After last year’s scorching summer, we’ve finally come around to the appeal of alfresco living: languid hours spent outside relaxing, entertaining and enjoying sunny days and balmy nights. But what are the pieces you need to transform whatever space you have into something approaching a fabulous and functional outdoor room? Start here to get yourself and your garden hot weather ready …
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Best for balconies
Provence Tea for Two set, Neptune (£475)
Reminiscent of ornamental wrought ironwork seen in 19th-century architecture, this delicate-yet-sturdy set is perfect for two people. It’s also been conceived with limited space in mind, so it’s ideal for a city balcony or the corner of a small garden. Take your lead from the sweet heart-shaped design on the back of these dainty chairs, grab a glass of rosé and a loved one, and you could almost be on a romantic break in the south of France …
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Best modern park bench
Palissade lounge sofa, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for Hay at Utility Design (£585)
Designed by the achingly hip French Bouroullec brothers, this piece from Danish design firm Hay is already considered a modern classic by those in the know. Part of a comprehensive range, it’s a real outdoor winner, in that it is incredibly robust and able to withstand whatever the weather may throw at it. This is down to its electro-galvanised, powder-coated steel structure, and the fact that the slatted seat allows air and water to pass through, so it won’t blow over or fill with puddles of water.
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Best for convenience and colour
Alfred metallic small table, Pascal Mourgue for Fermob at Smallable (£209)
These days, outdoor furniture isn’t simply about tables and chairs. Creating alfresco living areas has never been easier, now that most indoor items now have an outdoor equivalent – for instance lighting, rugs, cushions and all types of storage. This functional little trolley table is the ultimate hard worker. Super-flexible, it can be used as an outdoor bar cart stacked with ice-laden cocktails or simply as a mobile side table. It also comes in 10 colours, so can fit any scheme.
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Best for high-end design fans
Crinoline highback outdoor armchair, Patricia Urquiola for B&B Italia at Chaplins (£2,325)
There’s a reason Urquiola is one of the most celebrated designers working today. To create this impactful Crinoline armchair, she sought to emulate the 19th-century curved underskirts of the same name, while playing with shape and scale in a really contemporary way. This version is a staggering 156cm tall, with a higher back rest for extra support, which means it totally envelops you when you sit in it. Think of it as an exterior version of a classic British wing chair. Clever and completely covetable.
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Best for modern rustic style
Allaperto Mountain two-seater sofa, Ethimo at Houseology (£1,099)
Proof that wooden outdoor furniture doesn’t need to be stuffy and old-fashioned, this seat from Italian firm Ethimo recreates the look and feel of woven wicker in a modern way, using a synthetic woven fibre that enables it to be used outside. Pickled teak sides and epoxy-coated steel legs make the external structure strong and hard-wearing. Boost the comfort factor by adding some outdoor cushions and sheepskin throws, for when it gets chillier after sundown.
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Best for poolside relaxed comfort
My Outdoor lounge chair, Ulla Koskinen for Woodnotes at Finnish Design Shop (£784)
Very much bang on trend with the interiors world’s obsession with all things 70s, this is a contemporary version of that decade’s favourite seating option, the bean bag. Sturdy and soft at the same time, its fabric cover is resistant to moisture, salt water, chlorine and UV sunlight, so it’s the ideal piece to put beside a pool. It’s just made for sunbathing on, and it’s so light that you can chase the rays around the garden with it.
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Best for flexible functionality
Butt stool, Established & Sons at 2021 (£120)
Almost worth buying for the name alone, this stool’s versatility and fun factor make it a must-have. As well as being stackable, it’s made from UV-stable plastic, which means it won’t lose its colour in the sun. Its cheekily indented seat is actually based on an ergonomic tractor seat design, making it comfier than you’d imagine, plus the drilled holes (like those on a bowling ball) make it easy to pick up and move around, and let water drain away.
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Best for large terraces
Kian modular units, Made (from £89)
Expansive modular sofas with wide, squishy cushions used to be restricted to the living rooms of large houses and massive apartments, but not any more. Thanks to advances in fabric and material technology, you can bring the same aesthetic and levels of comfort to spacious patios and large gardens. Take Made’s Kian, which comes with different pieces sold separately, so that you can arrange and configure them as you like to suit the size of the space you have.
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Best for the Club Tropicana look
Salsa garden chair set of two, House by John Lewis (£140)
With its dazzling blue skies and bright sunlight, summer is the time to embrace bold colour, and there’s no better way to do this than with John Lewis’s Salsa chairs – which come in two tropical colour schemes. They’re constructed from rattan and steel too, so, in spite of being lightweight, can withstand a weight of 20 stone – plus they’re completely weather resistant, so you can leave them outside to brighten up your garden all year round.
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Best for classic-style country gardens
Blenheim outdoor bistro chair, Lloyd Looms (£249)
Originally created back in 1917, Lloyd Loom furniture is still made in the same way today, by wrapping paper around wires, then weaving it on a loom. Fortunately, a weather-resistant version was developed, which means this classic bistro aesthetic can be used alfresco. The Blenheim sits seamlessly in bloom-filled English gardens and, coupled with the matching bistro table, makes an ideal setting for a summer’s afternoon tea.
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