Outdoor Furniture Offers More Choices than Ever
Sep 8th, 2010 by Kathy
Labor Day has come and gone; and, in its wake, it has left millions of people shaking their heads – as they do every year – and wondering how summer managed to slip away so quickly. In many regions, there are also those who are mourning the passing of the season, as it means that they’ll soon be moving patio furniture, picnic tables, and grills into their sheds until next spring.
Naturally, these items won’t have to be tucked away under outdoor furniture covers just yet, as there’s still plenty of fair weather left, even in areas where the winters are harsh. Moreover, those who live where it’s always warm can use their outdoor furniture all year long, as can people who have enclosed porches, patios, gazebos, and sunrooms. Truly, the latter group is growing larger every year, as folks are becoming increasingly unwilling to give up outdoor living.
Of course, they want to be able to decorate these living spaces as meticulously and fashionably as their other indoor rooms. That’s why today’s outdoor furniture comes in materials, styles, and colors that will complement any motif; and why it’s also as versatile and comfortable as indoor furniture. In fact, when you’re furnishing your indoor/outdoor living room – or kitchen, or bedroom – you may even find that patio furniture offers more choices.
Take, for example, the basic chair. Sure, there was a time when the patio chair bore little resemblance to the one in the living room. Often made with a flimsy aluminum frame, and stiff, woven plastic strips, it barely had the strength to last for more than one season. Modern porch chairs, on the other hand, are solidly constructed from a variety of materials, including cedar, pine, oak, cypress, teak, cherry, vinyl, aluminum, cast iron, synthetic wicker, and polywood. They are also available in dozens of colors and styles, and can be topped with outdoor furniture cushions in scores of colors and patterns.
When you’re trying to find the equivalent of a couch, the outdoor sofa actually comes out ahead of its indoor counterpart. After all, besides a stationary outdoor sofa, you have the option of selecting a garden bench, porch swing, glider, face-to-face glider, or outdoor settee, which also come in a wide range of materials and colors. This goes for outdoor loveseats, too.
Certainly, you’ll also want a rocker; inside or out, it’s a universal favorite. As a matter of fact, most people have rockers that they have cherished for years; and, in many cases, these rocking chairs have been in their families for generations. Fortunately, contemporary outdoor rocking chairs are not only as comfortable – and comforting – as the old-fashioned ones, but they are durable enough to become heirlooms as well. What’s more, if you’re not satisfied with an outdoor rocker for one, you can get an outdoor rocking bench.
Of course, no room, of any description, is completely furnished until it has a place where you can rest your feet. That’s no problem, either, because, these days, you can find ottomans in materials, styles, and colors, to match any piece of outdoor furniture.
Hmm. I wonder if I’m alone in feeling that the plural of ottoman should be ottomen.
Yours Outdoors,
Kathy
