Furniture must have a personality as well as be beautiful – Rose Tarlow.

If you have a backyard that has grass and some flowers or even a balcony, make a cute little sitting area. You can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee when it is winter and ice cream or cold drinks when it is summer. Soak in those sun rays and get that most wanted suntan without having to waste your money on those pretentious tanning salons. Follow these pointers and get yourself a sitting area and a natural tanning place (depending on the weather of course), all in one. So, give this article a thorough read and thank us later. 

Let us talk location 

Location matters in every situation. The same is true in this case, it feels just right when you have your outdoor sitting area at the right location. Place the furniture in accordance with the ground. For example, do not place heavy glass tables on the soft grass it may cause depressions in the ground. Place light wooden furniture on the soft places and take into consideration of moisture, the grass has a lot of moisture and if your furniture is prone to water, it may get affected. The moisture can cause mildew and major dimensional change by causing swelling of the wooden items. Location is also important when considering how much exposure to the sun you want, you can either place it in a shady part of your garden and balcony or outside and enjoy the warm rays of sunlight. Placing furniture near trees and plants can present a threat of insects and bacteria so think about that as well. 

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I tried to make your hammock shopping easier in a Guide to buying a perfect Hammock. Do not miss this article.

It is always good to make a list 

There are a lot of items of furniture you can choose from and then make a list of items you want to keep in your yard. And every little item has a lot of variety in it as given below:

Chairs:

• Armchairs
• Camping chairs
• Rocking chairs
• Suspended Seats
• Hammock
• Patio day bed/sofa
• Patio stools
• Deck Chaise Lounge
• Chair with ottoman 
• Adirondack
• Dining chairs

Tables:

• Picnic tables
• Patio Console table
• Firepit table
• Dining table
• Side table
• Coffee table

Sofas

• Regular sofa for the deck
• Patio sectional
• Patio loveseat
• Bistro sets

Other items include

• Patio and deck bars
• Gazebo and Pergola furniture
• Small cushions 
• Extension cable for charging your electronics like mobile or laptop so you can sit outdoors and work in a fresh breeze. 
• Swings for children to enjoy their time in the outdoor area without having to go outside.

It is also crucial to keep your outdoor furniture safe. Read my article on Keeping your garden accessories safe and last for a long time.

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Wind chimes and dreamcatchers 

Another thing to make your outdoor sitting area beautiful is to decorate it with trendy and cute wind chimes and dreamcatchers depending on the themes you are going for. Imagine hanging a silver wind chime on top of your sitting place and every time air gushes, the wind chimes make soothing sounds. Research suggests the sound from a wind chime can have a therapeutic effect and make your mood better. 

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Combine wind chimes with outdoor furniture, but not every wind chime can be hung in your garden. To know the rules of wind chimes, follow my article How to Choose the Perfect Wind Chime For Your Space

Mirror Mirror on the wall what color is matching of them all?

When you have decided to make a sitting area in your backyard, something crucial to consider is the color scheme. Colors have a crucial role in the appearance of your furniture. Our emotions and feelings are also affected by them. Choose the color to make you happy and go with the whole outdoor area. You can do a unique contrast of greenery of grass with black and grey chic, trendy furniture. You can also try navy blue sofas matching with that of the sky with the brown color of table and earth, and surrounding green can just mix it all up to give you a perfect blend. White furniture is a very good idea, but this can be risky as white gets dirty and is difficult to clean out. Even if there is the smallest stain, it would be visible. 

Important Points to Consider

Following is some of the natural phenomena that should be considered in all seriousness before planning to buy outdoor furniture.

• Durability 
• Wind 
• Cleaning and care difficulty
• Rain and Moisture
• Mold, Mildew, and Rot
• Rust and Corrosion
• Warping
• Sun and temperature 
• Fading 
• Cracking
• Heat retention

Long-lasting furniture types

Following is some of the options you can explore while looking for durable weather-resistant furniture. These options include eco-friendly, budget-friendly, and pretty decent options.

Wrought iron:

This kind of furniture will last longer than those costly teeth implants. If you live in an area with frequent winds, do not worry about your furniture being blown away because it has considerable weight. It lasts longer because of its constituent, Iron. And it does not rust that easily. But, wrought iron is heavy and, if you have to move your furniture around a lot, this might be a point of consideration. 

Polymer and plastic furniture: 

Furniture made of recycled plastic is best if you are looking for lightweight and easy maintenance furniture. It is also a better option if you live near sea winds because it will not retain moisture. Marine-grade plastics are strong and keep their ground, so the furniture will not fly around. 

Wood furniture: 

Wood furniture is simple, classic, and gives your backyard a classy touch. Choose an item of wooden furniture that is resistant to splitting, rotting, and swelling by retaining moisture. Good options are eucalyptus, cedar, and maple wood furniture.

Metal furniture:

Metal scores the highest when it comes to strength and durability. Because of its strength, it can easily be molded and shaped into various designs resulting in furniture with intricate unique patterns. It gives furniture a costly appearance. But it can absorb heat in the summer and get heated up so that is something to think about if you live in a temperate environment. 

