I told myself I’d love it, that I wouldn’t mind having to bring the cushions in when it rained…ugh. I hate it. I don’t have a good spot to put the cushions when they have to come in… Our deck faces due west and gets full afternoon sun so I can’t get any color cushion besides beige, and even those have faded. And it’s not even that comfortable!!!
What kinds of outdoor sets do you have? (Links helpful). We have Adirondack chairs out by the pool…I’m looking for ideas for the wood deck off the house.
None of our outdoor furniture (except a chaise lounge) has cushions. While we use it a lot, it’s not like we are sitting in it for hours. Our wood deck has a , wrought iron chair/umbrella set + a wrought iron glider and rocker. Plus the cushioned chaise- the deck is about 1/2 sun, 1/2 shade.
The patio has wood adirondack chairs, a wood glider and a “trash to treasure” piece I had made - a bench from a beautiful metal headboard I found at the curb.
At our cottage we have the resin (?) Adirondack chairs. These are actually quite comfortable! And lots of beach chairs.
I had the harshest conditions imaginable and my Gloster teak and resin wicker furniture held up great for over ten years, as did my Brown Jordan teak dining tables and chairs. Really industructible stuff.
By contrast, I had some super expensive Richard Schultz lounge chairs, tables and chaise lounges on balconies and it rusted through in a year (covered by a warranty though).
I like outdoor furniture with deep cushions. So much more comfortable. I try to keep them covered when not in use, but I don’t bring them inside. Have you thought about investing in covers?
I have canvas colored cushions and I buy cheap bright throw pillows at ikea (not outdoor) that i put out when guests come over and bring in at night. The throw pillows are cheap enough to repkace every year.
We bought new outdoor furniture after moving this past winter - it goes on a balcony that faces west, so lots of direct sun, and no shaded trees around. I, too, was concerned about having cushions outside and dealing with rain. However, we bought some outdoor furniture at Crate and Barrel with cushions, but not the thickest cushions on the market (also, not the thinnest). I have been incredibly surprised at how fast they dry after rain. When it rains, I can actually watch the rain bead up and run off the cushions from my balcony door (as opposed to soaking in). Only wish I could say the same for the outdoor rug we bought - it stays wet a long time. We do not have room on our balcony to add more ‘pieces’ so no storage place for when it rains. The cushions/pillows I bought are primary - red and blue and they have not faded a bit this year so far. The only thing is, because they are such vibrant colors, you can see dog hair on them after our dog has been on the chairs or love seat. However, it vacuums off really easily and when I do, they look as good as the day I bought them. Had I known there were cushions out there that would repel water as well as these cushions so that I wouldn’t have to store them or bring them inside when it rains, I would have bought cushioned outdoor furniture long ago (maybe the water repellant technology was not as good a few years ago as it is now). Oh, the cushions I have now are made of Sunbrella fabric.
We now have a screen porch, so instead of all the plastic stacking chairs I’m looking forward to getting a nice love seat with cushions. Actually something similar to the top link, but I’ve been wondering if I should go try them out at a brick and mortar store. I want comfortable!
We have sling style furniture on our pool deck. Suncoast is one brand. After about 10 years outside we had the slings replaced. This is more comfortable than the furniture with cushions we have on the screened porch.
As much as I like the look, I would never get a wicker set in my climate. It will be covered in mold and moss in no time. (Sunbrella fabric makes great cushions and seating surfaces and is relatively easy to take care off). We have a 2-seater glider chair on the front porch facing South, but covered, and it has a seating surface made of Elbertex material - I just checked the label. Comfy without cushions, and easy to clean with a brush and soapy water. Of course, the thing is 10 years old at the very least, so I cannot find any links to it.
I have the “outdoor” wicker in a covered screen porch, on our deck we have Brown Jordan sling furniture. We 'tried" the furniture out to make sure it was comfortable on the behind without cushions and sans cushions is the intended use, but I did buy cushions that we use sometimes, mostly if we are entertaining to add some color and those go into a deck box when not in use. We did leave Sunbrella cushions out on our old deck furniture through rain, sun and up until snow and the cushions lasted almost a decade, though they did fade.
We have Ebel furniture and I love it. We have a 4 seater couch, a glider (my favorite!), a swivel recliner, three club chairs, a dining table and 8 chairs, and 4 lounge chairs, coffee table and two side tables. We also got two large storage bins which match the furniture where we store the cushions. Most of the furniture is in our outdoor kitchen/screened porch area with the rest around the pool. It is very comfortable and we opted for the cushion fabric that doesn’t fade, and so far, so good.
For our cottage, I ordered vinyl custom cushions from chaircarepatio.com. I still take them in if it looks like it’s going to rain, but even if it does they dry quickly. No fading. I did the 5 inch, they are very comfy.
I love the idea of wicker patio furniture but don’t like how spiders can hide in it. We recently got rid of all of our outdoor furniture and its taking me a while to find suitable replacements. They were a wood set and also aluminum but not heavy. They held up well for 8 years but started to look outdated. I hope to score an end of the summer deal!
Outdoor wicker on the screened in porch. Metal dining table on deck with umbrella. They have some weather rated cushions on them, they’ve been fine for 5 years now. They come in during winter. In yard we have resin adirodack chairs, they are awesome. They were not expensive, $100 each, and are comfy and easy to maintain. I want to buy a few more.
I have a variety of patio furniture. My 18 yr old Tropicana brand dining set has thick cushions. It is on a covered veranda and still looks great. I also have a cushioned glider on my deck that gets baked in the afternoon sun. Those cushions have also lasted without fading for over 15 years.
We bought a fake wicker set with a fire pit from Costco last summer. I hope those cushions last.
We also have chaise loungers from Costco. They aren’t cushioned. Some of them have ripped as the fabric has deteriorated from the sun. They are pretty nice for the price. Last year we bought a few extra to have in reserve.
My dream patio would be nice thick wooded teak with super thick cushions.
I have wrought iron round table that seats 6. The table has a marble counter top. I love it. Bought it 5 years ago from costco for about $1000. We get so many compliments on it and it still looks great.
The density of the foam makes a HUGE difference in how “plush” and comfortable cushions feel. They can be very thick but if the foam (or stuffing) isn’t a dense one, you will feel the surface below quickly. UV is tough on fabrics and other materials. It bleaches things in no time flat in HI.
If you can collect the cushions and store them in the shade when they’re not in use, that should prolong their life. Heat is also tough on foam and materials–the shade should protect against the heat and UV. It isn’t as convenient as just leaving everything out, but is one way of prolonging their life (especially in seasons when they’re not in use–e.g. winter).
We have a lot of rain and I’m too lazy for doing much patio furniture maintenance so I decided long ago to have no glass and no wood. We have some metal furniture which I’ve gotten repainted after 8 years or so. The chairs have a little rock to them, but are on regular feet. We have a glider too.
I’m looking for something with cushions that is as low maintenance as it can be for a rainy climate but frankly it creeps me out to sit on a damp cushion and worry about mold and bugs.
We just bought Tommy Bahama outdoor furniture, with a fire pit table. It’s so nice I’d use it inside if I needed. We bought a huge cantilever umbrella for over it in the sun.
(Sunbrella fabric makes great cushions and seating surfaces and is relatively easy to take care off). We have a 2-seater glider chair on the front porch facing South, but covered, and it has a seating surface made of Elbertex material - I just checked the label. Comfy without cushions, and easy to clean with a brush and soapy water. Of course, the thing is 10 years old at the very least, so I cannot find any links to it.