nourishment every now and then with oil.

Quality isn’t always denoted by price so check the material of the garden furniture set and the reviews other buyers have left online.

Consider dual purpose items

The more versatile a piece of garden furniture is, the better it will perform for you over the years.

Something as simple as adding a bench with under-seat storage is great for keeping the kid’s toys at the end of the day. Or dining chairs for the outdoor table that have a recline function for when you want to soak up the sun.

What style of garden furniture would you choose? How would great furniture change how you use your patio?

Garden Benches has everything you could possibly need for your patio, including the beauty of a hardwood Lutyens garden bench.

*This is a collaborative post*