Outdoor furniture: recommendations from experts on choosing comfortable and practical furniture

Content:

1. Where you can use outdoor furniture
2. Requirements for the material of outdoor furniture
3. Types of outdoor furniture depending on the material
   1. Aluminium
   2. Polyester
   3. Artificial stone
   4. Textilene (PVC fabric)
   5. Tempered glass
   6. HPL laminate
4. Recommendations for choosing outdoor furniture

With the onset of the summer season, people try to spend more time outdoors. Open areas, terraces and lounge areas of cafes, bars, restaurants, and hotels are filled with visitors in the warm season. Properly selected outdoor furniture will help ensure a comfortable stay and attract customers. Products intended for outdoor installation are subject to particularly stringent requirements. They should be pleasing to the eye, emphasize the concept of the establishment, match the style of landscape design, be durable and resistant to precipitation, and not require special care. In order to buy outdoor furniturethat meets these criteria, you should familiarize yourself with the recommendations of experts on its selection.

Where you can use outdoor furniture

The scope of use of street furniture, which refers to small architectural forms (SAF), is very wide. With the help of beautiful outdoor furniture, you can create a comfortable environment both in public areas and in private areas. For example, comfortable and functional outdoor furniture helps to arrange:

• Streets, city parks and public gardens. The most common types of outdoor furniture that can be seen in public spaces are benches with and without backs. Outdoor furniture also includes sun loungers - a mandatory attribute of resort cities.
• Country areas. It is enough to decorate the area with a pair of cozy outdoor chairs, an original table, a swing with a canopy - and the space will be transformed.
• Restaurants, cafes and other catering establishments with open areas. In addition, some stores will provide open seating areas for customers. According to research, this decision encourages people to linger in the store and helps increase sales.

Stable demand for outdoor furniture contributes to the expansion of its range. Boring benches and chairs of the same type are gradually becoming a thing of the past. Their place is taken by luxurious outdoor sofas, hanging chairs, which previously could only be seen on the pages of foreign magazines, transforming multifunctional benches that are more reminiscent of art objects.

Requirements for the material of outdoor furniture

The functionality and service life of outdoor furniture directly depend on the material from which it is made. Most often, metal, wood and concrete are used in its production, and in private households and premium restaurants you can find more expensive combined options (for example, made of metal, glass and artificial stone). However, in any case, the material must meet a number of requirements:

1. Unpretentiousness, the ability to quickly clean outdoor furniture. Since furniture placed outdoors is especially susceptible to contamination, it should be as easy to care for as possible. This applies to both the base material and the coating. Since regular dry cleaning is expensive for street establishments, you need to choose materials that can be easily cleaned with water and detergents.
2. Resistance to ultraviolet radiation and temperature changes.
3. Aesthetic appearance, because an outdoor table or bench is not just a piece of furniture, but also an element of landscaping.
4. Safety for human health and the environment.

The design features of street furniture are also of great importance. For example, if the product is intended for a playground or amusement park, it should not have sharp corners, it is better to give preference to round-shaped structures. And, of course, ease of assembly is important. If there are no unnecessary parts, the furniture can be easily assembled and disassembled even by a specialist without special training.  

Types of outdoor furniture depending on material

The furniture market offers a wide selection of products specially designed for outdoor use. The materials from which they are made are quite practical, but each material has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Aluminum

Lightweight and affordable, aluminum has been used in outdoor furniture for many years. This all-weather material is resistant to fading and abrasion, and dust and dirt can be easily removed with a rag. In terms of strength and durability, aluminum is not inferior to more expensive analogues, and in terms of practicality it is superior, for example, to natural wood. Most often, the bases of outdoor furniture are made of aluminum - due to its low weight, it can be easily transported or moved to another place.

Street bar table "Muse" anthracite

Textilene lounge chair

Double outdoor sofa "Muse" with braid

Perhaps the only disadvantage of outdoor aluminum furniture is the lack of choice of color palette. It is also worth considering that aluminum alloys heat up in the heat, so it is advisable to protect such furniture with umbrellas from the sun.

Polyester

Polyester is an innovative material made from high-strength polyester fibers. Despite its artificial origin, it is absolutely safe for health. Outdoor furniture made from polyester looks nice, retains its attractive appearance for a long time, and can be combined with any design elements. It is not afraid of moisture, but is quite sensitive to heat: damage may occur from contact with very hot objects.

Outdoor armchair "Muse" dark gray with braid)

Street bar chair " Muse" anthracite

Artificial stone

Artificial stone imitating noble natural material is one of the best solutions for outdoor furniture. As a rule, such furniture is represented by monumental stationary models that are installed in public places (parks, squares). The advantages of furniture structures made of artificial stone include:

• Presentable appearance: stone tables and benches look solid and expensive.
• Invulnerability to shocks and adverse weather conditions.
• Long service life: the stone retains its performance characteristics for several decades.

Outdoor dining table " Bari" white

Outdoor table "Verona" white)< /a>

Chair "Vinnie"

Outdoor chair "Muse" anthracite with braid

Tempered glass

Many people consider glass furniture to be a bad option for outdoor use, but this is not the case. Glass chairs or a table with a tempered glass top add charm and airiness to the setting, giving it a modern look and special style. The ability of heated glass to take on any shape gives manufacturers the opportunity to make the most unusual outdoor furniture (for example, coffee tables in the shape of a sea wave).

The service life of tempered glass is also impressive: if handled with care, it can last up to 50 years. The only point: for glass outdoor furniture to look decent, it needs to be regularly wiped from stains and periodically cleaned with detergent.

HPL laminate

Panels made from HPL laminate are also a good choice for outdoor furniture. The material, consisting of kraft paper impregnated with special resins and wood fiber, has numerous advantages:

1. Resistant to impacts, scratches and normal wear and tear.
2. Health safety: paper, wood fiber and resins do not contain harmful substances.
3. Easy to care for. Densely compressed HPL laminate contains virtually no pores, microorganisms do not multiply in it, and dirt can be removed with a regular rag.

HPL laminate is used to make various elements of outdoor furniture: sofa stands, tabletops. Such furniture is very often found in catering establishments.  

Recommendations for choosing outdoor furniture

In order for outdoor furniture to meet expectations and recoup costs, you should listen to the advice on choosing it:

• If outdoor furniture is chosen for private recreation areas, it is better to give preference to products with a transformation mechanism (the ability to adjust the backrest, turn the chair into a chaise lounge).
• Since outdoor furniture will be subject to significant stress, it must be strong or flexible enough so as not to break on uneven surfaces.
• The most durable outdoor furniture is considered to be structures made of metal (aluminum, steel) and stone.
• Manufacturability also plays an important role - today on sale there are benches with sockets, dining tables with recesses for cups and glasses.

In the Garda Decor store you can choose outdoor furniture from talented designers for any purpose: comfortable and beautiful outdoor sofas, ideal for relaxing in the fresh air, cozy outdoor chairs and chaise lounges made from exclusive materials, elegant coffee tables. Outdoor furniture from Garda Decor harmoniously combines beauty, nobility, functionality, and reliability. You can safely leave it in the pouring rain and the scorching sun: even after a few years, the products will look like new. Such furniture will allow you to bring any design idea to life, and the company’s consultants will provide comprehensive assistance in furnishing the object.