Modern Garden Furniture & Inspirational Outdoor Furniture for Your Home
Garden furniture used to be made from wood (teak usually), cane, cast metal or poor quality plastics & was generally available in the same few designs. But now, that has changed as savvy homeowners want to extend their carefully chosen contemporary decor from their indoors to their outdoors.
A concept was born using modern garden furniture – bringing the indoors outdoors, creating ‘rooms’ outside, taking as much effort to choose the furniture for your outside space as you did choosing it for your inside space, using your outdoor area all year round.
We may not have amazing weather in the UK, but with the right all-weather furniture, some beautiful garden lighting, shelter from the elements when needed & some efficient outdoor heating we truly can live outside all year round, in style.
No longer second-best the trend towards ‘investing in furniture for your garden just grows & grows, as we make the most of our gardens to unwind after a long day at work or entertain our friends & family – or even just pop outside for a quick cigarette!
From luxurious outdoor sofas that you won’t want to get up from to sleek outdoor tables that wouldn’t look out of place in a formal dining room, we hope to inspire you to create your own wonderful modern outdoor space, no matter how large or small it happens to be!
The Best Producers Of Modern Garden Furniture?
When it comes to contemporary furniture for inside the home there is no question that the most innovative, well designed & beautiful furniture comes from Italy. Scandinavia & the Netherlands also produce some beautiful designs, as do Spain & Portugal. Outdoor furniture is a little different, however.
Of course, Italy is still present in the metal garden furniture market. At the luxury end of the spectrum are Smania & Roberti, & their collections are both elegant & sophisticated. Well, known names Driade & Kartell work with top designers like Philippe Starck to produce affordable, durable designer furniture in high tech plastics. But while Italy does make amazing garden furniture, like the fabulous outdoor table & chairs on the right, for example, other countries also have much to offer.
Belgium, incredibly for a country with weather little better than that of the UK has some fantastic outdoor furniture & garden parasols. Garden furniture from high-end brand Manutti is technologically advanced, as well as beautifully made (the photo at the very top of each page is from their collection), & Sywawa Parasols & their sister brand Symo make parasols that are both funky & practical, suitable for both rain & shine.
Spain, being a country of glorious weather also make some of the very best garden furniture. Two of Spain’s top brands are Calma & Point, & the quality of their design & product is excellent. The Spanish really understand the outdoor living, & their outstanding designs reflect that, combining comfort & real style.
Denmark also makes a splash, with the well-known brand Cane-Line. Originally Cane-Line started with outdoor furniture in synthetic rattan (the same one that leading company Dedon use), but they are constantly introducing innovative new materials, which along with the famous Danish design & surprisingly good value have made them very popular.
Modern garden furniture is all-weather – you should never need to bring it inside!
Who has room to bring the garden furniture in over winter? Not many of us that’s for sure! New developments in the materials modern garden furniture are made of mean that you should be able to leave it outside without the risk of it fading, rotting, rusting or becoming so dirty it can never be cleaned. Of course, cheap garden furniture won’t last – you get what you pay for, but invest in quality pieces & it will last for years & years looking just as lovely as it did when you bought it!
Synthetic Rattan
Good quality synthetic rattan, like Shintotex & Hularo, is poles apart from cheap synthetic rattan. One uses patented materials that have taken years to develop & is expensive to produce…& the other is just a form of plastic. The best rattans look noticeably different but it’s not just aesthetic, they are UV & rot-proof, super easy to clean, & unaffected by temperature.
They also don’t heat up too much in the sun, which if you are sitting on a dark brown sofa really matters. Either buy good synthetic rattan or get something else if you can’t afford the good stuff.
All-Weather & Nautic Fabrics
An exciting new development, waterproof nautic fabrics are usually found only on expensive yachts, & is the best of the best. Now, however, companies like Manutti have begun to use it on their garden sofas, sun loungers & chairs.
Not only does a beautifully made garden sofa covered completely in fabric look ultra-cool it’s practical too, & like good synthetic rattan won’t ever fade or rot. Top fabric brand Sunbrella also make weatherproof fabrics, & have some fabulous patterns & colours available, & most of the large European garden furniture brands work with them.
Quick Dry Cushions
An innovative filling for outdoor cushions, the quick-dry foam won’t retain any water, it simply drains right through. Specially treated with antibacterial agents it won’t get smelly or mouldy either, so if it gets rained on (which it will) there’s no need to do anything to it.
Trespa Table Tops
Another great new high tech material is Trespa, used on the top of garden dining tables. Almost indestructible it looks a little like a laminate but is created using very high pressure on several layers of material to create an extremely strong material that is thin enough for a modern design but is hardy enough for all weather conditions.
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