Complete buyer’s guide to garden furniture

A beautiful home is not about how large the house is, but how things fit with each other snuggly. A well-arranged house with a window that looks over a garden or backyard for you to work on really completes the home with a picket fence. You can enjoy your lunch in the garden, or sit out for a tea-time conversation, or wake up to a beautiful smell of soil and green, and enjoy your freshly ground coffee. It’s as close as it can get to meditating. You can personally design the space where you want to exist and live. Create a garden space that uplifts your mood and is your escape from the routine. 

Here are some tips for you to keep in mind while designing your garden space: 

1. Invest in quality: when it comes to outdoor furniture, they tend to charge more than indoor furniture due to high-quality material that has to stand the test of time and weather. 
   1. While you may want to buy chairs and tables that are inexpensive but you will get only what you pay for. The chairs will not provide for a longer duration, become brittle, and fade as time passes. 
   2. It is better to invest in quality pieces that are long-lasting, water repellent, and made from solid material. They come with more extended warranties. 
   3. Inspect the finishing of the furniture. The surface must be sanded and smoothened. Soft edges, clean, smooth lines, no faults whatsoever. Do not compromise.
   4. The wicker must be tightly wound; the steel joints must be welded tight. Evenly painted with no rust spots, make sure the metal or the wicker is not of cheap quality. 
2. Investment in dual purpose: 

Patio furniture doesn’t have to serve the single purpose of seating people around the table. You might want to consider the table that stores plates and glasses for a bottle of evening wine with your loved one. Or for snacks while reading your favorite book in the garden. A piece of storage furniture to keep the pillows and rugs after use in the patio itself. 

3. Map your space:

Before you buy the furniture, it is essential to be clear on the size you want to choose for your garden space, where you want to fit the setup, and the plants around it. If you want it in the middle of your garden, you pave a gravel way to set the aesthetics. If you want it next to your kitchen and garden, you might want it similar to a dining table, considering who would eat inside when you can enjoy the green alfresco-style dining. 

Measure out the space available for your patio and each object you want to fit in there. Next, plan the layout of the furniture: number of chairs, a center table, a sofa. Be mindful of the size of the chair and center table so that it fits in according to your liking: snuggly or spaciously. 

4. Match your aesthetics:

Your patio is the part of your house so match it with the insides or design it to be in stark contrast with your house, displaying two different vibes for you to switch alternately. Your patio must match your style. You can design a boho space, a classic space with a firepit, a vintage space with retro chairs, or utterly mismatched furniture. Click here to choose from unique designs to match your style and comfort.  

5. Minimum maintenance: 

With a 9-5 job, you want to relax when you get home. Choose the chairs, rugs, cushions, and tables that are forgiving, easy to maintain, and protect. Some furniture loses its sheen, is too delicate to scratch, isn’t water-resistant, and is prone to heat damage. Some furniture may require oiling to maintain their color or scrub brush and soap for cleaning, while some may be tolerant only to a soft cloth. You might want to choose one that has easy cleaning steps and low on effort.  

6. Material and build: 

Invest in the material of the furniture to ensure it sticks with you through any weather conditions. You want a fair trade-off between the quality material and your budget. 

1. Plastic or PVC: weather-resistant and durable under normal conditions, plastic furniture cheap to a fault. But it loses its strength over continuous exposure to sun and heat and cracks up. 
2. Rattan and wicker: the most preferred material for its classic look and comfortable feel, rattan wicker is not weather resistant. But you may choose synthetic rattan and wicker that are weatherproofed and easy to maintain. 
3. Steel, wrought iron: you may want to invest in cushions and rugs when you are going for the minimalistic look of steel and iron. They have to be painted with water-proof paint to prevent rust and make them weather resistant. 
4. Wood and teak: weather-resistant wood like teak and cypress are weather resistant to a certain degree and are in accordance with the garden look of green and woods. But it would be best if you protected them from exposure to UV rays and water to increase their life longevity. 

7. Accessorize: you can constantly renovate your yard space by adding to the furniture and retouching with paint and accessories. 

1. Adding fairy lights: a loom of fairy lights for a lovely evening and a book for you to finish will slow down time for you to enjoy. You can use solar lights or stake lights for a glowing space. 
2. Umbrellas for the sunlight: catch your breath with a slow afternoon under the umbrella in your yard. Protect your skin and eyes from the bright UV rays in the cool shade of your umbrella.
3. Firepits: a winter evening in the garden is possible with a firepit and a bunch of shawls to keep you warm. You can go traditional to burn firewood of the dead trees in your yard or use gas-supplied fire pits for a hassle-free option. 

Conclusion:

Make sure you don’t overshoot your budget while investing in your furniture for your home and yard space. With a complete set of instructions, you may now begin to map your yard space to install a small, comfortable unit for your leisure activities with your family. After all, what’s the point of an outdoor yard/garden if you don’t connect with the plants in it.