Need suggestions: garden furniture for my new home

[Glossopguy]

Hey everyone!

I know that I seem crazy to look for garden furniture at this time of the year, but now there are some good discounts because it is not in high demand.

So, I recently took the plunge and bought a house. It's such an exciting (albeit slightly daunting) new chapter in my life!

What makes it even more special is that it comes with a garden. I've always dreamed of having a personal outdoor space, and now it's real.

I'm currently looking for some garden furniture to make this relaxing space truly my own. If you guys have any recommendations, I'd be more than thankful.

I've been eyeing this range of all weather furniture. The fact that this furniture is made to withstand different weather conditions really appeals to me.

I'd love to hear about your experiences and suggestions. Has anyone tried the all-weather furniture before? What other brands or types of garden furniture should I consider?

 

[Jacob]

Hey everyone!

I know that I seem crazy to look for garden furniture at this time of the year, but now there are some good discounts because it is not in high demand.

So, I recently took the plunge and bought a house. It's such an exciting (albeit slightly daunting) new chapter in my life!

What makes it even more special is that it comes with a garden. I've always dreamed of having a personal outdoor space, and now it's real.

I'm currently looking for some garden furniture to make this relaxing space truly my own. If you guys have any recommendations, I'd be more than thankful.

I've been eyeing this range of all weather furniture. The fact that this furniture is made to withstand different weather conditions really appeals to me.

I'd love to hear about your experiences and suggestions. Has anyone tried the all-weather furniture before? What other brands or types of garden furniture should I consider?

Looks hideous as though it's been found dumped in a layby! Expensive too.
I'd go for trad deckchairs or directors chairs and some sort of slatted table, all of which you'd take in when the weather's bad, or in winter etc.

 

[Dabop]

Rattan (cane) furniture is ok (and I personally like the look of it) but I did find that the tables in particular were not particularly 'even' on the surface- so things being stood up on them tend to be wobbly- ie glasses etc could easily fall over- no spilling the beer allowed lol)
Plus the cushions should really still be taken in (or moved under cover) as they often stayed 'damp' from overnight dew and sitting down to a 'wet bum' isn't the most pleasant feeling lol for a morning cuppa coffee (one set I had had 'vinyl' covers instead of woven covers (still some sort of plastic on the woven covers) and the smooth vinyl ones got stinking hot to sit on if they had been in the sun... even though they were a very pale light greyish blue...

 

[Terry - Somerset]

There is no good or bad - it's a lifestyle choice.

Unless you are prepared and able to bring them inside, select that which is so far as possible weather resistant. Aluminium better than steel - more expensive but does not rust.

Wood good - but unless your are prepared to recoat with varnish and preservative each year, get a weather resistant wood. Teak nice but expensive, oak etc will silver if left untreated.

Do you want to eat outside (eg: BBQ) - proper chairs and table. Or lounge in the sun (when it happens) beer in hand - deckchair or similar.

Cost - table + 4 chairs - probably anything from £100 (cheap and nasty?) to £1000 (expensive and may last a long time)

For the record - we have had a fairly cheap enamelled steel table and chair set for ~10 years outside permanently. It does now need replacing. Plus a couple of deck chairs when the aforesaid beer and slump in the sun beckons.

 

[ColinDeVelen]

Why buy? Why not make? I have made chairs, benches, tables out of cheap wood / reclaimed pallets etc. I have no expectation of them lasting a lifetime, but the first ones I made have lasted 8 central european years so far with no finish on. (They currently have six inches of snow on them )

 

[flying haggis]

https://www.gardencentreshopping.co.uk/all-weather-garden-furniture

how much!!!!

 

[Sideways]

Aluminium + glass works for us. Chairs can be folded up and hung in the shed but no harm done if left out for the summer. Fabric seats of some woven artificial stuff means the rain runs through and they dry pretty quickly. The table has sat out since it was bought several years ago, plants on and under it through winter, cleaned off in spring for eating outdoors.
It's just practical.

 

[DrPhill]

Hardwood picnic table - out all year, used as a workbench, dining table etc. Has lasted fifteen years so far and no sign of deterioration (other than cosmetic).
Teak 'steamer' chairs - in the shed during worst months otherwise out all the time. Cushions brought in when rain is expected. Ten years and looking good. We only brought the chairs in during the winter because they cluttered the decking a little. I could imagine leaving them out all year.

