Garden Furniture Buying Guide
A garden set is bought once and lives outside for years, so the questions are different from a sofa: what will it be used for, what is it made of, and how much of the year will it actually be out? This guide walks through the choices in the order we'd ask them in the showroom. Shop all garden furniture →
In this guide
- Lounge, dine or both?
- The set types
- Rattan, aluminium or fabric
- How many seats?
- Firepits & rising tables
- Measuring up
- Leaving it out
- FAQs
Lounge, dine or both?
Start with how you'll use it. If the set is mainly for sitting out with a drink, you want a lounge set: deep seats, low coffee table. If it's for eating outside, a dining set with a full-height table and upright chairs is more comfortable for a meal. The most popular answer in our showroom is the corner dining sofa: a corner sofa with a table that sits at dining height, or a rising table that lifts from coffee-table height to dining height, so one set does both jobs. If space allows only one set, that's the one to look at first.
The set types
Corner sofa sets
The biggest sellers. An L-shape or U-shape sofa seating five to nine, usually with a table, and often benches or stools that tuck under the table. Good for families and for entertaining. Corner sofa sets.
Sofa & lounge sets
A two- or three-seat sofa with two armchairs and a coffee table, sometimes called a “3 piece” or “5 piece” lounge set. The classic layout for a patio, and easier to arrange on an awkward shape than a corner. Sofa & lounge sets.
Dining sets
Table plus four, six or eight chairs. Round tables are sociable and suit square patios; rectangular tables seat more and suit long, narrow spaces. Look for stacking chairs if storage is tight. Dining sets.
Bistro sets
A small table and two chairs: right for a balcony, a front step or a sunny corner where a full set won't fit. Bistro sets.
Loungers, daybeds and egg chairs
Sun loungers come singly or in pairs with a drinks table; daybeds are the treat for a big lawn; hanging egg chairs are the small-garden favourite. Sun loungers · Daybeds · Egg chairs.
Rattan, aluminium or outdoor fabric?
Rattan (PE wicker)
Not the natural cane of a conservatory chair: modern garden rattan is a synthetic weave over a powder-coated aluminium frame. It's weatherproof, light to move and doesn't rust. The weave quality is the thing to compare: a flat 8mm or half-round 12mm weave is thicker and holds its shape better than a thin round strand. Grey, brown and natural are the usual colours. This is most of what we sell, and what the rattan care guide covers. Rattan garden furniture.
Aluminium
Slatted or plank aluminium frames with fabric-covered cushions. The contemporary look, very strong, and it takes rain without a mark. Frames are cool to the touch in winter and warm in full sun, so cushions matter more here. Aluminium garden furniture.
Outdoor fabric
Fully upholstered sets in a weatherproof fabric that looks like an indoor sofa. The most comfortable option by some distance, and the one that most wants a cover or a cushion box when it's not in use. Outdoor fabric sets.
How many seats?
Count the people who'll sit down at once on a normal evening, then add two for guests. A four-seater lounge set is right for a couple who have friends round; a family of four eating outside wants a six-seat dining set or a corner set. Seven- and eight-seat sets need a patio at least 4m in each direction to leave room to walk round.
Shop by seats: 2 seater & bistro · 4 seater · 5–6 seater · 7+ seater.
Firepit tables and rising tables
Two features are worth paying for. A gas firepit table has a burner in the centre of the table fed by a standard patio-gas bottle hidden in the base; it gives you another two months of evenings at each end of the season and the table still works as a table with the lid on. A rising (gas-lift) table converts a lounge set into a dining set in one movement. Many of our corner sets offer either table on the same sofa, so choose the sofa first and the table second. Firepit sets · Rising table sets.
Measuring up
- Measure the patio, not the garden. Sets look smaller on a showroom floor than on a 3m × 3m patio.
- Allow 60–80cm behind dining chairs to pull them out, and at least 50cm between a sofa and a table edge.
- Check the access: side gates are usually 90cm; corner sofa modules and daybeds are boxed and can be over 1m wide. Tell us if it has to go through the house.
- Check the ground. Decking and paving are fine; on grass, a rising table or firepit table wants a level slab under it.
- Every product page lists the dimensions of each piece; sketch them on the patio in chalk or tape before you order.
Leaving it out all year
Rattan and aluminium frames can stay outside all year. The cushions can't — outdoor fabric is shower-resistant, not waterproof, and it will go green if left wet under a cover for a winter. A cushion box in the same weave holds a full set of cushions and doubles as a bench. Covers help the frame stay clean rather than dry; if you use one, leave it loose at the bottom so air moves.
Frequently asked questions
Is rattan garden furniture waterproof?
The weave and aluminium frame are. The cushions are shower-resistant: they shrug off a light shower but should be stored dry over winter. See the rattan care guide.
What is the difference between 8mm and 12mm weave?
The width of the strand. Wider flat or half-round strands (8–12mm) give a tighter, more solid-looking weave that holds its shape better than a thin round strand. Most of our sets use 8mm flat or 12mm half-round.
Do the sets come assembled?
Sofas, chairs and loungers arrive built. Tables and some corner modules need legs fitting; firepit tables need the burner connecting to a gas bottle, which you buy locally.
How is it delivered?
Free UK delivery on garden sets, kerbside or to the garden where access allows. In-stock sets from our Rotherham showroom can usually go out within a week; see the clearance sets for ready-now stock.
Which lasts longer, rattan or aluminium?
Both frames should give ten years plus. Aluminium slats show fewer signs of age; rattan is softer to sit against and hides scuffs. The cushions are the wear item on either.
