A big house with a patio is one of the most valuable possessions you could have. Being in touch with nature can positively affect your mental and physical health, significantly improving your well-being on a daily basis. However, you can’t spend time outside without proper equipment, and among the most essential items is outdoor furniture. With so many choices on the market, it’s sometimes hard to find the furniture that will suit every member of your family, but it’s certainly not impossible.
Here are six tips for choosing the right pieces that will provide you with countless hours of outdoor enjoyment.
How to Use It?
Before you start choosing outdoor furniture, consider the basics – where will you store it, which materials do you prefer and which colors will be the best? However, the question you need to answer first is how often you will use this furniture and what purpose it will serve. Namely, most people love spending time outside, but that doesn’t mean they should spend a small fortune on their furniture unless they’re planning to use it for hours and hours every single day. If your needs are moderate, go with an average and affordable choice – maybe a few chairs and a table will be enough? On the other hand, if you want to host parties, do some creative work or take a nap on your patio, pick more comfortable furniture.
How to Organize It?
After deciding on how you’ll use your outdoor space, you need to figure out how to organize it. Instead of simply placing your furniture around your back yard or patio randomly, try to build a larger concept. An idea lots of people explore is combining spaces for gardening and relaxation. First, they learn how to build and maintain a garden, and then add some furniture around it. This way, you’ll be able to appreciate nature even more and recuperate after a long day watching your tomatoes grow.
How Big Can It Be?
Not all people have extra-large patios that can accommodate big pieces of furniture. Therefore, measuring the empty space should be among the first steps in this process. Keep in mind that your furniture can’t occupy the entire space – you’ll need some room for foot traffic, decorations and things like a mini-fridge or a fan. But, utilizing all the available space is quite important, no matter how big your patio is, so try to make the most of it.
Which Materials are the Best?
Just because most outdoor furniture manufacturers stick to vinyl and PVC doesn’t mean you have to pick these options as well. Yes, these materials are both durable and lightweight – not to mention affordable – but, let’s face it, aren’t always as visually appealing as steel and wood. The choice of material depends on weather conditions, too. For example, if you’re looking for reliable outdoor furniture sets, you might want to go for aluminum or teak since these materials are light, but still quite endurable, so they can deal with hot weather for a longer time.
How to Maintain It?
Another aspect of outdoor furniture is maintenance. Thus, finding a way to clean it and keep it new for a long time is more important than people realize. Depending on the material, you should clean your furniture at least once a month, but don’t forget that some types of wooden furniture require more constant care. Don’t be afraid to use strong solutions, sprays and soaps, borax and detergents. If you’re not prepared for this commitment, you might want to opt for other types of furniture instead.
How to Store It?
In the end, you have to store your outdoor furniture properly. If you don’t have enough space, pick smaller pieces or stick to just one or two chairs instead of six. Additionally, go for easily folded furniture that can save you lots of space. Alternatively, if you have a garage or a storage unit, you can go with as many pieces as you want, but just make sure they’re protected and secure when not in use.
Finally – the Choice
If you take all of these tips into consideration, you’ll surely be able to find proper outdoor furniture that will allow you to spend countless hours in your garden or your patio, enjoying the nature and taking a break from your busy lifestyle.
This was a guest post from Lana Hawkins of SmoothDecorator
Lana is a student of Architecture and a food lover from Sydney, Australia. She loves writing about interiors, but her speciality is landscape design. She enjoys playing in kitchen and cooking for her friends and family, spending time in nature and learning about other cultures by travelling.
