Terri Ramsey Beavers Are you trying to develop a cute and trendy outdoor space for your home?
The right outdoor furniture can turn a drab yard into a perfect space to relax, host parties, or have a summer barbeque. But how do you choose good outdoor furniture?
How do you get the perfect mix of appearance and quality, all while fitting within your budget and personal style?
Read on for some of the best trends in outdoor furniture and where you can find them before your next summer party.
Materials for Good Outdoor Furniture
If you’re going to have outdoor furniture, you’re going to be looking for things that can weather the outdoors a little bit better than your standard indoor furniture. You also want to be a little more creative than just your standard picnic furniture and plastic lawn chairs though, right? For inspiration, you can start looking at the sunshine coast outdoor furniture website.
So what makes good outdoor furniture material?
Typically, you’re looking at four main categories: woods, synthetics, metals, and fabrics.
Woods
For woods, your most popular options are going to be teak, cedar, and eucalyptus. Sometimes woods have to be treated if you’re going to keep them outside to maintain their color and sturdiness.
Woods have a great natural and organic look and they can fit into most backyard decors. They also mesh well with a lot of fabric colors and blend timelessly through seasonal trend changes.
Synthetics
For hard synthetic materials, you’re looking at things like plastics. These plastics can come in different varieties and looks, like the faux-wood look or the standard cheaper lawn furniture look, but are also available as a faux wicker weave.
Wicker weaves are popular and coming back into style after being out or resigned for the dayrooms of grandparents for a while.
Synthetics can come in all colors to match whatever style you have going on, and are also resistant to weather. They’re generally fairly lightweight and easy to clean, making them a great choice for an outdoor living area.
You don’t get the organic look, but there’s a good amount of longevity to be had with this furniture.
Metals
Metals are a little less common in outdoor furniture. It’s generally most ideal to get one that won’t rust, like aluminum. Aluminum is lightweight and shiny, making it easy to move around and adjust, but also not great for areas that deal with a lot of winds. It won’t rust in wet climates, though.
Steel is significantly heavier, making it safe against the wind, but is prone to rust. It can be sealed and protected, but the risk remains if you live in an area with any amount of saltwater nearby.
Fabrics
Finding a fabric that’s both comfortable and resistant to weather can be tough! You’re going to be looking for synthetic fabrics, mostly. Vinyl and acrylic are great choices due to cost, breathability, and general resistance to water.
They are still fabrics, though, and should be taken care of. They need to be cleaned and preferably put away during poor weather.
What About Trends?
There are definitely different styles you can go for, but some trends are really popping off in 2020 (while some carry over from the years before).
You can’t go wrong with timeless pieces, so buying vintage or secondhand is always a great option. Looking around at antique stores or flea markets for promising outdoor finds is one way to make sure you’ll get a one-of-a-kind piece that will carry you through the seasons. Conveniently, vintage is totally in style right now.
Firepits are another hot trend at the moment, and they’re completely functional! Having a safe little area to keep warm after a pool party, or roast marshmallows with the kids or friends is great, and they’re super stylish.
It’s currently in-style to mix fabrics amongst your furniture, so once you find a color scheme that works for you (blue is also a hot color for 2020) consider this for your outdoor furniture style.
Where to Buy Good Outdoor Furniture?
If you’re someone who likes to see things before you buy them, thrift shops, vintage shops, and flea markets are still a great option. Sometimes, though, we want new things! Especially when putting together a complete and cohesive set that we know will last through several seasons at least.
Often times, home-improvement stores will have a good supply of functional furniture for the outdoors, but often don’t have the most stylish selections. You can look online for great outdoor furniture in your local area and see if there are any locally-owned furniture shops to choose from.
Smaller businesses are great to support, and they often curate their selections more carefully than their big-box competitors. You might find some items there that you wouldn’t have found elsewhere, and you’ll be supporting local.
This also helps you keep up with local trends even if they don’t quite match up with national or international trends. Sometimes major cities are doing totally different things than more rural areas, and beachier areas are doing different things than areas that are more city-based or mountainous in nature.
Shopping local or small will give you the most personalized experience, and let you really curate your outdoor living space to be exactly what you want.
Are You Ready To Decorate?
The warm weather is coming, which means it’s time to start planning your outdoor space. Are you going with metals or plastics? Maybe some nice wood? Do you need a fire pit or a hammock?
Start your window shopping now to make sure that your backyard is summer-ready. Outdoor living spaces are now an extension of the home, and you want to make sure you have good outdoor furniture to keep everything cute and cozy.
Visit our page for more furniture ideas!