Great outdoor porch furniture brings comfort, style, and functionality to your outdoor space. It makes the outdoor time calmer and relaxing and perfectly serves the purpose of living up to the outdoor porch theme. Outfitting your outdoors with the right outdoor porch furniture set provides you the advantage of hosting your guests in style while keeping your indoors private and clean. But it is also true that many people invest thousands of dollars on patio furniture arrangements but end up having a space that isn’t yet that impressive.
This is mainly because porch furniture ideas depend on various factors. From the type of porch you have to the space available, the desired theme, and the climate in your area, and the ongoing trends, many things play a vital role in determining the best selection of comfortable porch furniture for you. If you also plan to upgrade your porch, this article has a detailed porch décor buying guide.
Start With a List
When you get too overwhelmed by the tones of furniture choices in the market, making a list helps a lot. Start by planning the way you envision your outdoor space to function. Is it a conventional green space with wooden garden furniture or a park-style area with metal garden furniture? Does it have a fire pit because that will impact the right material to stand the heat of the fire? And if you have a pool, furniture prone to humidity is a big no-no!
Easy Care Furniture Style
Sure, you love to clean like Monica, but maintaining the outdoors isn’t as fun as it sounds. Since outdoors are open spaces with exposure to sun and dust all the time, the dust accumulated on the outdoor furniture increases tenfold. To reduce maintenance requirements, choose patio furniture that is easy to care for. Most aluminum, teak, cedar, and all-weather wicker furniture can withstand any elements that nature may provide. These forgiving materials provide furniture that will last for years with little routine maintenance.
Easy to Store
There is no point in huge rattan garden furniture if you cannot move it around when the weather is unforgiving. Most patio furniture has easy storage options such as wheels, foldable designs, and compact shapes that can be stored when the weather isn’t right. Even if your selected furniture is designed to withstand harsh weather conditions, storing it in a protected location is important to increase its lifespan. Even the most durable patio furniture, such as a wrought-iron sofa or teak chairs, can survive longer if it is kept in storage while not in use.
Space Available
Outdoors are supposed to be different from indoors. They are more about open space, natural areas, and a spacious, relaxing zone. Hence it is foolish to cram up your outdoors with loads of furniture just like indoors. Thus carefully select the space available to determine what type and size of furniture will suit your needs. It serves no purpose to conduct exhaustive research, fall in love with a piece of furniture, and discover that it won’t even fit on your patio.
Before deciding how much outdoor space you want to be filled with furniture, take precise measurements of the length and breadth of the outdoor area (that will be covered by furniture).
The Right Materials
It is most important to consider the build material of your outdoor porch furniture. When counting on the build material and choosing the best one, consider durability and personal preference. Since every material has a different look than the other, your personal preference and aesthetic will matter. Also, the make and strength of the material will impact its durability. Below are some common outdoor material choices you can choose from.
Wood
Wood is a popular outdoor porch furniture material of all times because of its natural beauty and grace. It has natural beauty, some types of wood like teak and oak, and applaudable durability. When looking for outdoor furniture, hardwood is a more popular and reliable choice than softwood. However, the big limitation of wood furniture is the lack of designs and the high initial and upkeep cost.
Metal
Metal is often the strongest and most resilient material for outdoor garden furniture. Metal can be molded into more intricate shapes and smaller frames than other materials because of its strength, offering producers more creative freedom. Metal is also a fantastic choice when combined with other materials with their own practical and aesthetic advantages.
Metal is also popular for commercial outdoor bar furniture and large-scale outdoor furniture requirements. Metal, however, also has disadvantages. In the sun, it warms up and becomes painful to touch. While all metals are susceptible to rust and corrosion, some are heavy and difficult to transport.
Aluminum
The most popular pick, aluminum patio furniture, has all the qualities of durability, aesthetics, lightweight design, and strength. Aluminum furniture can also be molded into various shapes, and aluminum can withstand the test of time and weather. Although similar to other metal furniture options, aluminum can heat up under the sun, but you don’t have to worry about rust or the heavy weight of aluminum when planning to move it around. Aluminum also makes the best choice because of its ability to be recyclable and produce sustainable outdoor furniture.
Rattan
Natural materials like rattan and wicker give your deck a relaxed, pleasant appearance and help achieve a modern porch furniture look, but they must be weatherproofed periodically. This is the only drawback of rattan. But other than that, rattan or wicker is the ideal choice for outdoor furniture, provided that it is lightweight, long-lasting, has a high weight capacity, and looks the best in an outdoor setting.
Factor in the Weather
Many individuals mistakenly overlook this important aspect until it is too late. When you decide to re-furnish your backyard, it may be a wonderfully nice day with clouds and weather almost appropriate, but how is it most of the summer and off-season? When does it get hot? What are the winters like and does it snow, because snow will impact the furniture too. Is there a lot of sunlight here?
How much rain do you usually receive annually because you don’t want to ruin your furniture due to the heavy downpour? And if it is windy in your region, the lightweight furniture option isn’t the right choice. Each of these influences the outdoor furniture suitable for your environment, including chairs and tables. Note the circumstances that your furniture must be able to withstand.
