How many people does your garden furniture seat?

[Tacocatgoatcheesepizza]

We are having a new seating area built in a corner of our garden. Currently, our garden furniture is just a table and four chairs but that will be going. I cannot make up my mind whether to get a table and chair set that seats six or to go for a corner sofa type set that seats 8. I know people will just say well what do you actually need, but I’m just nosy and interested to know what people have in general!

We haven’t really had people over for bbqs etc for a while but will hope to do this more once we’ve finally had the work done.

7 plus we've got a couple of other seats we can bring over but can't fit round the table. 7 is a three seater sofa, 2 armchairs (one each end) and two stools which fit under the table when not in use cat beds. The table is dining height not coffee table height.

8 plus a kids table for 4 kids and a sofa that seats 4 and a few other bits. We went a bit seating nuts.

I’ve just counted up all our outside seating, and I think I might have a compulsion. Between our front and back garden and different areas we have seating for 31! I would definitely suggest going for the 8 seater configuration.

I can't vote because I only have a bistro set which is a table and two chairs

I like a corner sofa for napping outside. We don’t have one anymore (it wouldn’t fit in the garden renovation) and miss it.

We have various outdoor seating areas so a table for 8 in the “main” area, 6-8 by the BBQ and 2 on the balcony. We also have a gazebo with comfortable seating for 6 but the table is low so not comfortable for eating. If you have one I would try to stretch to 8 if possible.

We have 7, plus a separate chair that's not part of the set. That then seats out family and another family.

16

2 tables with 10 chairs between them.
2 three-seater benches.
I also have two steamer chairs, and four directors chairs for parties.

6 round a big table plus a 2 on a sofa and 2 arm chairs

Can comfortably seat 26. Different areas in the garden but easy enough to bring all together if we wanted too.

10 - our patio furniture set is a big corner sofa, and 3 separate chairs and a huge table. We also have another corner sofa further down the garden, so can use both if we have a group.

Only one observation to add about sofas and benches: if says they seat three, it really means two, in much the same way that a four-man tent is very comfortable for two.

DH and I have a chair each.

Eight but in a mix of a newish table and four chairs and a variety of older chairs and a bench. Only the table and chairs are on a patio, the rest is scattered. We don’t have enough occasions when we need to seat a lot of people to make it worthwhile buying a bigger table. I appreciate that I may be an outlier but our garden is about plants and grass and trees and seating is mainly to allow us to appreciate the space.

We have a dining area for 4, a sofa/fire pit area that would technically sit about 8, and a couple of reclining loungers. 99.9% of the time it’s just 4 of us 🤣 but I like the different ‘zones’, the dining area is very separate to the seating area. The sofa is more sociable but the loungers are for enjoying the garden in peace!

There isn't a 2 option 😁

I also need the 2 option!
(and I dug them out of the weedy jungle that is my garden this summer, before that you had to sit on the ground!).😆

Our garden dining table is an eight seater which has come in useful loads of times. Like a PP we like having different zones so we've got a bistro set for two near the patio doors and more seating down at the end of the garden. I want to be able to sit in the sun or shade without moving chairs around.

I would personally always go bigger than you technically need if you can afford it. It's lovely to be able to invite people over without wondering where we are going to seat them.

We like to have shade at all times so we don't have everything together either and that is one reason for having more separate chairs and only one sofa so they can be moved. Some of our separate chairs are kept on the lawn as we don't want to pave any more of the garden than we have to. The three seater sofa is long enough to lie on if you are short (I'm 5'5").

About 14/15, but it's a deeply unglamorous table and seats made out of old pallets years ago as a temporary stopgap we can't afford to replace atm.

Gosh, it definitely sounds like the bigger the better then!! And I definitely agree with having a high table - I hate having to lean over/down when I’m eating.

1. We have a chair each that we have to take out each time we want to sit out. If we left them out, they would be stolen here!

I have a small corner sofa, a 2 seater bistro table set up and an egg chair. So 7. I don’t need them all as there is just me and the dog mostly and my son when home from uni and sometimes his gf or his dad. I tend to have 2-3 friend over sometimes and we sit outside. There is never more than 4 people here at one time but the seats have different uses. I can bring out camping or dining chairs if I ever need extras.

My top tip is do your sums for the seating area you are paving carefully as you need room to circulate and move chairs backwards from the table. There are online calculators.

We don't have quite enough space to be honest. So we just have a table we can eat at and chairs that are comfortable for that - rather than lounging chairs with a coffee table.

We have a large wooden round table that seats 8 at a push - I like round tables as more sociable.

We have another old glass round table that fits under it overlapping so can seat more (10/12) or seat 8 much more comfortably. That usually sits elsewhere in the garden with a couple of chairs for if we sit out for lunch.

We've two wooden garden benches that are out all the time - 20 years old and teak, untreated, and still going strong - that fit the table. And a few mismatched chairs that are in the garage or elsewhere in the garden for when it's more than just me, DH and the dog.

Also space for a parasol or plan for something to provide shade - our space would have been unusable this last week without that.

6 adults comfortably, more if DC included, we had two DC (7) and 6 adults around the table eating recently. It's two biggish chairs and two bench seats, with arms and backs.
I prefer a table as I'm more inclined to have breakfast/dinner in the garden