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The best garden furniture will instantly transform your outdoor space, offering somewhere to relax, entertain and dine alfresco, and enabling you to extend your living space out onto the patio or decking during warmer weather.
In this edit, we've rounded up all of the Ideal Home team's top garden furniture buys, whether you're looking for a garden dining table and chairs, a relaxed outdoor corner sofa, or a sociable lounge set to arrange around one of this year's best BBQs.
We've taken into consideration style, practicality – such as low maintenance upkeep and space-saving storage – durability, and, of course, budget.
We've also curated a list of the best outdoor furniture brands to shop, including patio furniture from John Lewis, Dobbies, Garden Trading and M&S, as well as affordable options from Argos and Habitat.
The best garden furniture of 2024
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Best garden tables and chairs
Take advantage of alfresco dining whenever the weather is warm enough – or even when it's not if you add one of the best patio heaters – by investing in a quality table and chairs. If you have a small garden or balcony, a foldable bistro set is an excellent option that will allow you to maximise space when it's not in use. Or for larger areas, a timeless rattan dining table and chairs, or a classic wooden dining set are both options that will weather the trends.
RRP: £80 Seats: 2 Table dimensions: H71 x Dia.60cm Materials: powder-coated steel Assembly: fully assembled
This space-saving bistro set offers a stylish solution for small outdoor dining areas, allowing you to enjoy weekend brunch al fresco no matter the size of your patio, courtyard, or balcony. Available in five colour options – including vibrant brights and classic neutrals – the compact table and two-chair set are foldable so they can be stored away easily when not in use.
RRP: £219.99 Seats: 4 Table dimensions: H74 x Dia.90cm Materials: PEFC-certified Malaysian hardwood Assembly: partial self-assembly
Made from PEFC-certified Malaysian hardwood, this set of four chairs and a hexagonal table make a classic and timeless addition to the garden. Wooden garden furniture does require a little more maintenance to prolong its lifespan, but this foldable design means it's easy-to-store option away from the worst of the weather.
RRP: £349 Seats: 4 Table dimensions: H75 x Dia.95cm Materials: powder-coated steel & PE-rattan Assembly: partial self-assembly
This stylish 4-seater dining set is a great choice for a modern outdoor space. Available in three colourways, each set is made from powder-coated steel and PE-rattan, so whilst the construction likely won't offer the same long-term durability as an aluminium frame, it is budget-friendly.
RRP: £200 Seats: 6 Table dimensions: H71 x W76 x L120cm Materials: powder-coated steel & fabric Assembly: self-assembly
Garden furniture is expensive, which is why this six-seater outdoor dining set – with chairs, table, and parasol included – is such a good deal. It may be a little basic, but you get a lot of seating for the money, and although the set is made from less weather-resistant steel, the fact the chairs are all foldable means that they're far easier to store away under cover during wet weather.
RRP: £1000 Seats: 6 Table dimensions: H75 x Dia.110cm Materials: PE-rattan and aluminium Assembly: self-assembly
Opt for a PE-rattan dining set and you'll get a hardwearing, durable, and timeless design that suits a wide range of gardens. Low-maintenance and easy to care for, the rust-resistant aluminium frame means the set can be left outside all year round making for hassle-free al fresco dining. It's more of an investment as a result, but we think it's worth it for the longevity and comfortable seating it offers.
RRP: £2499 Seats: 6 Table dimensions: H76 x W195 x D95cm Materials: Teak wood, PE-rattan, and aluminium Assembly: self-assembly
This sturdy and durable teak wood table is complemented by six lightweight and rust-resistant PE-rattan and aluminium-framed chairs. Both the table (that comes in a choice of 195cm or 240cm width) and chairs are also available to purchase separately if you prefer to mix and match your look.
Best outdoor sofas
An outdoor corner sofa is the epitome of laidback summer living, offering a place to relax, get comfy, and socialise whilst you fire up one of this year's best pizza ovens. Choose an L-shape for big spaces, but a chaise is a compact alternative. Look for removable – preferably shower-proof – cushion covers for easy cleaning. Don't forget you will need somewhere to store them in prolonged inclement weather, too.
