"Fall" In Love With Your New Patio Furniture
With the arrival of Fall, outdoor spaces and patios beckon. Here in the Carolinas it doesn't feel like the seasons are changing, but every day it does feel just a little cooler. We love that here at Porch Concepts, knowing that a new season of cooler weather and cozy spaces are on the horizon. New seasons call for new designs and decorations for your patio, indoor, and outdoor furniture, and we're here to make the buying process for your new cozy, fall space all the more inviting. With this quick guide, you'll be on your way to purchasing your new items in no time to have the perfect dream room. Que the lazy mornings with coffee and a warm blanket on the porch!
Why Buy?
First of all, think about your items as an investment in your home and your own personal comfort. Patio furniture will add to your overall available space, and secondly, holds the promise of relaxation, entertaining, and overall more enjoyment of your room. Buying patio or outdoor furniture involves much the same steps as buying typical indoor furniture, but there are some additional considerations as well.
Consider Natural Elements
Create a mental check of your patio, deck, or enclosed porch. What is your climate typically like? Do you have a significant amount of wind and rain that you'll need to make sure holds up through the test of time? You may want to consider resin or synthetic wicker and rattan over cast iron, metal, or steel (especially if you live near a salty area like we do in Wilmington). Powder coating is always an option, too, to help fight rust. Additionally, you may want to reevaluate your current patio furniture fabric--is it holding up to your environmental elements? Here Porch Concepts, we offer several weather resistant fabrics to fight any natural element, regardless of climate. We are even an authorized Sunbrella and Elaine Smith dealer, so you can depend on durable and easy-to-clean fabric, cushions, and pillows to maintain the quality and durability of your whole space.
Measure Your Space
Considering how much space you have is crucial to the kind of furniture you choose for your space. You don't want to be cramped, but you also want your space to feel cohesive. Likewise, consider the shape of your space: Is it a long and narrow balcony or a broad and wide deck? Use the area and shape of your balcony, patio or porch to determine the size of your outdoor furniture -- then measure height, width, and depth. And then re-measure...and measure again. Then, make sure to leave enough space around your furniture to be able to walk comfortably.
Quick Tip
For a smaller space, a bar table set may work better than a regular dining set. Why? Bar height tables are narrower in design, and barstools take up less room than actual chairs. You can also take a look at cafe or bistro tables and chairs as they have a smaller profile. We have plenty of barstools and bar height tables to choose from in our showroom in Wilmington if this is an option you're considering. We even have a local manufacturer who creates several bar-height looks for the Wilmington area!
Determine Where You Will Place Your Furniture
More questions to ask yourself as you plan your space: Will your furniture rest on even, hard ground or surface like a wooden deck? Paved patio? Or, will your furniture be places on soft ground and grass? Determining this will help you choose materials that are a suitable for your own environment, weather, and area surroundings.
Material Options
You have a wide variety when it comes to choosing the material of your furniture. We have a large showroom to see these materials in person if you'd like to come and check it out. However, these are typically the popular materials seen in outdoor/patio furniture: Wicker, cast aluminum, and teak.
Wicker
Wicker has a classic outdoor furniture look to it and is hands down the most popular material folks choose. High-end wicker furniture is typically hand made, by weaving the wicker in to a powder coated alumunim frame for durability. This allows for a nice, soft feel of the wicker, and definitely provides a warmer look to your space. We have both authentic wicker and synthetic wicker at our showroom, and we love when clients come in to just get a feel for the material itself.
Cast Aluminum
Cast aluminum is definitely becoming more popular when it comes to durability over glass in coffee tables or side tables. You can still have a beautiful surface without the fragility of glass, and cast aluminum can be as simple or intricate in design as you like.
Teak Wood
You can buy authentic teak wood furniture or teak-based furniture that has the gorgeous look without the yearly maintenance and price tag. If you're not familiar with teak wood, it's a beautiful hardwood (coming only from hardwood tree species) and is meant to last. It is strong, naturally beautiful, and elevates the look of any room. We love our teak set in our showroom!
Hopefully some of these buying tips will you help you create your dream room this fall--and we're here to help you every step of the way! Call us at 910-777-3363 for questions, or check out our showroom at 6821 Market St. In Wilmington today!
