Home & Garden

How to choose new garden furniture

If you want to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful spring and summer months ahead, you might be considering grabbing some new garden furniture.

Whether you’re trying to build your very own garden of Eden or simply want somewhere to sit in the sun with a cuppa, choosing new garden furniture can be a tricky process.

From decadent loungers and diners to rustic seating and budget buys, here are a few pointers to get you started in your quest for the perfect garden furniture.

 - 11 Min Read
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How to choose new garden furniture

How to choose new garden furniture: FAQs

  • What should I look out for when choosing new garden furniture?

    The main considerations for buying new garden furniture are the number of seats you need and the material. Garden furniture is either made from plastic, metal, wood or rattan. 

    Each material is of course suitable for outdoor use, but plastic and metal are virtually indestructible. Wood will need proper care and maintenance. Rattan is very durable but should be covered in winter.

  • What type of garden furniture is the most durable?

    Metal and plastic garden furniture are the most durable. Metal will weather, but this isn’t a major issue for garden furniture and will add to the character of the piece. 

    Metal can be coated in weatherproof paint to stop it from rusting or weathering if that is preferable. Plastic won’t wear at all but can be flimsy and susceptible to blowing over and snapping in high winds.

  • Why is garden furniture expensive?

    Garden furniture can be eye-wateringly expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. There are plenty of cheap garden furniture options. Plastic and metal garden furniture is amongst the cheapest with wood and rattan costing a fair bit more. 

    There are plenty of opportunities for finding garden furniture on sale, particularly at the end of summer when shops and garden centres are preparing their stock for Christmas.

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Garden furniture ranges from sizeable outdoor lounge and dining sets to benches, loungers, hammocks and plastic chairs and tables.

There’s plenty of designs, formats, styles and materials on offer, so no matter how big or small your garden is and whether you have a patio, lawn or both, you’ll always be able to find something that works for you.

Garden furniture, like any furniture, comes in a vast selection of styles and trends covering everything from family-sized rattan and wooden sets to smaller bistro bets and the quintessential park-style garden bench.

To assist, this is a comprehensive guide on how to choose new garden furniture.

Can you restore your current garden furniture?

Garden furniture has to bear the brunt of the elements, and for most of us in the UK, that’s a big ask throughout some winters.

Furniture that isn’t adequately covered, treated or stored can quickly become worn and shabby. Still, restoration is usually possible and breathing new life into older garden furniture can be great fun.

If you have existing garden furniture starting to look a little worse for wear, read our guide on how to restore garden furniture.

What will you use your furniture for?

You can use garden furniture for anything; lounging around, sitting, working and reading or BBQs, outside functions and family events.

Choosing the number of actual seats you need should be the first port of call in selecting garden furniture.

Smaller sets include garden bistro sets (usually two chairs and table) or individual chairs (sometimes known as ‘accent chairs’), loungers and hammocks. Floating chairs are an in-trend choice - perfect for sunshine lounging with a book, beer or wine.

There are many amazing bistro-style Homebase garden furniture sets that are remarkably cost-effective if you just need to seat one or two people. Perfect for eating breakfast, lunch or dinner outside.

For larger groups, it’s possible to grab complete dining sets with 5, 6, 8 or even 10 or more seats. This elegant 12 seater set contains everything you need to sit and dine 12 people outside, including a vast glass-topped table. 

It’s a real investment, but if you’re a BBQ enthusiast with ample patio space, then there’s no better way to bring the inside out and enjoy the true pleasure of al-fresco dining.

Large garden furniture sets can be purchased online or in person. They’re a significant investment - you might want to see what you’re getting before you commit.

We spoke to Manoj Malde Garden Design, who told Age Times: “View your garden as another room of your home. Like you would have beautiful throw cushions on your sofa or armchairs, do the same with your garden furniture. It is a great way to introduce colour into your garden. The colours you use for your cushions can be inspired by the floral colours in your garden.”

Patio or garden furniture sets?

You’ll need to consider whether you’re placing your furniture on your patio or elsewhere in your garden, e.g. on your lawn.

Patio furniture is designed for placement on non-porous, hard surfaces and usually consists of much larger lounge and dining-style furniture sets, such as the 12-seater set mentioned above.

Lounge sets often come with a pair of sofas, an armchair and a short coffee table. Dining sets have taller, upright chairs and a dining room-style table. 

Patio furniture is usually weather-proof, but since these garden furniture sets tend to be pricey, it’s sensible to protect them with waterproof covers (which sometimes come with the set - always check first).

Contrastingly, garden furniture suitable for use on the lawn or elsewhere in the garden includes benches, chairs and even hammocks - anything that doesn’t need ample, flat, solid floor space.

Even if you have a very flat garden, you should keep most patio garden furniture sets away from soil and grass; this could rot the furniture or kill the grass.

Choosing materials

There are four main types of materials used in garden furniture: 

  • Rattan
  • Metal 
  • Wood
  • Plastic

Rattan

Rattan is the weave-like material (traditionally wicker vine but often plastic) found in most lounge, dining and sofa sets.

Rattan is tough and generally very weatherproof. It’s lightweight, rugged, looks great and can usually be stained or painted in different colours. Rattan Homebase garden furniture sets cover every style, size and price bracket. Rattan’s natural aesthetics fit seamlessly with the vast majority of garden designs.

Rattan garden furniture is usually earth-toned; grey, brown, dark green or beige, but you can sometimes find brighter pieces.

