How to Choose the Right Garden Furniture for Your Outdoor Space
Garden furniture might seem like a simple purchase. But there's actually a lot more to it than you might have otherwise thought. From its upkeep to its general usability, and everything in between, there are a few things you need to consider before taking the plunge. So, here's how to choose the right garden furniture for your outdoor space, no matter how big or small that space might be.
Ask yourself how often you'll actually use it
It's easy to spend a lot of money on garden furniture that seats a lot of people or that comes with up and down tables or built-in fire pits and ice buckets etc. But before you do that, you should think carefully about how much you're actually going to use the set and whether that amount of people will realistically use it at the same time.
Think about your purchase in realistic terms and don't just imagine yourself on a terrace in Spain with all of your friends. It's a lot of money to waste on something that will be rarely used, no matter how many heatwaves we have.
Consider the different materials available
There are loads of different materials to choose from when it comes to garden furniture. But each one has its pros and cons. Metal, for instance, is hard-wearing and nice to look at, but it's prone to rusting and paint chipping.
Wicker is aesthetically-pleasing but it's difficult to clean. Wood is durable and timeless, but it requires constant staining or painting to keep it looking fresh. Plastic is easy to clean and move around, but the UV can take the colour out of it.
You need to weigh up the pros and cons of each material before settling on one for your garden. Each home is different. You might not get a lot of full sun, so plastic would be better, for example. Garden furniture goes far beyond just how it looks and feels. It's all about maintenance, time and general upkeep over the years.
What about its maintenance?
Maintaining anything outdoors is a pain. It's mainly because it gets dirty and wet very easily and very quickly. It requires constant ongoing brushing down and washing off, so you want to make sure that the furniture you choose it made of an easy to clean and maintain material.
Ensure its comfortable
When you do get to use your outdoor furniture, you want to make the most of it, and that involves spending a few hours in the sun. The best way to enjoy this? Make sure that your garden furniture set is comfortable, especially if you're going to be spending a lot of money on it.
Think carefully about its storage
The UK has very turbulent weather. One hour it could be hot and sunny and the next it could be wet and cold. It can also snow, frost or ice over and temperatures could also reach record highs. So not only do you have the cold and wet to worry about, but you also have to take UV seriously.
Seeing as the weather is never really consistently good, I totally recommend, regardless of the set you choose, that you store it away when it's not being used. It also helps to protect furniture from bird droppings, which is dirty and has the potential to strip furniture of its colour, paint or even metal coating.
The way to mitigate this? Make sure it can be stored easily in a shed, garage or another outbuilding. We store away our outdoor sofa and chairs, but the glass table is too big and heavy to move. So what we did is bought a cover that's waterproof to protect it from the weather and the birds.
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I hope you enjoyed this blog post? Let me know in the comments if you have any more tips for choosing the right garden furniture for your outdoor space and I'll see you all again soon with some brand new content!
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