 

[ColinDeVelen]

I also built some planters that were sized to a convenient large pot, and they have simple bench seats that link them. Very nice if you just want to sit between the roses. Again, all softwood, all seasons exposure. I even put a small solar powered fountain in one. If you find a simple design that you can make relatively quickly and easily it can be quite nice and modular.
I expect, with this being the first house with first garden, that the requirements / design will evolve quite quickly, so maybe worth not spending too much money on the first go.
(The rocking version was just a prototype to check the radius and position, but it worked well enough that I just left it and started working on something else )

 

[Glossopguy]

Looks hideous as though it's been found dumped in a layby! Expensive too.
I'd go for trad deckchairs or directors chairs and some sort of slatted table, all of which you'd take in when the weather's bad, or in winter etc.

Trad deckchairs and directors chairs do have their rustic charm, apart from being cost-effective.

Rattan (cane) furniture is ok (and I personally like the look of it) but I did find that the tables in particular were not particularly 'even' on the surface- so things being stood up on them tend to be wobbly- ie glasses etc could easily fall over- no spilling the beer allowed lol)
Plus the cushions should really still be taken in (or moved under cover) as they often stayed 'damp' from overnight dew and sitting down to a 'wet bum' isn't the most pleasant feeling lol for a morning cuppa coffee (one set I had had 'vinyl' covers instead of woven covers (still some sort of plastic on the woven covers) and the smooth vinyl ones got stinking hot to sit on if they had been in the sun... even though they were a very pale light greyish blue...

I, too, enjoy the aesthetic of rattan furniture.
We have a special place ready for the cushions, a built-in wardrobe. So no problems there.
The uneven surface sounds tricky - we definitely can't risk the beer!

There is no good or bad - it's a lifestyle choice.

Unless you are prepared and able to bring them inside, select that which is so far as possible weather resistant. Aluminium better than steel - more expensive but does not rust.

Wood good - but unless your are prepared to recoat with varnish and preservative each year, get a weather resistant wood. Teak nice but expensive, oak etc will silver if left untreated.

Do you want to eat outside (eg: BBQ) - proper chairs and table. Or lounge in the sun (when it happens) beer in hand - deckchair or similar.

Cost - table + 4 chairs - probably anything from £100 (cheap and nasty?) to £1000 (expensive and may last a long time)

For the record - we have had a fairly cheap enamelled steel table and chair set for ~10 years outside permanently. It does now need replacing. Plus a couple of deck chairs when the aforesaid beer and slump in the sun beckons.

Well said, Terry.
The rattan on that site is all weather. I don't know how true is that, though.

Aluminium + glass works for us. Chairs can be folded up and hung in the shed but no harm done if left out for the summer. Fabric seats of some woven artificial stuff means the rain runs through and they dry pretty quickly. The table has sat out since it was bought several years ago, plants on and under it through winter, cleaned off in spring for eating outdoors.
It's just practical.

Appreciate the insights. Haven't thought about aluminium.

Hardwood picnic table - out all year, used as a workbench, dining table etc. Has lasted fifteen years so far and no sign of deterioration (other than cosmetic).
Teak 'steamer' chairs - in the shed during worst months otherwise out all the time. Cushions brought in when rain is expected. Ten years and looking good. We only brought the chairs in during the winter because they cluttered the decking a little. I could imagine leaving them out all year.

That's quite impressive longevity for outdoor furniture! That's what I'm looking for. I don't mind paying more now, as long as it's durable.

I also built some planters that were sized to a convenient large pot, and they have simple bench seats that link them. Very nice if you just want to sit between the roses. Again, all softwood, all seasons exposure. I even put a small solar powered fountain in one. If you find a simple design that you can make relatively quickly and easily it can be quite nice and modular.
I expect, with this being the first house with first garden, that the requirements / design will evolve quite quickly, so maybe worth not spending too much money on the first go.
(The rocking version was just a prototype to check the radius and position, but it worked well enough that I just left it and started working on something else )

Great work! Looks very good.
Thanks for the suggestion. We'll see. For now, we rattan appeals to us. But who knows, maybe tomorrow we'll want something else.

 

[Dabop]

Trad deckchairs and directors chairs do have their rustic charm, apart from being cost-effective.



I, too, enjoy the aesthetic of rattan furniture.
We have a special place ready for the cushions, a built-in wardrobe. So no problems there.
The uneven surface sounds tricky - we definitely can't risk the beer!



Well said, Terry.
The rattan on that site is all weather. I don't know how true is that, though.



Appreciate the insights. Haven't thought about aluminium.



That's quite impressive longevity for outdoor furniture! That's what I'm looking for. I don't mind paying more now, as long as it's durable.



Great work! Looks very good.
Thanks for the suggestion. We'll see. For now, we rattan appeals to us. But who knows, maybe tomorrow we'll want something else.

I used them for quite a while (my ex took them with her lol) and our solution was having fairly large plastic 'cutting boards' we used as placemats, after one too many spills... the seats were fine, it was just the table top that caused issues (rattan isn't the flattest surface)