Alternatives to place furniture in my garden

[Chalatte]

So I have this lovely (small) garden that is mostly grass and a tiny bit of paving in a narrow walkway area between the kitchen and conservatory to the garden, but just not enough to have furniture.

Though we have a great garden we just haven't entertained anyone there in the summer due to the lack of furniture. We also have a lovely bbq and so on but it's always a pain with lack of seating.

I thought about getting decking just enough to have some seating areas etc, but then read about decking = rats so now I'm not that keen.

I looked at these gorgeous rock/pebble shaped seats -- but thinking they are not super practical?

so what other options do I have? Any creative ideas would be appreciated!

Can you not put furniture on the lawn? We have a hefty wooden table and benches set, with wide legs so they don’t sink into the earth - in summer when you’ll mostly be using it the ground is generally so dry anyway.

Ikea also sell decking “pavers” which you can place straight onto (levelled) ground to create a solid surface, but with no void underneath for vermin to nest.

Something like this is stackable?
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/skarpoe-armchair-outdoor-white-70234185/

There are other options. Can your kitchen table make it outdoors? Could you build a folding table onto the fence?
Depends what you mean by small and how many people you might entertain. BBQ food is often about having somewhere like a small table to perch a drink while you eat so a few of those that stack does the job.

in my experience. If the food is good and there is plenty of drinks people are not fussed about whether they are outdoors on your indoor furniture

Ok thanks for the inputs
I've read that putting furniture out is not great for furniture nor for your grass so I didn't want to invest in good stuff that will rot sat in the grass.. I've seen these wicker sofas sets that are basically sold everywhere that look so sturdy, they do have wide legs so would they be a good fit?

We’ve had furniture on grass for over 15 years before it began to rot. Not expensive stuff just sturdy and made of treated wood. The grass underneath is fine too, it’s just a bit of a job to mow but we move it together and then move it back.

Our set is coming up to five years old and still in great condition. I just oil it every year and we keep the grass short so there’s not really anything coming into contact with it which could cause it to rot. Lawn seems fine though if you’re very particular about yours then it might not be for you - but we keep free range ducks and are always out and about in our garden working on stuff so not really fussed about the odd sparse patch here and there anyway.

I think you have to spend a lot of money (or more money than I’m prepared to spend!) to get really decent wicker furniture. The cheaper stuff tends to look shabby quite quickly. I’ve seen that style placed on grass, though suspect it is more likely to rot as the base is always in contact with the ground and will hold moisture underneath.

Building an additional small patio also isn't that hard if you’re reasonably handy and willing to watch a few YouTube videos about paving.

What do you step out onto from you back door? We have a tiled, patio area with table/chairs.

Chairs can be ok on grass, but if its shaded, boggy, recent rain etc then any chair with 4, pointy legs will just sink into the soil. If you only have grass space for chairs, I'd be looking for those with a larger surface area such a massive foot or additional footing parts which aren't 4, pointy legs.

I would get the decking! Like you I was so keen on the idea then realised about rats etc potentially being an issue but ultimately decided to go ahead anyway. I’ve had it for years now. Never seen a rat. And I use the garden a billion times more these days now I have the deck, it’s brilliant.

I've had decking in a number of houses. Never had rats or mice.

We have a tiny area that's paved, it's literally a narrow corridor that opens out of the kitchen and runs along the side of the conservatory so pretty narrow. We have a few plants there and our bbq that's it, no room for much else there. I mean we could stack chairs in it? But might start to look ugly if we did? I can't say for sure but I could consider it

Are you wedded to the grass? It sounds like a larger paved area (or gravel maybe) might be more suitable?

If you get benches or chairs with slats which have a gap between them then the grass will still thrive. Plastic faux wood furniture doesn't need maintenance and the rain gets through to water the grass. Just add cushions