Stainless steel: 

It is Lightweight but strong. It gives a refined appearance to the furniture, and it is almost completely resistant to rust and corrosion. The contents of stainless steel I.e., Chromium are resistant to atmospheric corrosion, and Molybdenum wards off red rust and surface pitting. 

Aluminum:

Aluminum is lightweight and rust-proof with easy maintenance. It is a good option for outdoor furniture because it is resistant to fading and you would not have to worry about the new paint job any time soon, but its hollow tube frames might bend in extensive winds so if you live in a windy area you might want to think about that. 

To Maintain your garden furniture and keep them in good shape for a long. Try these Useful tips to take care of your outdoor furniture

Quality and budget

It all comes down to how much can you afford to spend on this venture. If you can go all out, then buy some lavish, comfortable, and high-quality durable furniture. If you have a tight packed-up budget but want to have the outdoor space utilized, consider the following tips and tricks. 

1. Buy the furniture at the end of the summer. It is when you will find the discount on outdoor furniture, usually around the months of August and July. 
2. Get a peek at the yard sales. While switching places, people usually sell their unnecessary furniture at yard sales instead of moving them and paying hundreds of dollars. You can always repaint and make them better by decorating with fairy lights.
3. Look for relatively cheaper items but they should be strong and sturdy to withstand the course of time and weather effects. 

With everything discussed above, do not ever compromise on the quality of the furniture if you have to spend a little extra. It would be worth every penny once you set up a perfect little place to hang out in your backyard. 

Cheaper furniture might be Expensive

You can buy furniture that is easy for your budget but, in the long run, that can be heavy on your pocket as you might need to change the furniture frequently because of less durability. In the worst-case scenario imagine a wooden table infested with termites. It was cheap and, you bought it but, it wound up causing a termite attack in your backyard. So, to spend money once on good quality furniture and a trusted seller you can get rid of many potential losses in the future. 

Attention to the details and comfort 

While choosing furniture outdoor or indoor, luxury and style are important but, your comfort should be the first priority. Spam your sofas with lots of soft cushions filled with feathers. Get the soft covers of sofas made of cotton and other stuff that is UV resistant, it can be a little expensive but totally worth your comfort. Get pretty curtains to get some privacy. 

Maintenance and cleaning 

Go for the options of furniture that need less maintenance and are easy to clean. You can buy a water-resistant spray for your furniture like silicone spray to avoid water absorbing into your furniture. You can use a damp piece of cloth to clean dust from the furniture. Also, use anti-bug sprays to avoid any bugs from the trees or plants attacking your furniture such as termites, carpet beetles, and powder post beetles that can make your furniture brittle. You can use natural bug repellent, for instance, Marigold flowers can repel mosquitoes. Chives and Lemongrass are also effective in repelling many other bugs. You can also opt for a polyester powder coating. It is a process that involves applying powdered metal with a gun. The powder is charged electrically and gets attached to the surface of a furniture to prevent rust and corrosion among other things. Also, you can get a transparent plastic sheet to cover the furniture for unexpected rainy days. 

Consider dual-purpose furniture items 

Less the clutter, the better the view. There are many dual-purpose items of furniture in store these days that would add uniqueness and style to your place with taking the minimum space. You can go for a coffee table that opens horizontally and become a dining table. A coffee table that you can elevate upward to make a workstation. A table with side shelves to keep the glasses and plates. A sofa with drawers that open outwards and close inward. Sofa that turns into a bed to relax and take a nap in the fresh air. All these unique ideas to get yourself a perfect little hang-out place outside of your house or apartment. 

Personal preference

Things can go in any direction if you want them to. It is all about your heart and mind because you are the boss. While decorating and making an outdoor area for yourself, you can explore many designs and options as given below. 

White serenity:

Go for all white sofas with white cushions and white silk curtains flowing around. Keep these sofas under lush green trees to compliment the white. Also, you can buy some white flowers to make the whole setting even better. 

Colorful mix:

A wooden sofa made of teak or maple, white sofa covers, and colorful pillows give a unique and colorful setting to cheer your mood. Hang some cute little lights to light up the whole area in the dark. 

Wooden carving:

A whole sitting area with brownish wooden furniture complemented with the same-colored cushions and grey flowing curtains. A comfortable one-of-a-kind setting that you can go for in order to do something out of the box. 

Hidden heaven:

You can buy all-black sofas, chairs with grey colored covers, and pillows surrounding by extensive lush greenery, plants, trees, and flowers. It would get you a hidden gem that you can use to escape the busy life. 
These are just some of the ideas that you can take for a spin to add a little extra out of your own creativity and get a perfect, unique, and cozy outdoor sitting area. 

Expert’s advice

You can make any place trendy and stylish, modern and chic, traditional and contemporary with these easy pointers. So, get yourself a place to enjoy with your family or host small gatherings in the afternoon and for any needed guidance, this article is here for you on your screens. Happy Shopping!