Patio Furniture Options For Summer Leisure

Writen by Roy Thomsitt

For millions of people in the northern hemisphere, spring is just around the corner, Easter not far away, and the time for summer leisure looming. Those warm summer days can be so precious, an essential for re-energizing you to get through those long autumn and winter months.

For those in colder climates, summer is the time to move life outside more and make the most of the longer daylight and higher temperatures. For many, life outside in the garden revolves around the patio or terrace. To really enjoy summer to the full, it makes sense to give as much attention to the garden, and particularly the patio, as you do to the house interior. You may go to great lengths to make your home interior look as attractive and comfortable as possible, and it is surprising more people do not do the same with their outside living area: the patio.

An important consideration in your summer comfort and relaxation in the garden is the patio furniture. After all, to fully indulge in the deserved respite from winter, you probably want something comfortable to sit on. A cheap plastic chair that soon cracks in the hot sun is not likely to fulfill that need, nor look attractive. If you really want to use the garden as an extension of your home living area, then giving long thought to the choice of patio furniture is well worthwhile.

What Material To Choose For Your Patio Furniture

I think it is true to say that the better furnished your patio is, the more likely you are to make full use of it. The more conducive to relaxation and enjoyment the surroundings and furnishings are, the more times you will be tempted to dine, drink and laze around on the patio, thus exploiting the summer warmth to the full. And why not? You deserve it. If you think of your patio as your outdoor haven and living space, you will feel far more contented than just treating it like a minor accessory to an old yard.

As with your interior furnishings, matching and complementing your items of patio furniture are important. One of the first considerations is the material you would like to have the furniture made from, and here are some of the most common options at the quality end of the market:

1.Wicker

If the furniture is well made, then wicker can be an attractive material for chairs in particular. Genuine wicker can be used, but also nowadays there is synthetic wicker, which may be more appropriate for constant outside use. Synthetic wicker is often used on aluminium to provide sturdiness yet a wicker appearance.

2.Wood

High quality solid wood makes what is arguably the best and most attractive outdoor patio furniture. Probably the most popular of all is teak, but oak is also used. As a cheaper teak alternative, premium western red cedar can look very attractive and almost like authentic teak if selected and treated properly.

3. Resin

Resin is widely used in outdoor furniture, and is the choice of material for thousands of sun loungers in resorts around the world. The best resin furniture is very enduring, easy to clean and maintain, and robust. It can also look quite attractive.

The material you choose is obviously a matter of taste and budget; however, do not forget to choose a style and colour that will go best with your patio design. The patio is an important living area, so it is worth considering the overall effect of the combination of the furniture and the patio itself.

What Patio Furniture Do You Need?

If you consider how best you would like to use the patio, then that will help you decide what furniture you need to enhance your enjoyment of patio living. A patio will never be fully utilized if you do not dine there as often as possible, so a dining table and chairs are probably essentials. That is, unless you only want to use the patio for sunbathing, in which case you may just make do with a chaise lounge.

The patio, though, can be a great place for entertaining friends, neighbours and relatives, as well as your own relaxation, so dining is an important consideration. Once you have made that decision, then you may want to consider extra chairs to match the dining set, with matching runabout or trolley, maybe even a storage buffet cabinet.

Other accessories to think about when choosing your patio furniture are planters, patio heaters, and umbrellas. All can contribute to convenience, comfort and ambience; and, coupled with the main furniture items, plants and flowers, and patio design, play a part in luring you outside as frequently as possible in that all too short summer.

Always bear in mind that skimping on cost may be a false economy. The well made top quality furniture may seem highly priced, but should last much longer than the cheap alternatives, as well as give you more pleasure for yourself and visitors.

This patio furniture article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner author of the Gardens and Decor web site, where you will find further articles on patio gardens and furniture, plus many other home and garden decor featurs and articles. You can also find an audio MP3 version of this article.