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.

We can do 32 with proper chairs and tables / side tables, could add some odd chairs we keep in the shed to supplement, plus permanently out loungers for 5 plus some extra loungers in the shed (basically the shed holds the old sets we haven’t thrown away)

no, I don’t know why either

We have always bought furniture to make sure we can seat at least 8 (the four of us plus both sets of Grandparents or the four of us plus another family of four)

Outside dining table and 6 chairs, L-shaped couch seating 2 or 4, bench seating 2, hanging chair for 1, folding table and chairs for 8 more when needed

We have a corner sofa that seats 4 comfortably with 2 stools so 6, it has a table that can be either a low or higher one. We also have a dining table with 6 chairs. We don’t have a very big garden and most of the time it’s just us two using the sofa. I can’t remember the last time we used the dining set and we’ve had it for about 15 years.

We bought a cheap rattan garden sofa last year and it's completely changed how we use our outdoor space, I would highly recommend having a soft seating area, and then separate dining table and chairs. Ours seats 6 because we rarely have guests so its usually just the 4 of us. The sofa is mainly used by DH and I.

I absolutely agree, Terry. Somewhere comfy to have drinks before dinner and to flump on afterwards , and proper table and chairs for eating

Our huge table has a ‘gas-lift’ mechanism. This means you can easily raise it from coffee table level to dining table level. So useful.

I have a table and 4 chairs. An ancient table which used to have 2 chairs but one broke so now it only has one. 4 comfy seats with a coffee table.

And then I have folding chairs that can come outside if necessary and camping chairs that can also be pressed into action if required.

What I quite fancy is one of those comfy sofa type things with an adjustable height table. But they seem to cost an absolute fortune (any recommendations for ones that don't would be gratefully received!) so I haven't!

I have a table and 4 chairs at the top of the garden (sun in the pm) and the same at the bottom (sun in the am). If we have guests we put the tables together .

I have just got new garden furniture and was stuck between eating and lounging (we already have 2 homemade outdoor sofas in a covered over area). In the end I went for an L shaped sofa with a dining table and 2 stools. It isn’t perfect, due to small budget, but we have been eating outside loads and really happy with it and I got a couple of sun loungers to put in a different area of the garden to fulfil the lounging requirement. If space and money was no object, would have gone for an even bigger L shaped sofa and arm chairs instead of stools.

We have an outdoor kitchen with table and 6 chairs. At a push, we could scramble together about another 6 outdoor chairs of some variety.

Our patio table can seat up to 16-20 but we have it folded in to 8 with the seats, the rest of them stay in the shed until we need them. Then 2 sun loungers out on the decking and 2 deckchairs on the lawn, then we have 6 additional chairs that are sort of like directors chairs which also live in the shed until we need them.
We do both have big families and friend groups and we do the most hosting so there are times when we need all the seats!

We have a sunken fire pit that seats around 25 and a table and chairs on the upper level that can seat another 15. Before anyone starts about fire pits in gardens we live on a farm in the middle of nowhere.

The answer is to have more than one seating area!
We have three plus the lawn. We have a mixture of dining tables, bistro tables, a coffee table, various dining chairs and two loungers.

WeddingInvitation's post at 16:35 is useful. Think about the dimensions of the table, leave space to pull back chairs from the table. A circular table for X people will take up more space than a rectangular table for X people. A circular table has more dead space in the middle which is good for serving-dishes but bad for conversation.

Table seats six. Garden swing seats 2 unless it's a teenage party, when it appears to seat about 13.

I have proper seating for 6. It hardly ever gets used. Ive just bought a hammock, but mostly people just laze about on the lawn...

Probably 5, a table that came with 4 chairs and one 'egg' style chair.