As outdoor furniture becomes increasingly affordable (and ), more and more people are taking the opportunity to improve their patio entertaining spaces with beautiful, comfortable, and super-resilient all-weather furnishings. And why not? Not only is this type of high-quality patio furniture more affordable than before, but to meet consumer demands, manufacturers are becoming more bold and creative in their designs – outdoor furniture is no longer comprised of the boxy, iron and vinyl monstrosities of yesteryear, but rather elegant furnishings that are as visually breathtaking (or at least interesting) as they are comfortable.
This latter point – that modern patio furniture is far more attractive than its predecessors – is giving rise to yet another trend in home design. Around the world, outdoor furniture more and more is finding a new home INSIDE our houses! From stunningly colorful Acapulco chairs to durable wicker sofa sets and nested dining tables, keeping outdoor furniture indoors is one trend we can definitely get behind. Need more convincing?
Here are the 5 best reasons to consider incorporating outdoor furniture into your interior design:
Outdoor Furniture is Kid Resistant
Any parent knows, while kids are great, they can also be walking talking disasters sometimes. Especially if you have younger kids, your furniture may go from “casual seating” to “the perfect stage to reenact the big fight scene from the latest superhero movie” or “a great canvas for Spaghettios fingerpaint” in the blink of an eye.
With indoor furniture, this means a total pain in your neck at best, and at worst, it could spell disaster for your upholstery. But outdoor furniture is a different story. Patio furniture is designed to hold up in any weather, including rain and snow, and the frames are made of rust-proof metals and recyclable polyethylene or vinyl so they are very easy to wipe down if they get muddy. If it can handle mud and sleet, it can handle lunch spills. And outdoor cushions and throw pillows, too, are designed to be fade proof and weather proof. Most are made with leakproof marine-grade fabrics like Sunbrella and are difficult to stain; a simple wipe down with a damp cloth should be sufficient to clean up most spills.
Outdoor Furniture is More Cost Effective
How much do you expect to pay for the average fully-upholstered living room sofa? 2, maybe 3 grand? The truth is that your typical indoor furniture is expensive. On the other hand, at the very high end, you’ll be paying slightly less for your . This is because upholstering is expensive, and interior furniture tends to use more expensive materials like fine woods in their construction – patio furniture at places like this site are very high quality but are less expensive to manufacture and include cushions but no traditional indoor upholstery. You can get quality patio furniture for $500, up to around $1500. Not to mention that patio furniture tends to last longer than indoor furniture; in the long run, the more cost-effective option is clear.
Be Green With Patio Furniture
Sustainability is definitely a buzzword in our modern world, and an important one. How can we be more eco-friendly in our day to day life?
While many traditional indoor furnishings can be recycled, the majority of them cannot. The foam cushions and upholstery fibers are rarely recyclable, and the wood frames are often sealed with potentially toxic materials. Outdoor furniture is not always recyclable of course, but a lot of it is – higher-end patio furniture is usually made with 100% recyclable high-density polyethylene, a materials that is completely non-toxic to boot! The cushions still are a problem on the ‘green’ front, but if the battle for climate protection is one waged with a series of little steps, using outdoor furniture indoors is a nice little step towards a greener world.
It’s Super Easy to Move and Re-Arrange
If you’ve ever bought new living room furniture, you’ve probably encountered this common truth: furniture is heavy. Super heavy. Most living room furniture and bedroom furniture requires two people to move it around. You may be able to scoot a sofa along by shoving it with all your weight, but lifting it off the ground is probably impossible. So what happens if you’re at home without someone to help you move it, and you need to scoot your sofa closer to the T.V., or want to move it so you can vacuum underneath?
Outdoor furniture is extremely light. That’s because the frames are usually made with powder-coated aluminum rather than heavy wood, and built-in upholstery is heavier than easily removable cushions and lightweight wicker. So if you need to lift a patio clubchair over your head and walk it across a room, you can do that with ease. Try doing that with a typical indoor armchair (please don’t).
Patio Furniture is a Long-Lasting Investment
We’ve already gone over how patio furniture is more cost-effective than indoor furniture. But it also lasts longer, not just because it’s easier to maintain and clean. From the ground up outdoor wicker is manufactured to be weather-proof – even the cheap kind. The difference is: cheap wicker is just lengths of polyethylene plastic that is dyed whatever color the manufacturer wants. But the higher-quality high-density polyethylene material that better patio wicker furniture is made from is made up of individual strands of plastic that are actually molded in the color that the manufacturer wants; they are not dyed. So while the cheap stuff tends to fade and scratch pretty easily, good quality outdoor furniture is designed to never fade, and if it gets scratched, you just see the same color all the way down – not the ‘hidden true color’ of the plastic. Because this material is designed to hold up to intense sun exposure, as well as rain, wind, sleet, and mud, you know that this furniture is built to last. If you put it inside your home, you’re taking a rugged piece of furniture and giving it a cushy indoor life – piece of cake. Patio furniture will look great indoors basically forever. Now that’s an investment that pays off!
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