RRP: £1199 Seats: 4 Overall dimensions: 2 x H60.5 x W161.7 x D79.5cm Materials: Aluminium frame & polyester cushions Assembly: Partial self-assembly
A versatile modular design, deep cushions for comfortable lounging, and a lightweight, rust-resistant aluminium frame make this sofa set a great buy. This 4-seater version comes with a footstool that doubles as a coffee table, as well as a side table and pull-out side shelf. If you need more space then there's also the 8-seater version available that comes with a height-adjustable table to transform it into a dining set, or you can buy the height-adjustable garden table separately.
RRP: £320 Seats: 3-4 Overall dimensions: H62.5 x W193 x D140cm Materials: PE-rattan with steel frame Assembly: self-assembly
This affordable chaise corner sofa offers compact seating for three (or maybe four at a push) with a cushion-topped footstool that doubles as hidden storage. Its affordability is down to the powder-coated steel frame which likely won't offer as much long-term durability as an aluminium-framed option, but, the price point is certainly tempting, and storing it in the garage over winter or adding an outdoor furniture cover should protect it from the worst of the elements.
RRP: £3499 Seats: 7-9 Overall dimensions: H88cm x W270 x D270cm Materials: PE-rattan with aluminium frame & polyester cushions Assembly: self-assembly
If you have the space and you're after a showstopping garden centrepiece, then this rattan sofa set with a built-in firepit makes an impressive focal point. The PE-rattan corner sofa has a lightweight and rust-resistant aluminium frame and comes in three sections to make out-of-season storage easier. Two padded footstools double up as extra seating and the dining table features a lazy susan to make for seamless entertaining.
RRP: £139 Seats: 2 Overall dimensions: H81.5 x W145 x D64cm Materials: powder-coated steel & metal Assembly: partial self-assembly
It may not be as suitable for laying down and getting comfy as other garden sofas in our round-up, but if you're after contemporary seating that won't break the bank then M&S' Lois garden furniture collection offers some great pieces. This garden sofa bench seat is available in three colourways – teal, dark grey and a natural look – and there's a wide range of coordinating outdoor furniture that you can mix and match to create a lounge set perfect for your outdoor space.
RRP: £1300 Seats: 7 Table dimensions: H67 x W150 x D80cm Materials: PE-rattan and aluminium Assembly: self-assembly
This versatile rattan corner sofa dining set is a great investment. The weather-resistant PE-rattan upper with rust-resistant aluminium frame means it can be left outside all year round (minus the cushions), so there's no need to worry about over-winter storage. You also get a lot of furniture for your money, with the five-seater corner sofa and ample dining table accompanied by two padded footstools that can be used to turn the sofa into a chaise for some laidback R&R, or used as extra seating around the table.
RRP: £2900 Seats: 5+ Overall dimensions: H67 x W239 x D164cm Materials: Acacia wood Assembly: fully assembled
Delivered fully assembled (apart from the armchair), this acacia wood sofa offers generous seating and swoon-worthy good looks that are perfect for a contemporary courtyard or classic patio space. As well as the two and three-seater sofa, plus a generous armchair, the set also includes a spacious coffee table. There's also a great range of coordinating furniture, although you will need to factor in somewhere to store it over winter, or an outdoor furniture cover to protect it from the worst of the elements.
View more like this at Garden Trading
Best outdoor furniture brands
Searching for the best rattan garden furniture for a larger patio or the best garden chairs for a smaller outdoor space? These are the outdoor furniture brands you'll want on your radar.
Barker and Stonehouse outdoor furniture
Barker and Stonehouse's outdoor furniture collection is extensive, and I'm yet to see a piece of furniture on the brand's website that I wouldn't be happy to have in my garden.
It's also a particularly good place to shop garden dining tables – which can often be a tricky piece of outdoor furniture to source – as well as offering a huge range of garden sofas and lounge sets, both with and without built-in fire pits.
Pricing: £££-££££
Editor's pick: Beach Garden Dining Table
Shop the collection: Barker and Stonehouse outdoor furniture
Homebase outdoor furniture
If you want to invest in garden furniture that will withstand the elements, then you need to look for outdoor furniture made either from hardwoods or with a rust-resistant aluminium frame. However, both of these materials can make for an expensive purchase.
In my experience, Homebase is one of the best places for finding aluminium-framed furniture at a reasonable price point – probably because the brand's large amount of stores means they can manufacture in bulk and pass those savings onto the customer.
Pricing: £-£££
Editor's pick: Spirit Garden Corner Sofa Set
Shop the collection: Homebase outdoor furniture
John Lewis outdoor furniture
Similarly, although you will generally pay a little more than at Homebase or B&Q, the John Lewis outdoor furniture collection also offers a good selection of patio furniture made from durable acacia wood and rust and weather-resistant aluminium frames.
