Are you working on an outdoor area and trying to figure out how to choose outdoor furniture for your home? I went through the same thing just a few years ago and want to share a few tips and tricks with you. Let’s get your space ready for spring!
Creating an outdoor space for your family is so exciting. If you are anything like me, you have been researching all of your options to build the perfect space. I just went through this process myself and want to share some things that worked and some that didn’t (so you can avoid issues).
You’re going to learn all about things to think about to help you choose your outdoor furniture. I will share what I considered when I chose my pieces and the mistakes I made that you can easily avoid.
After reading tips on how to choose outdoor furniture, you’re going to have the information you need to make the best choice for your home.
This post is all about how to choose outdoor furniture for your home that will extend your living space into the outdoors.
How To Choose Outdoor Furniture To Fit Your Home
Step One: Come Up With A Budget
Without a doubt, any great project has to start with a budget in mind. Knowing how much money you have to work with will allow you to decide what you want to purchase as splurge pieces and where you can cut back. It should be noted that we budgeted a decent amount of money for our patio (including furniture) when we planned the addition. Because we built our patio during the pandemic, we extended our budget to allow us to build a highly functional family outdoor space.
Step Two: Plan Areas With Functionality In Mind
Naturally, you know your family better than anyone. If your kids tend to always sit at the kitchen bar to eat, then keep that in mind when you plan your space. If you love to decorate a table for family meals, then you might want to splurge on a beautiful outdoor table. In order to create a usable space, you have to give your family what they want and will realistically use. It can’t just be a beautiful-looking space, it needs to be functional.
Take a look at how I planned out my spaces:
Other things to consider are lights, fans, and flooring. This space has recessed lighting on the ceiling with dimmable bulbs, flood motion sensor lights that illuminate the yard for the dog, decorative lights by the door, and also some pointed toward the grill on the other side. Because it can often get hot and humid in late summer, we opted for ceiling fans to circulate air. Lastly, if you are building a new space, you need to consider your flooring. We opted for blue stone because it is extremely low maintenance and it matched our pool stones. All of these elements are important to consider.
Step Three: Try Incorporating Muli-Functional Pieces
Did you happen to notice that our pool table has benches underneath? Surprisingly, that pool table is also a dinner table! Cool right? And, what is even neater is that the covers that make it a table are hanging above the daybed waiting to become artwork for the patio. Here is an up-close view of my pool table/ table:
More ideas for multi-functional furniture:
How about a ping pong dining table:
Click Here To Check This Out On Amazon
Price at time of post: $2,049
I’m a little jealous of this dining table that is also a ping pong and pool table:
Click Here To Check This Out on Amazon
Price at time of post: $4995
Combination firepit/ dining table:
Click Here To Check This Out On Amazon
Price at time of post: $499
Step Four: Let’s Talk About Material
Have you seen those beautiful white outdoor couches? Me too and I really really wanted one! But, after a ton of thinking and research, I realized that it just wasn’t going to work for me. Actually, because I have so many trees on my property a lot of the traditional outdoor fabrics were just not going to work in my space. When designing your space, you need to keep in mind the material that will work for the space. Outdoor furniture is made from all types of material, for example, plastic or polywood, wicker, wrought iron, aluminum, teak, and more. Each material comes with its own pros and cons.
Here are examples of sets in each material:
Polywood or plastic set:
Poly furniture is resistant to all elements and is easily cleaned with soap and water. You won’t have to paint this furniture even after it sits in the direct sun. But, it is heavy. And, I mean two people to move a chair kind of heavy. Also, it might be pricier than you expected to spend.
Click Here To Check This Out On Amazon
Price at time of post: $3,595
Wicker Set:
Wicker is a natural material that has an aversion to bugs and rots. They may not hold up the best in extreme weather, but luckily the newest sets are lacquered in a resin. Lacquered sets give you the best of both worlds. You will get the natural look of wicker and the durability of a man-made product.
Click Here To Check This Out On Amazon
Price at time of post: $599.99
Wrought Iron Set:
Nothing is more classic than wrought iron. And, it’s super heavy so it’s not easily blown over. But, unlike some of the other materials, iron can rust and it needs to be stored inside during winter months if possible.
Click Here To Check This Out On Amazon
Price at time of post: $499.99 and $25 off coupon
Aluminum Set:
Aluminum is lightweight and won’t rust – Yay. But, because it’s lightweight it can blow in high winds. Also, these sets usually come with cushions or slings because no one wants to sit directly on an aluminum frame. The sets can come in a full range of colors and at various price points. If you opt for aluminum, do your research to find the most bang for your buck.
Click Here To Check This Out On Amazon
Price at time of post: $999 and $120 coupon
Teak Set:
If you are looking for a wood set that will last and look beautiful for years, then teak could be your answers. It might be hard to find and expensive, but it’s heavy and resists bugs and stands up to the weather. Beware that companies can often sell you teak-oiled or teak-covered wood which is not at all the same as original teak.
Click Here To Check This Out On Amazon
Price at time of post: $2,086
Which one did I choose? I chose an aluminum base with sun cloth material. Here is the link to my loungewear set:
Click Here For the Complete Line Of Stretch by Brown Jordan
Why did this work for us? Simply put, I knew I wanted outdoor furniture without cushions and covers. Before you decide that cushions and covers are the only comfortable and pretty outdoor option, I will tell you that I tried them. I had the white cushions and they were pretty when they were clean. And then it would rain or trees would drops seeds and my once beautiful space would be soggy and stained. My zen space actually brought me too much stress and honestly too much work. This brings me to my next point…
Step Five: Be Realistic About The Cleaning
In order to fully enjoy outdoor space, it needs to be reasonably clean. In fact, I suggest considering your cleaning routines when deciding which furniture to choose. If you have a cleaner (lucky you!) will she take on more work in the warmer months and wipe down your space? If you are planning to keep up with it, you need to figure out how much time it will take, how often you will need to clean, and when you will do it. Honestly, I used to only rush out to clean up before we had guests coming – which is sad. Now that I have a low-maintenance space, I clean it once a week.
This is all I do to clean my current space:
- Leaf blow the stone
- Use my Dyson cordless vacuum to quickly vacuum all of the fabric- including the pool table surface
- Use hot soapy water to wipe down the bar, bar stool frames, pool table rim, and fire pit.
This process takes me less than 20 minutes a week! Way easier than washing cushions!
More Tips:
- Surprisingly, the salesman who sold me my furniture encouraged me to order covers from a big box store rather than overspend on brand-named covers. And, he was right! Amazon had great covers at a fraction of the price.
- Use your outdoor walls for decor or more outdoor games like Darts, Hookey.
- Mistakes happen. Even when you work really hard to make your space just right, things might go wrong. I measured, planned, and took my time to find just the right pieces to make my patio perfect, but it’s not.
I measured a lot of times but still got it wrong. These toddler boosters saved my outdoor barstool seating. Have a chair that’s too short? Try these little gems – Kaboost!
Last but certainly not least:
This post was all about how to choose the best outdoor furniture for your space.
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- DIY Tips For Garage Interior Paint Project
If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” ~Vincent Van Gogh
