Outdoor Furniture Tips

So you need a little help selecting the perfect outdoor furniture but you're short on time? Read on!

Here's our 3 Tips for selecting the perfect outdoor furniture for your outdoor entertainment or alfresco area.

FUNCTION Vs FASHION

Remembering why you're looking for outdoor furniture in the first place will keep you on the right track when looking for the perfect setting.

Are you looking for a place to sit or eat outside?
How many people are you looking to accomodate?
How often will it be used?

Finding something that checks all the right boxes starts with knowing what you need, not what you want.

MEASURE TWICE - BUY ONCE

Any outdoor lounge, dining or furniture set you consider needs to work in the space you've got! Forget buying something just because it's on sale.

Measure your space or work off your plans
Factor in some room to navigate around the furniture (eg. with a chair pulled out, can I walk around it?)
Big & bulky furniture makes a small space feel smaller

QUALITY

There's a few key components to look for when thinking about the quality of outdoor furniture

Aluminium: Light weight yet highly durable, aluminium is cast making it very strong and rust-free

Steel: Usually powder coated to prevent rusting, steel is cheaper than aluminium furniture but also very strong

Iron: May be cast or wrought. It's very heavy and extraordinarily durable, although it may need to be treated to prevent corrosion

Wood (Pine, Mahogany, Teak): Both hard and soft woods are used to construct outdoor furniture. Depending on the type of wood used and the finish of the product, timber furniture looks natural

Rattan: Tightly woven from strands of UV stabilised PE, rattan looks great and is hardwearing entire piece usually lasts a long time

Plastic/Resins: Not as durable as other materials, plasitics furniture can be suceptible to weakening over time but is inexpensive and can look amazing.