There's also a touch more design flair, with a good mix of styles to suit a range of gardens, including timeless wood and rattan garden furniture alongside far more contemporary designs.
Pricing: ££-££££
Editor's pick: Dante Deluxe Garden Dining Armchair
Shop the collection: John Lewis outdoor furniture
Habitat outdoor furniture
If you're looking for more affordable outdoor furniture, then Habitat is the place to look for stylish designs that won't break the bank.
Most of the brand's outdoor furniture collection is made from budget-friendly materials, such as powder-coated steel rather than aluminium frames. This makes the furniture more affordable upfront, but in order to prolong its lifespan you will need to factor in somewhere to store your purchases over winter to protect them from the worst of the elements.
Pricing: £-££
Editor's pick: Bamboo Effect Garden Sofa Set
Shop the collection: Habitat outdoor furniture
Dobbies outdoor furniture
A wide selection of stores means that there's usually a Dobbies somewhere nearby so you can test out the brand's outdoor furniture in person. And if there's not, the good news is that the brand has now started to put its outdoor furniture online too.
Each season sees a good mix of budget-friendly bistro sets and garden tables and chairs that are ideal for smaller patio spaces, as well as larger outdoor corner sofas and lounge sets for those who have a little more space to play with.
Pricing: ££-££££
Editor's pick: Sienna Outdoor Sofa Set
Shop the collection: Dobbies outdoor furniture
Garden Trading outdoor furniture
If you have a little more cash to invest into your outdoor furniture then Garden Trading has plenty of swoon-worthy pieces that are designed to create a focal point on the patio.
There are plenty of spacious outdoor sofas and large outdoor dining tables and chairs to choose from, as well as some great smaller space options such as classic metal bistro sets and space-saving outdoor bars.
Pricing: £££-££££
Editor's pick: Rive Droite Bistro Set
Shop the collection: Garden Trading outdoor furniture
Bramblecrest outdoor furniture
If you opt for rattan garden furniture you'll get a timeless look that suits a wide range of garden styles, and that offers practical and easy-to-care-for outdoor seating.
Bramblecrest has one of the best selections of rattan garden furniture that I've come across, including classic rattan garden tables and chairs and luxury rattan garden sofas all with rust-resistant aluminium frames. Although that said, the brand also delivers plenty of more contemporary outdoor furniture as well.
Pricing: ££££
Editor's pick: Sahara Rattan Round Dining Set
Shop the collection: Bramblecrest outdoor furniture
Very outdoor furniture
The rise of interest in outdoor living areas means that Very has expanded its outdoor offering considerably in recent years, and it's now a great source of affordable garden furniture.
Lines tend to be made of more affordable powder-coated steel rather than aluminium, but there are some good on-trend options at relatively low price points.
Pricing: ££-£££
Editor's pick: Athens Rattan-Effect Corner Set
Shop the collection: Very outdoor furniture
B&Q outdoor furniture
B&Q is another outdoor store that offers a mix of more affordable outdoor furniture constructed from powder-coated steel, as well as slightly more expensive – yet still reasonable by most standards – aluminium-framed furniture that has better outdoor durability.
The Apolima range – which includes the brand's bestselling Apolima hanging egg chair – is especially popular and tends to sell out quickly, so snap it up early on in the season if you can.
Pricing: £-£££
Editor's pick: Apolima Rattan-Effect Garden Egg Chair
Shop the collection: B&Q outdoor furniture
VonHaus outdoor furniture
VonHaus is an online-only retailer with an outdoor product range that's expanded considerably in recent years.
Prices are usually very reasonable, and the brand always offers a good range of affordable wooden garden furniture – made from PEFC-certified Malaysian hardwood – which can be hard to find at any other retailer. It also has one of the best selections of Adirondack chairs that I've come across – perfect for arranging around one of this year's best fire pits.
Pricing: £-££
Editor's pick: Four-Seater Wooden Dining Set
Shop the collection: VonHaus outdoor furniture
Heal's outdoor furniture
Heal's outdoor furniture collection is more expensive than most brands included in this round-up, but it offers a great range of contemporary designer pieces all in one place. That includes outdoor furniture from Muuto, Kartell, Vincent Sheppard, and much more.
