Outdoor furniture recommendations

[RebelRebel79]

Please! We have a small garden and small house with no storage. Up north where it rains. A lot. So need something I can leave out all weather. Could potentially store stuff up in the loft over winter but haven’t got anywhere to store cushions etc in summer if it rains.

Don’t particularly like the fake rattan stuff unless anyone has found one that doesn’t look a bit naff.

Any recommendations?

Cast iron. With padded cushions which can be brought out as required.
No upkeep at all. Lasts for years.

No help but watching with interest. I'm after a sofa for a sunny corner!

We have hard wood furniture bought 8 yrs ago. Every year I teak oil it and it spends about 8 months of the year outside. The cushions spend most of the summer outside and get wet, then dried naturally. Its still going strong but we do pack it away for proper winter. I am surprised by how well its lasting as I dont look after it very well.

I am fed up with wooden garden furniture, too much upkeep and it looks weathered really easily. Going to get cast iron next. Friend has the Jamie Iliver range which is pricey but looks fab.

We have found the cast iron furniture from M&S lasts well and we leave it out all year, we bought our last lot at 50% off as it can be expensive, they do have 20% off days though, in fact it’s 20% off at the moment

We have the modular Applaro range from Ikea. Its under a pergola but been outside over a year. The cushion covers are wipeable and machine washable.

Place marking as we're also looking for some!

A good hardwood. Our previous lasted 20 years, left out uncovered all winter - there are days even in Dec/Jan here when it's nice to sit out. Given a good wash and oil in spring most years, but not invariably.

Following

Does anyone have any experience of Kettler rattan style furniture. I saw it in a showroom and it looked lovely, but is it really ok to leave out all year round in a shady spot under big tree? Or is it likely to grow moss and mold on it?

Ikea did a range of outdoor furniture made with "fake" wood and aluminium. Ours has been outside for 5 years and just needs a wipe down. Just realised it's no longer showing on their website, but they have a similar range that is all aluminum.

You do have to wash furniture down if you leave it outside. We have faux rattan and it’s really smart! Big cushions and I put extra normal cushions on in the summer and it’s around a fire cauldron. Works well.

We also have teak garden benches elsewhere. You don’t have to keep oiling it. It will go grey and weathered but it’s no big deal. Had it years and years! One bench for over 25 years.

Cyan is good for teak. I have a teak table with fake rattan (looks v nice) chairs which have lasted for a good 10 years and I don't really look after it that well tbh.

www.cyan-teak-furniture.com/Six-6-seater-garden-set-with-cadogan-1-8m-table-and-st-tropez-stacking-chairs

I loved that grey Ikea set. Don't know why they have discontinued it.

We just have powder coated metal chairs with seats made of dense plastic netting stuff. Really comfy and just won't die - ours are 14 years old and are often left out all winter. The arms have got a bit bleached now.

I would like one of the sofa sets you see everywhere now, but I'm not sure how hard the cushions are to manage. Plus, our 14 year old dining set is happily going strong.

I have a rattan sofa set and had to buy a massive storage thing for the cushions as you can't really get them wet (unless they are specifically designed to be weather proof which normally makes them £££)

Anything will need washing down after a winter outside. We've had algae after a wet winter, and there's invariably bird poo. Among others we used to have a robin who'd perch on the back of a chair near the window and look at me as if to say, Where's my breakfast?

A jet washer is good! Even better, once we got one Dh enjoyed using it - was more than happy to let him replace me with a scrubbing brush and a bucket of soapy wood cleaner.

I was going to start the same thread! Have you bought one yet?

Neptune have some - we got ours at the start of the first lockdown and it still looks like new. Kept out all the time and cushions in a plastic box storage behind the shed.

Fermob is also really nice if you want the small circular bistro style tables.

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