  • Usually found in dining and lounge sets
  • Durable and hard-wearing
  • Robust and natural-looking
  • Usually needs to be covered in winter

Metal

Metal furniture ranges from classic wrought iron to modern steel and glass furniture.

Wrought iron is a firm favourite for all sorts of garden decor and combines tremendous durability with a vintage, classic, or rustic aesthetic. Metal is a solid choice for cheap garden furniture and is often much more affordable than wood. You can also find custom-built wrought iron pieces crafted by blacksmiths and artisans. 

  • Very tough with low maintenance 
  • You can paint it any colour 
  • Rustic and vintage-style 
  • It doesn’t need to be stored/moved in winter (but may rust)

Wood

Wood’s beautiful colour and hard-wearing characteristics will always be a natural fit for garden furniture.

Wooden furniture and the garden are a seamless fit for obvious reasons. With many styles on offer ranging from modern to contemporary, vintage and classic, wooden furniture is perfect for all garden designs.

Modern wood preservatives are long-lasting and make wooden furniture relatively low maintenance and straightforward to care for. 

  • Natural tone and style 
  • Generally weather-proof 
  • Does often need to be covered in winter
  • Will need to periodically re-coat with wood preservatives

Plastic

Plastic garden furniture is strong, straightforward, lightweight and often cheaper than most other materials. If you’re looking for cheap garden furniture, then plastic usually fits the bill.

You don’t usually need to store plastic furniture, either; just stack it up when you’re not using it. 

  • Cost-effective 
  • Durable and weatherproof
  • Lightweight 
  • Plenty of selection

Garden design: garden furniture styles

You might be familiar with interior design styles, e.g. Scandinavian, Japanese (or Feng-Shui), rustic, industrial, modern, contemporary, Bauhaus, art deco, art nouveau, and such, but many of these design styles apply to garden furniture as well.

For rustic cottage garden design, you might want to look for something tastefully rough-around-the-edges. This reclaimed wood garden and coffee table from Nkuku ticks that box and would sync perfectly with any rustic outdoor space.

Design company Made has some fabulous garden pieces, including these colourful Bauhaus garden chairs. This unique bright green bistro set also shows that garden furniture can make a statement - perfect for sunny and overcast days alike.

For classic or otherwise contemporary garden design, it’s tough to beat natural wood. This acacia lounge set by Cox and Cox is elegant but simple and functional for families or larger parties of people.

Eco-friendly reclaimed wood sets

It’s fitting for garden furniture to take advantage of recycled or reclaimed wood.

You can find a vast range of reclaimed wood outdoor and garden furniture sets, some branded, others custom-made by craftspeople.

Etsy is a great place to start if you’re in the market for reclaimed wood furniture, and you can find all sorts of pieces ranging from benches made from railway sleepers to tables crafted from eco-resin and driftwood.

Consider storage

Lastly, it’s wise to consider storage during the winter months. You won’t need to store all garden furniture, and most should withstand a mild winter so long as you adequately cover up wooden or rattan furniture.

However, you should store most garden furniture made from natural materials during snow and frost for maximum longevity.

You’ll find storage recommendations in the manufacturer's guidance, so always check that first if storage is at a premium and you’re determined to find furniture that you can leave out all year.

If you will leave furniture outside, make sure you fit covers properly so they won’t come loose in high winds.

Finally, you should always remove soft furnishings for storage inside, or you might find creatures taking up residence inside of them over the colder months!

Garden furniture trends

Garden furniture has its own trends and fashions, but these are obviously more flexible than interior design. Garden design trends are pretty diverse when it comes to choosing garden furniture sets.

Some key garden design trends are:

Rustic and shabby-chic garden furniture

Rustic garden furniture is widely available, while benches like this black ornate garden bench will quickly pick up natural weathering to make them look all the more rustic.

Modern garden furniture

Gardens certainly haven’t escaped the trends of interior design’s minimalism and modernism.

You don’t get much more in-trend than floating chairs. They’re perfect for all types of gardens and are super comfortable as well as stylish. These modern blue Acapulco chairs add a splash of contemporary colour to any garden. 

Classic garden furniture

You can’t beat simple, classic wooden benches. Homebase’s garden furniture ranges include a multitude of classic garden benches that are suitable for all gardens.  

High-quality wooden garden benches are pretty pricey, so if you’re looking for cheap garden furniture, it’s best to consider metal or plastic benches, which can still look great like this Alfresca park style bench.

Cheap garden furniture

If you’re looking for cheap garden furniture, then do not fear; there are ample options ranging from plastic, metal and even reasonably priced rattan garden furniture sets.

The main brands like Homebase, B&Q and Wickes are probably cheaper on the whole compared to garden centres, but you can find excellent deals on garden furniture sets at most chain and independent garden centres too. The added advantage of shopping in person is that you get to see and feel the quality of the furniture you’re buying.

The best time to look for cheap garden furniture is at the end of summer. Shops will usually clear some space for Christmas decorations and other winter stock, slashing the prices of garden furniture sets.

The very cheapest garden furniture sets can be found on eBay or Freecycle. You can use eBay Local to find deals close to home for local pickup only. You can find some stonking deals when people want to get rid of old garden furniture but are reluctant about taking it to the tip.

As you might expect, Amazon has a phenomenal selection of garden furniture spanning every size, style and price range, including a massive selection of quality cheap garden furniture.

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