If money were no object then I'd be investing in the Tanso teak outdoor collection by Case, a hardwearing and weather-resistant range inspired by the simplicity of Japanese design.
Pricing: ££££
Editor's pick: Tanso Teak Garden Armchair
Shop the collection: Heal's outdoor furniture
Dunelm garden furniture
At the more budget-friendly end of the price spectrum is Dunelm. The brand offers a good selection of on-trend outdoor furniture each summer season, and this year is no exception with plenty of new pieces currently hitting down in-store and online.
In line with the lower price tags, most pieces feature powder-coated steel frames so they will need a little more shelter from the elements, but if you're looking for affordability the outdoor collection is well worth a look.
Pricing: £-£££
Editor's pick: Elland Two-Seater Bistro Set
Shop the collection: Dunelm garden furniture
How to choose the best garden furniture for your outdoor space
To find the best garden furniture for your outside space you'll first want to think about how you intend to use your outdoor area; do you want to entertain large numbers of guests, create a family-friendly garden, or create a space to relax and unwind amongst nature in relative solitude?
If you're blessed with a large patio then zoning the garden into outdoor 'rooms' can be a great use of space, adding a garden table and chairs that are spacious enough to host friends and family around a barbecue area in the 'outdoor dining' zone, and creating a more informal seating area with a corner sofa or lounge set to relax and socialise on in 'outdoor living room' area.
If space is more limited, then you may need to combine these areas, in which case a garden sofa set that features an extendable height riser table can be a worthy investment, allowing you to easily transform your seating from a daytime coffee spot into an alfresco dining zone in the evening. Alternatively, a chaise sofa, or an option that comes with padded footstools, will transform seating into a sun lounging space when the weather allows.
And, if space is at a premium then options that fold away can help you to maximise your square footage, with collapsible bistro sets offering a smart and versatile solution. Or you might just want to add a stylish egg chair, a couple of statement garden chairs, or one of this year's best garden benches to your outdoor set-up. Our small garden ideas page has plenty of small space inspiration.
Once you've decided on the type of garden furniture layout that will work best for your lifestyle, it's time to consider the materials that outdoor furniture is made from to ensure a durable investment.
If your budget allows, then we always recommend looking for garden furniture constructed from lightweight and rust-resistant aluminium or weather-resistant hardwoods like teak, acacia, or eucalyptus. These materials are more of an investment initially, but will weather the elements for years to come so are good value over the long term.
If affordability is your key criterion right now then garden furniture made from powder-coated steel or softwood will offer a budget solution. However, these materials are less weather-resistant, so you'll need to factor in somewhere to store the furniture over winter or opt for an outdoor furniture cover to prolong your furniture's lifespan. You can also paint, stain or treat wooden garden furniture to protect it or add some colour to your scheme.
FAQs
What is the lowest maintenance outdoor furniture material?
PE-rattan or polyrattan garden furniture is generally considered to be the lowest maintenance garden furniture. This is because the upper is made from a polyurethane plastic that has the benefit of being lightweight, waterproof, weather-resistant, and requires no regular upkeep other than a brush down to remove winter debris.
Look for PE-rattan garden furniture with an aluminium frame, as, unlike a powder-coated steel frame, aluminium is rust-resistant so can be left outside all year round without any upkeep or storage needs.
What garden furniture does not rust?
Unlike powder-coated steel, which is prone to rusting at joints and anywhere where the coating has become chipped, aluminium-framed garden furniture is naturally rust-resistant.
For this reason, aluminium garden furniture can be left outside all year round making it a super low-maintenance option (although some manufacturers will still recommend sheltering it from the worst of the elements to prolong its lifespan even further).
However, this does mean that aluminium-based outdoor furniture tends to be more expensive than a powder-coated steel alternative. The added durability can make it the better value investment longer term though.
How do you clean garden furniture?
As well as utilising one of the best patio cleaners alongside one of the best pressure washers to rid your outside space of any winter grime and algae, giving your outdoor furniture a quick clean will instantly transform your patio ready for spring. Our guide to how to clean garden furniture has all the top tips you'll need.
How we selected the best garden furniture
You can click here to find out more about how we test products at Ideal Home. To find the best garden furniture for this round-up we visited the most popular outdoor stores, dived into the specifications to sort the wheat from the chaff, grilled the Ideal Home team for their expert knowledge, and asked friends and family for their top-rated products. We also took into account third-party opinions via online reviews.
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