Patio Perfection: Finding Furniture for Comfortable Al Fresco Living

Al Fresco living is nothing new, though since the lockdowns of yesteryear we have all gained a new perspective of the importance of our outside space as a place to relax whatever the weather.

Core to making sure that you can enjoy our patio, garden or balcony, is the furniture arrangement that you have at your disposal for different times of year. Of course everybody prefers to sit out when the sun is shining and the bbq is on the go, though why should we only enjoy the outdoor space for a few weeks a year? How about times when it isn’t so warm or perhaps you need some protection from the elements?

This article will take you through some ideas to help you make the most of your outdoor space, integrate in some Al Fresco living and support you to making the right garden furniture choices as well.

Assess Your Outdoor Space

Outdoor spaces come in all shapes, sizes and styles - so understanding what you are working with is the first step before you can realise your vision of sipping away on a cold drink into the late summer evenings.

Size is of course the easiest thing to consider, and if you’re city living then this is likely to be pretty sparse, so choose your furniture carefully so not to overcrowd the space and make it feel too tight. If you’re lucky enough to have a patio and large garden area, then you want to consider breaking down the space into small areas.

Do you want an area where adults can sit, chat, cook and laugh the night away?
Would you need a space the kids can get their toys out and play around in?
Are you wanting to have an area dedicated to plants, shrubs, herbs, bushes or vegetables?

These are all considerations to think of before then planning your furniture, though sometimes it can be worth checking out furniture as inspiration, saving products you like, then coming back to them as your vision takes shape.

Material Matters

One big consideration for any outdoor furniture is what material it should be made from. Now there are arguments for and against all materials, though here at Home Detail we always favour rattan for its versatility in style, durability for the UK weather, chic finish, ease to clean and affordable price - what more do you want!

Of course, sitting directly onto rattan isn’t the most comfortable so you’ll need to think about cushions and accessories to maximise your enjoyment of the outside space. Now these may not be waterproof so we would advise either taking these in after use, or perhaps looking at getting furniture that comes with a cover so you can protect everything from the harsh winter months in the UK - this for example.

Shade and Accessories

An area so often overlooked when working out the garden space are the accessories that really pull everything together - especially when it comes to shade, which also doubles up as protection from light rain.

If you’ve got a large patio, then investing in an umbrella or pergola is definitely something that you should consider as they can be adjusted and moved around based on the time of day and the season. If you are a little tight on space, then perhaps you can look at a garden shade sail that can be attached to certain areas providing you plenty of shade in the places that you need it.

Accessories for your outdoor space can then run from the very useful into the crazily specific, though you should start to consider things like lighting so that you don’t have to head inside when the sun goes down. These can either be powered by solar or perhaps battery powered, if you can’t have a plug running to an indoor socket or already have an outdoor socket that is weatherproof.

Conclusion

There are so many different ways you can incorporate Al Fresco living into your life, though it definitely has to start with making sure that you have a patio or outdoor space that you actually want to spend time in - otherwise you’re never going to get out there, even when the sun is beaming down all day!

Luckily here at Home Detail we have a large variety of outdoor seating and dining sets, at a affordable prices , that is suitable whatever your budget. So make sure that you check out what we have on offer and grab yourself a bargain today.