Outdoor Furniture Recommendations?

[iheartscience]

Now that it''s nice out I''m on the hunt for some outdoor furniture. I''d like a square or round dining table with 4 chairs for the back yard as well as two comfy chairs for the front porch. Any recommendations for comfortable, quality outdoor furniture? I''d like to keep it under $500 if possible. Thank you in advance!

 

[Hera]

Have you tried Costco yet? I noticed they had quite a bit of outdoor furniture last time I was there.

 

[jewelz617]

Try Target or Burlington Coat Factory.

 

[iheartscience]

hera-I''ll have to go there soon. I actually haven''t been to Costco in a while! Thanks!

Pink-Burlington Coat Factory, eh? Interesting! I''ve checked out Target but the one I went to doesn''t have a great selection. Thanks!

 

[PumpkinPie]

Costco is definitely a good option

 

[TravelingGal]

Hey T2,

Costco does have nice stuff, but because their customer base is middle to upper middle class, it''s actually NICE stuff, which means it''s not cheap. A set is usually into the 4 digits!

Other place to check are Sears, Home Depot and Lowes. Quality varies. Also if you are looking at dining tables, make sure it''s a reputable company if you are looking at tempered glass. Hampton Bay (which is sold at Home Depot) had issues with exploding (probably an exaggeration, but they did shatter a bit) glass tables awhile back.

A great place, if you have time and patience, to check out patio furniture is craigslist. You have to be careful like anything else, but you may be able to get a nice gently used set for a good price.

For other people looking for more expensive sets, Frontgate.com and grandinroad.com (a "lower" version of the same company) has nice stuff. Amazon also has patio furniture, but with all of the just mentioned, you''re buying without seeing first.

If you''re buying that this time of year, you probably won''t be getting the best deal since the season is just starting, obviously. But you might find more on craigslist as people upgrade their sets. I forget where you live, but do a search for "patio" in the upscale areas where you live. Those people usually don''t mind selling for cheap because they want to get rid of their stuff to buy nicer stuff!

 

[iheartscience]

Good to know about prices at Costco, TGal-thanks! I''m not opposed to spending more but I''m not sure how much we''re actually going to use it, so I''d rather start out cheaper and then upgrade if we start eating outside every day. I looked online at Lowe''s and Home Depot but I need to check them out in person and see how comfortable they are, etc.

I actually looked on Craigslist already but didn''t see much, sadly! I''m super picky so CL usually doesn''t work out for me! Maybe I should be more forgiving for a starter outdoor furniture set, though.

I''m really liking the Grandin Road stuff. I could cough up a little bit more if it looks fantastic! Thanks for the links!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 3/22/2010 1:07:52 PM
Author: thing2of2
Good to know about prices at Costco, TGal-thanks! I''m not opposed to spending more but I''m not sure how much we''re actually going to use it, so I''d rather start out cheaper and then upgrade if we start eating outside every day. I looked online at Lowe''s and Home Depot but I need to check them out in person and see how comfortable they are, etc.

I actually looked on Craigslist already but didn''t see much, sadly! I''m super picky so CL usually doesn''t work out for me! Maybe I should be more forgiving for a starter outdoor furniture set, though.

I''m really liking the Grandin Road stuff. I could cough up a little bit more if it looks fantastic! Thanks for the links!

I think the area I am in leads to a lot of patio furniture, since we are in socal. But there is a lot of junk for sure. I love Frontgate/grandinroad, but it''s so pricey! Frontgate especially. Let us know what you get!

Oh, and Costco will be cheaper than frontgate/grandinroad in a lot of cases. Go to Costco online...they have a much larger selection online! And if you don''t like it, you can just take it back to the store. Easy.

 

[Allison D.]

I''m going to add a different perspective.

Think about how you''re most likely to hang out outside before you buy. Hub and I bought an outdoor dining table w/5 chairs for our back deck the first summer after purchasing our house in December. Less than 4 years later, we got rid of it to replace it with resin all-weather wicker furniture with 2 loveseats, 2 chairs and coffee/end tables. We kept the umbrella to offer some shading in the seating.

We found that the actual eating time outside was very minimal compared to the ''hang out'' time, and the furniture/cushions were far more comfortable and ''loungy'' than a traditional table/chairs. In most cases, we were doing burgers, etc outside that can easily be managed from coffee/side tables.

My folks loved the idea enough that they abandoned their chairs/table in favor of wicker furniture as well; like us, they didn''t eat outside so much as lounge. They are retired, so now they like to go hang out on their back deck and have coffee/read out there since the seating is more comfy.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 3/22/2010 2:55:39 PM
Author: Allison D.
I''m going to add a different perspective.

Think about how you''re most likely to hang out outside before you buy. Hub and I bought an outdoor dining table w/5 chairs for our back deck the first summer after purchasing our house in December. Less than 4 years later, we got rid of it to replace it with resin all-weather wicker furniture with 2 loveseats, 2 chairs and coffee/end tables. We kept the umbrella to offer some shading in the seating.

We found that the actual eating time outside was very minimal compared to the ''hang out'' time, and the furniture/cushions were far more comfortable and ''loungy'' than a traditional table/chairs. In most cases, we were doing burgers, etc outside that can easily be managed from coffee/side tables.

My folks loved the idea enough that they abandoned their chairs/table in favor of wicker furniture as well; like us, they didn''t eat outside so much as lounge. They are retired, so now they like to go hang out on their back deck and have coffee/read out there since the seating is more comfy.

Ooh ditto Alj! I wanted a dining set at first, but TGuy said he didn''t think we''d eat outside much, and he was totally right. We hang out outside, so the loungey stuff worked SO much better for us.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Cost Plus World Market

Pier 1

Amazon.com Strathwood series



A surprisingly large number of our friends have purchased from these stores, and the items look like they''re holding up well... they don''t feel as substantial as our PB and RH outdoor pieces, but I know their pieces were WAY less expensive than ours and I''d give them thumbs-up overall without hesitation.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Another Craigslist fan here. I found a nice table, 4 chairs and very nice umbrella for around $100 a few years ago. You may want to search in nearby areas too. If the deal is good enough, it may be worth an hour or two drive away.

 

[Giada]

I found a nice table on Home Depot''s website. The table and 6 chairs is $499 and the coordinating umbrella is $179.

I believe there were several sets with 4 chairs for a bit less.

They ship to your home free so you don''t have the hassle of getting everything home in your car.

 

[portia]

Restoration Hardware has some nice looking furniture. Might be a bit pricy though and not sure of the quality. Crate and Barrel might also be worth looking into.

 

[iheartscience]

I''m neglecting my own thread! (Crazy days at work this week and it''s only Tuesday!)

Allison D.-great point. I''m not sure how often we really would eat outside. I''m on the east coast so I don''t have the gorgeous SoCal weather year round to entice me to eat out there! Okay, I''m going to look for some more cushy "conversation set" type stuff.

And thank you Maevie, fleur, Loves, giada and portia! I''m going to check out all of your suggestions right now!