Outdoor Furniture: Materials and Care
Choosing outdoor furniture involves a decision that most product descriptions quietly sidestep: how much care are you willing to give it, and how much of the year do you want it outside? The answer shapes everything — the materials that will work for you, the pieces worth considering, the relationship you'll have with the space. Our outdoor living collection includes two distinct types of furniture, and understanding the difference before you buy will save you from a choice you'll want to revisit.
This isn't a criticism of either type. It's an honest guide to what each offers — and what each asks of you in return.
Design-led pieces: beautiful, weather resistant, worth caring for
Some of the most considered outdoor furniture — pieces with the warmth, texture and character that bring a terrace or garden to life — is weather resistant rather than fully waterproof. This is an important distinction. Weather resistant means the materials handle the elements well under normal conditions: a summer shower, morning dew, the humidity of a British season. It does not mean the piece is designed to sit through weeks of winter rain without any protection.
Our design-led woven dining chairs and sofas sit in this category. Shaped with the warmth and character of Mediterranean outdoor living in mind, they bring a refined, considered quality to a terrace or garden that fully waterproof alternatives rarely match. The frames, cushions and woven details are chosen for how they look and feel in a space as much as for their durability — which means they reward a small amount of seasonal care.
That care is straightforward: bring cushions inside when not in use, cover or store the frames during prolonged wet weather or over winter. A well-fitted, breathable outdoor cover is all that's needed. For anyone who uses their outdoor space actively through the warmer months and is happy to put pieces away at the end of the season, these are the more characterful choice — and the more beautiful one.
Fully waterproof sets: robust, low maintenance, built to stay outside
For those who want furniture that genuinely lives outside year round — left out through autumn, winter and the unpredictability of a British spring without concern — the fully waterproof sets in our collection are the appropriate choice. Built from high-density synthetic rattan over powder-coated aluminium frames, with cushions in water-resistant fabrics, these pieces are designed to handle sustained outdoor exposure without deteriorating.
Synthetic rattan at this quality level is considerably more durable outdoors than natural rattan. It resists UV fading, handles moisture without absorbing it, and maintains its structural integrity through the temperature changes that crack and warp less appropriate materials. The aluminium frame adds rust resistance that steel frames, even powder-coated ones, cannot match over extended outdoor use.
The trade-off is one of character rather than quality. Fully waterproof construction tends toward a more robust visual quality — these are pieces built to perform, and they carry that confidence in their form. They suit larger gardens and terraces where durability and ease of maintenance take priority, and where the furniture is as much a part of the outdoor structure as the space itself. An honest, low-maintenance choice for those who want outdoor furniture that simply works.
Cushions: worth caring for regardless
Whatever the frame material, cushions are the element of outdoor furniture that benefit most from a little attention. Even water-resistant outdoor cushion fabrics are not designed for permanent submersion — a prolonged downpour followed by a cover that traps moisture is harder on cushions than bringing them inside when rain is expected.
For design-led pieces, cushion care is already part of the seasonal routine. For fully waterproof sets, the frames can genuinely stay outside, but bringing cushions in during extended periods of heavy rain or over winter will extend their life considerably. It's a small habit that makes a meaningful difference over the years.
The question worth asking first
Before considering materials or aesthetics, the most useful question is a practical one: how do you actually use your outdoor space? If you're out there regularly from spring through to autumn, willing to spend a few minutes covering or storing pieces when the weather turns, the design-led pieces will give you a more considered, warmer space. If the furniture needs to look after itself — left out, uncovered, through whatever the year brings — the fully waterproof sets are the honest answer.
Neither is a compromise. They're different things, suited to different ways of living outside. Browse the full outdoor living collection with that distinction in mind, and the right choice becomes considerably clearer.
A note on care for both
Regardless of which type you choose, a small amount of periodic maintenance extends the life of any outdoor piece significantly. A soft brush and mild soapy water applied a few times a season keeps frames clear of the dirt and organic matter that accumulates outdoors and can, over time, affect surface finishes. Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry fully before covering. Check fixings and joints annually — tightening anything that has worked slightly loose before it becomes a structural issue.
Outdoor furniture looked after modestly will outlast furniture left entirely to its own devices by many years. That applies to both types in our collection — and it reflects the same long-view thinking that makes any piece of furniture worth choosing carefully in the first place.