We can’t stress enough how furnishing your outdoor living space is just as important as furnishing your indoor living space… Just as you take your time browsing sofas and loveseats for your living room, you should take the same amount of time and care in choosing furniture for your outdoor living space as well.
Maybe it’s not a big deal to you because you don’t spend much time outdoors… But we can guarantee you that if you take the time out to carefully choose your patio furniture and design your outdoor space to accommodate your needs, you’ll never want to go back inside!
When shopping for outdoor patio furniture, be sure to keep the following factors in mind.
Style
If we’re going to be honest here, style (how the furniture looks), is the first thing people look at when shopping for patio furniture. It’s understandable though. Nobody is going to buy patio furniture if it doesn’t go with the exterior aesthetics of their home. Style is definitely an important consideration but it’s definitely not the most important. The key is to find something you like that matches the aesthetics of your home’s exteriors but also check for the other top considerations as well.
Size
There are many factors to consider when it comes to the size of your patio furniture.
- You want the furniture to be large enough where you can sit comfortably without feeling overcrowded but you don’t want the furniture so big that it takes up your entire outdoor space.
- You have to look at how low the furniture is to the ground too; If it’s too low, you’ll have a hard time getting up.
- The seating shouldn’t be so deep that your feet can’t touch the ground.
- Outdoor dining tables should be large enough to seat people comfortably.
The biggest consideration of patio furniture, when it comes to size, is the size of outdoor space you have. A good rule of thumb is to always measure your space, and then measure or check the dimensions of the furniture you’re interested in buying to make sure it won’t be too big for the designated space.
Comfort
You can’t gauge how comfortable a piece of furniture is by looking at it online. Sure, you can go off customer reviews and product descriptions, but nothing beats going to an actual store to test the furniture out yourself… The cushions may look plush in the pictures, but once you visit the store and actually sit on the couch or chair you liked online, you feel the framework beneath the cushions… That makes for very uncomfortable seating.
Storage and Care
In purchasing outdoor patio furniture, you also want to be mindful of your own habits and how you’ll be able to properly care for your furniture and store it. If you want patio furniture but with the least amount of hassle, you’ll want to purchase furniture made from quality materials that are easy to clean and maintain, for sure. Then, you’ll want to invest in accessories like furniture covers so that when the cold months come or bad weather comes, you can cover your furniture and know that you’re extending its lifespan by doing so.
Quality
When shopping for outdoor patio furniture, you want to ALWAYS look at the materials the furniture is made from. Depending on what the furniture is made from, it will give you a better idea of just how long the furniture will last.
You have to understand that this type of furniture is outside and endures all kinds of weather conditions like rain, snow, and wind… and that’s not including extreme hot and cold temperatures! So you want to make sure the furniture is made from quality fabrics like Sunbrella or Olefin and constructed with Ipe/Teak wood or aluminum.
Those aren’t the only quality materials to look for, of course, but they are some of the best materials. You can actually check out our Consumer’s Guide to the Best Outdoor Furniture Materials… This guide will tell all the damages your furniture is susceptible to and why quality materials are a major consideration to factor in.
Multi-Functionality
This isn’t always a big factor for some people but for many, getting a two-for-one deal is a win-win all around. Multi-functional pieces save space and improve efficiency. We have fire pits that serve numerous functions. Select brands of fire pits put out heat and can play music from Bluetooth connections. Some even serve for storage purposes as well. You just have to determine what the function of your space will be and prioritize those factors from most important to least.
From style to functionality, there are many considerations to factor in when it comes to choosing outdoor patio furniture. Be sure you consider them all.