Where are you buying your garden furniture from

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Ours is 15 years old and knackered.

I want a nice place to sit and read (maybe sofa) and new table and chairs.

we have a lot of barbecues. There are 3 of us at home, unless we have friends round which isn’t massively often.

Prices seem to range massively and I wonder how much you get what you pay for.

Normally I would say we are around Habitat plus type budgets

I bought a Hartman set (two lounges chairs, footstools and small table 'bistro set') complete with cushions from Gardens4Less website.
Not the cheapest but great quality. Best price I could find for the same set.
Very customer service, smooth delivery and great items.

*good customer service

I’d 2nd Hartman and gardens4 less. I bought the Capri aluminium range (table , chairs, loungers) 5 years ago. Still looks great. No waxing, sanding down or treating, just a quick blast with a power hose each spring. Not cheap, but works out better value as it will last for years.

ooh i was just looking at that one. Thank you.

Have just bought loads of new furniture for my new garden.

I bought the Sesto Lounge Chair & Hocker Set Harbour Lifestyle - they were £320 each - the same set was available in Next £300 (delivery a nightmare so avoided) and Dunelm £430 - loads of retailers selling the same furniture at vastly differing prices - use Google Lens to find the cheapest.
Powder-coated aluminium table from Nordic Nest is maintenance free!
Metal Coffee Table &cushions from H&M
Polypropylene dining chairs from Sklum
Polypropylene armchairs from Nardi

Habitat had some great stuff, lovely coffee tables but they sold out very quickly. I also liked La Redoute, Zara and Ikea - but couldn't find exactly the right size/colour.

Thank you. I’m currently looking at IKEA range.

I got a pretty reasonable garden sofa set from John Lewis 2 yrs ago. They’re still doing the same style. It’s lasting well, though I’ve kept it in the garage over winter.

I wish I could afford Kettler or Bramblecrest and will splash out one day - when I can afford it and when I don’t have kids around spilling things and launching themselves at the furniture! I sat on quite a few before buying and think you do get what you pay for in terms of sturdiness, quality and longevity.

Yes I agree. I would also love Kettler but not sure the budget allows.

it’s DH that does all the spilling too.

We bought a Gloster table and chairs for outdoor dining ten years ago and it looks like new. We've never covered it/moved inside over winter and between 2018 and 2024 we lived in wet Wales! It was a few thousand.

In 2022 we added a large corner sofa set with two coffee/occasional tables from FeatureDeco. I think we paid around £1000 in an end of season sale. The seats are amazingly deep and comfortable which was why we chose it. This came with a large waterproof cover, but we didn't use this till last winter as we had it in a covered area.

Both sets are faux rattan, which i appreciate doesn't always get a good press, but I definitely believe that paying for better quality is worth every penny!

Bramblecrest is good. They have rattan and smooth contemporary designs. Not cheap but seem good quality. Most firms have sales much of the year or are stocked by garden centres and outlet online garden centres. Look for last seasons design at a discount - obv more likely at end of season.

Ive liked the adjustable height tables to go with garden sofa seating - higher height is good for eating comfortably. It’s good if you don’t have space for both sofas and dining chairs.

Tables seem to be moving away from glass tops. Lots of polywood or tree free - seem to be hardening and low maintenance but some suggest risk of burns if sun shines through glasses on table. Have heard similar happens to rattan table top under glass. Ceramic is sturdy and wioeanle and weather resistant. Wrought iron lasts well. Wood needs treating to maintain it well but can be beautiful.

Brands that come up a lot are Kettler, Bramblecrest, LG, Hartman, Daro. Hood sets can be had for £1-3k depending on size.
More expensive seems to be Maze, 4 Seasons and Neptune. Can be £8-10k.

Id think bigger sales start from June and bargains from Aug. Now might be most expensive time.

Loads of websites stock all brands and models so shop around. Garden Centres are good for trying out. Check which brands they stock.

I was keen for nice thick cushions. Also had to fork out for decent cover and a cushion storage box. Bear in mind cushions from sofas take up a lot of space. We use cover each night when in regular use, but cushion box if not expecting to use for 3 or more days. In winter, store in eaves cupboard or laid out under duvet on double bed in spare room.

Google a a brand and its outlet. You can often get returns which are perfect with opened packaging for much less. All the top brands need to shift returns.

At the local garden centre.
They are not a chain so I like to support local businesses.

Yeah, but garden centres don’t offer their own brands but are suppliers of all the big names.
I agree though, that it’s nice to think at least some of the money is going to a local business.

Our garden centre had a lovely set but it was £3k so we left empty handed.

My recent garden furniture purchases have all been from Jysk. Really reasonable prices and I'm happy with the quality.

Update on my Sklum delivery - one month later no chairs and no communication from them. I cancelled my order. Got my money back via Amex. So I’m saying it’s a big no for Sklum!

Following again, I had to bin ours after 9 years as the rattan was completely destroyed. Thought I could get a bargain in the sales