Outdoor Furniture – What To Know Before You Buy

Finding outdoor furniture you’ll love for years to come can be tricky. Learn my best tips on how to select and where to buy!

The days are getting warmer here in Colorado and it got me itching to get outside. I’m so excited to unpack our backyard deck outdoor furniture and start eating our dinners in the backyard once again.

So you could say, I’m definitely thinking about outdoor living. And since most stores have just released their new outdoor collections, I’ve been doing a ton of looking around at what’s new in outdoor furniture.

If you’re on the hunt too for some new furniture, I’ve put together a great resource for you. I’m sharing my buying experiences, my tips on what to look for when you buy and of course, where to shop! 

This post was originally published March 24, 2021 but has been updated today with current information and furniture pieces that are in stock this year! This post also may contain affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Experiences with Outdoor Furniture

We have ordered a variety of materials and styles of outdoor furniture over the years. And so, we’ve learned what’s held up well and what hasn’t!

Our front porch furniture is almost four years old and has been great. It’s made from teak. And every spring I give it a good cleaning and then buff it up with some teak oil. When I finish, this furniture set looks brand new!

As much as I would love to update the style of furniture on the porch, I just can’t pull the trigger on buying anything new because it’s all still in great shape. 🙂

Our outdoor deck furniture is newer, only about two years old but has also help up exceptionally well. This set of outdoor furniture sits in the direct sun and has no shelter from rain, so I’m really impressed with the quality and durability of what we bought.

The patio dining furniture on our deck is the oldest set of furniture we own. We actually purchased this for our last house. It’s a mesh metal table that’s held up ok considering the amount of years we have owned it.

The paint has flaked off over the years and I’ve tried to respray it a couple of times. But I think we are ready to replace it for two reasons. One, I want a rectangle style so hopefully we can fit about six people. (fingers crossed because the space here is pretty small). And two, I would rather go with a wood option instead of the metal.

UPDATE: I did find some new patio dining furniture last summer! I didn’t go with a wood table option as I was previously thinking. But I’m still really happy with our choice and how well it held up over the winter.

We enjoyed it so much last year and I can not WAIT for the warmer weather to get it all set up once again.

What to Know Before You Buy

When looking to buy new furniture for your outdoor areas, definitely do a ton of research first. You want to make sure your purchase will be something that holds up well and you’ll love for years to come. So here’s the best tips I’ve found when purchasing our furniture and what you should know before you buy that new outdoor furniture.

Go for easy to maintain furniture. Minimize the need for upkeep as much as you can. Furniture made from metal, teak, cedar and all-weather wicker are known to be able to handle whatever mother nature throws their way! And be sure to double check that any metal on your furniture is powder-coated, this will prevent rust from occurring and damaging your deck or concrete.

Make sure fabric options are weather-resistant. When shopping for outdoor furniture cushions we are usually thinking plushy and fluffy. But we often forget about protecting the color and preventing mold! Sunbrella makes a great line of cushions and pillows that hold up well in weather. And I’ve also used this water-repellant spray on my cushions too. 🙂

Reviews are your best friends! Like really, really good friends. I try to read all the reviews I can on any purchase – but especially outdoor furniture. Often when you find a patio table or outdoor conversation you love, you’re unable to actually see it in the store. So those online reviews can really be helpful. (And if you’re a person that often leaves reviews on your purchases – a big THANK YOU to you! I read and appreciate each and every one.)

Consider how you will store it during the off season. You can add years to your furniture by storing it in a shed, basement, or garage. We store our deck furniture in a shed in the off season. If you lack a storage space, maybe look for furniture that folds up or can easily be taken apart for compact storage. Stackable chairs is a great option if you are tight on storage.

Where to Shop

There’s a ton of great places to shop for furniture. Below are a few of my favorites (just click on the store name to easily shop).

All Modern If you’re looking for really clean modern lines, this is a great place to shop. Most often they are running sales so you can snag some great furniture at some great prices.

Amazon Here you’ll find a big selection of outdoor pieces and a ton of review information. The prices and shipping are pretty decent as well! Love this five-piece rattan conversation set!

Ballard Designs This site carries a ton of unique furniture that I would love to have outside our home. This rattan outdoor storage bench is not only great for storage but adds extra seating as well. 

cb2 Love their modern style of outdoor furniture. Some of my favorite outdoor planters have been purchased here. 🙂

Crate and Barrel Their classic style never goes out of style. And often they can have some pretty good sales. These are the coolest-styling teak Adirondack chairs I’ve ever seen!

Homegoods/TJMaxx As you may already know, these types of stores can often be a hit or miss. Just check back frequently and you may luck out with some great outdoor pieces. When I was checking out their site this outdoor propane firepit caught my eye!

Pottery Barn You’ll find exceptional outdoor pieces here that are sure to last for years. Definitely a higher price point but often have great sales too! Also – they are a great place to shop for outdoor pillows!

Target Another great affordable option with often – lots of reviews to help you research. I love the combination of these chairs and this dining table for a backyard deck!

The Home Depot This is where we purchased our deck dining set. They now have a much bigger selection online with a ton of different styles! This outdoor firepit conversation set needs to get into my backyard somehow. 🙂

Walmart I haven’t personally bought any pieces from here but I’ve heard they have a great selection online. This two-piece conversation set (with covers) seems to be very popular with fantastic reviews!

West Elm Love their modern vibe as well. My favorite outdoor wall planters came from here!

World Market is where we have purchased a bunch of our outdoor furniture. The quality seems to be good and in the past they’ve had a great selection to shop from as well. The Segovia collection is very similar to our furniture.

I hope you find this post helpful for when you go shopping for some new outdoor furniture for your home. 🙂 I’ve included a few more pieces below for you as well:

If you have any shopping tips you’d love to share, be sure to leave them in the comments below. Let’s help each other out so we can enjoy our outdoor spaces to the fullest this summer!

More Outdoor Inspiration for You

If you are looking for even more outdoor inspiration, be sure to check out these posts as well:

• The Best Hammock and Outdoor Swings
• How to Decorate Your Deck for Easy Outdoor Living
• Outdoor Planters – The Best Styles and Shapes
• DIY Outdoor Tabletop Herb Garden
• How to Create A Backyard Oasis
• Tips on How to Easily Update Your Backyard Deck