Tips for Choosing Patio Furniture

Choosing the right patio furniture will bring functionality and comfort to your outdoor space. A spacious table and comfortable chairs transforms your basic patio into a lush dining destination. Add a wicker sofa and rocking chair to a cozy porch and it will quickly become a second family room.

Check out the tips below for choosing the perfect patio furniture for your space. Careful planning will reward you with an enticing outdoor living space for years to come.

Make a List

Determine how you will use your outdoor space and how you want it to function. Will you use it as a dining room when the weather is nice enough? Will you host dinner parties and birthday parties in this space? Or are you looking for a peaceful reading or journaling spot?

Write down everything you would like to do the outdoor space and let that guide you in determining the type of furniture you will need. For example, if the main use for your patio will be hosting casual evening cocktails, you probably won’t need a dining table. In this case, choose plenty of comfortable seating and a fire pit, such as the Island Estate Lanai Outdoor Gas Fire Pit from Tommy Bahama.

Take a Seat

When choosing chairs, be sure to sit in them before you buy them. Comfy outdoor furniture, just like the furniture in your living room, will be used often, unlike uninviting patio furniture, which may look good, but be lacking in comfort.

Go for Easy Care

An outdoor room shouldn’t add to your housework load, but give you a space to relax, so look for low-maintenance and durable outdoor furniture. Most metal, cedar, teak, and wicker furniture can take whatever nature throws at them. Furniture made of these materials will look good for years.

Color

You are not limited to the natural tone of the wood or the white, black or beige of wicker when purchasing outdoor furniture when purchasing furniture made of these materials. Color finishes are everywhere in the world of outdoor furniture. To stay in style longer, use bold splashes of color on the cushions and accent pieces so that your look won’t become quickly dated.

Invest in Quality

The saying “you get what you pay for” is just as true for patio furniture as it is for anything else. Poor quality plastic resin chairs or side tables look good on the shelf and may stay looking good for a year or two, but sooner or later the sun will take its toll and they will become dull and brittle. The same is true for some wicker and wood pieces. Choose durable materials such as high quality wicker and rattan or the all-weather synthetic wicker used in the Island Estate Lanai Outdoor Wicker Lounger by Tommy Bahama. Shop carefully and check product reviews before making a purchase.

Look Underfoot

Ground your outdoor furniture by placing it on a weather proof rug. Advances in textiles have made many quick-drying outdoor rugs available. Soft, plush, and rich in texture, an outdoor rug will bring indoor comfort to your outdoor space.

Choose for Dual-Purpose Pieces

Make your furniture work harder. An ottoman can double as additional seating for your backyard bash and a simple bench can create seating for intimate conversations or used as additional seating at the dining table.

If you are creating an outdoor room for year-round entertaining, check out the entire Island Estate Lanai collection by Tommy Bahama at a Baer’s Furniture showroom near you. Find out more about the Women of Excellence meeting at Baer's Furniture in Melbourne, FL.

Checklist of Must-Have Home Accessories That Complete Your Look

Imagine this scenario: you’ve decorated a room that, once completed, seems to be missing something. You can’t put your finger on what it needs, but the room seems dull and impersonal despite your best attempts to make it a warm and inviting showcase for your personal style. Use this checklist as you finalize your room’s décor so that your space will have the polished, finished look you are trying to achieve. 

Texture

Done right an all-beige or all-white palette can feel fresh and new, however, it often seems lifeless and sterile. Bringing in texture with baskets, throw, pillows, and rugs adds interest and polish to a room’s design. If you have great pillows on your sofa, but you still think it looks uninviting, try adding a throw. The sleek lines of the Fontana Sofa by Lexington are complemented by the black and white geometric print on the throw pillows. The textured area rug adds another layer of interest and the smaller, botanical inspired print on the wing chair complete the look.

You can use the same technique in the bedroom by casually layering a throw at the end of the bed to tie the look together. Woven baskets that contain firewood, toys, books, or extra pillows can also add texture to a room while doing double duty as additional storage.

Books

Whether you add coffee tables books in the living room, fill the kitchen shelves with cookbooks, or store children’s books in the family room, using books as a design element will add a personal touch to your space. And not to worry if you don’t have built-in bookcases, there are plenty of unique and fanciful ways to display and store books. This doesn’t mean you need to be an avid reader or display a library full of books. Just consider them as beautiful objects to display that can help highlight items you want to showcase.

Something Black

Try adding something black to your room if it feels like it’s missing something. You can add piece of accent furniture, a chalkboard-painted sign, or a set of black picture frames. Adding black seems to bring cohesion and ground the space. The Carrera Topaz Hexagonal Accent Table is the perfect home accessory to bringing black into your living room. It adds modern appeal and interest to any room.

Personality

Your home should reflect you and your family’s personality, to highlight your family’s interests, hobbies, and travels by displaying accessories that tell those stories. Home accessories that tell your story make great conversation starters and add life to your room. Photographs are one way to do this, collections and souvenirs are another.

Something Living

Houseplants can liven up any space. For a low maintenance option, try some hardy, easy-to-grow succulents. Small trees can add life and height to a room. Fresh cut flowers are another option, and may last up to two weeks if properly cared for. A small flower arrangement on the coffee table or kitchen counter, or a houseplant near a sunny window makes a space feel like home.

For tips on how to make your house feel like home, make an appointment with a design professional today and take advantage of Baer’s Furniture’s free design service. Visit Baer’s Furniture on Houzz and browse through more the 38 projects for inspiration.