4 Best Outdoor Furniture Options For Your Garden (And How To Choose Them)

Looking to improve your garden with some lovely outdoor furniture? It’s a wonderful way of transforming your external space into a more livable environment, which gives your garden more practical uses. You’d think that picking out some garden furniture would be easy, but there is a surprisingly wide variety of options to choose from. 

And that’s what we’ll focus on today. 

Below you will find some of the best outdoor furniture types for your garden, along with some guidance on how to choose the right pieces.

Rattan Furniture

You will find natural rattan or synthetic rattan furniture to use in your garden – both look identical and provide that classic “woven” look. Everyone’s seen this type of furniture before and there are some genuinely beautiful rattan outdoor furniture sets for you to buy. 

The benefits of opting for rattan furniture in a garden are: 

• It’s the lightest furniture choice and really easy to move
• Comes in different colours and stylish looks
• Goes well with the outdoor vibes and greenery
• Offers some really relaxing choices, like large corner outdoor sofas
• Synthetic rattan is really weather-resistant

The only downsides are that the woven nature of rattan can come undone over time, so it’s maybe not the best for longevity or constant use. Natural rattan also lacks the weatherproofing abilities of its synthetic counterpart, meaning you won’t want to leave it out in the rain. 

All in all you should pick rattan furniture if you’ve got covered outdoor areas and want to create a really relaxed vibe. It’s great for making almost outdoor living rooms – or if you’ve got enough space to constantly move the furniture around. 

Metal Furniture

Do you want to give your garden a bistro-style set of tables and chairs? Perhaps you’d like to imbue it with a sense of luxury? Either way, metal garden furniture comes in as a fantastic choice for different aesthetics. It depends on the style of the metal furniture – the really ornate, twisted metal designs look great if you’re going for a gothic or bistro-style vibe. On the contrary, you’ll find modern metal furniture that looks really sleek and high-end. 

Most metal garden furniture is made from either aluminium, steel or a powder-coated metal – and they tend to yield the following benefits: 

• The best strength and durability of any garden furniture type
• Pairs well with glass – particularly if you have a metal outdoor table with a glass insert
• Easy to clean and very low maintenance
• Heavy, which means the furniture is less likely to move around in strong winds

On the bad side of things, some metals will (obviously) rust over time. You also have the issue of metal seats absorbing the sun’s heat and possibly burning you when you sit down. Counter this with seat coverings or cushions – but then the argument is that this takes away from the metal’s beauty. 

When does metal furniture make sense? Well, if you want furniture that can stay outside without getting blown away, this is the best choice. It will also suit certain home aesthetics more than others; if you’ve got a Victorian or Edwardian style home, the metal furniture pairs beautifully with both styles. 

Wooden Furniture

The next option is an absolute classic: wooden garden furniture. You’re likely looking at natural hardwood here, though some people go for treated softwood. If you’re able to choose between the two, then the former is definitely better. Natural hardwood is going to be more robust than treated softwood – not to mention it’s literally designed to thrive in an outdoor environment. 

You will find full wooden furniture sets with a table and chairs – or you will find options with a wooden base and some cushioned seating. That’s actually one of the big benefits of wooden outdoor furniture; it provides great versatility and variety. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the other advantages: 

• • Gives your garden a really natural look
  • Works so well with your surrounding plants and greenery
  • It isn’t too uncomfortable or hot when the sun’s out
  • Heavy enough to avoid blowing around your garden
• Can be made weatherproof with the right treatment options

As brilliant as wooden furniture is, it’s not without some faults. You’re mainly looking at the last two benefits on that list because they do come with some concerns. To start, while you can make wood furniture weatherproof, it will require more maintenance than any other furniture type. You should only buy it if you’re willing to keep up with a wooden furniture maintenance schedule. Secondly, wood furniture is heavy enough to avoid being blown around, but perhaps too heavy for you to move regularly.

On that note, pick wood furniture if you’re happy to set your garden area up without the convenience of being able to move things around all the time. Also, if you’re going for the most natural design possible, it’s hard to look past this material. 

Plastic & Composite Furniture

Nobody likes the idea of plastic garden furniture, and it’s easily the cheapest and flimsiest option for your garden. Nevertheless, you can find recycled plastics or composite blends that mimic wood – almost like composite flooring in your home. 

Picking this type of furniture still has its advantages, such as: 

• The most affordable option by far
• Really lightweight and easy to move around
• Can genuinely be weather-resistant

When planning any outdoor setup, it’s also worth thinking about the surrounding structure and long-term maintenance of your property. Investing in professional services like commercial roofing in Fremont, CA can help protect outdoor furniture from weather damage, extend the life of patios and decks, and maintain the overall safety and value of your commercial or residential space.

Does that take enough away from the downsides? Plastic or composite furniture usually looks less appealing than other furniture types and is easier for you to break. They also don’t tend to feel as comfortable as any of the other options on this list. 

Realistically, this is only a good choice if you’re on a tight budget or need temporary garden furniture. For instance, it could be great for renters who have a garden but don’t want to spend loads of money on furniture when they may have to move in a few months or years. 

The best way to conclude this would be that the “best” outdoor furniture depends on what’s right for you. Look at some of the idea use-cases for each of the options on this list and determine where you fall on the spectrum. They all serve a purpose for someone – but which one do you suit the most?

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Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.