GARDEN SOFA: INTRODUCTION
If you are wondering about how to choose the garden sofa, take a look at our useful outdoor tips.
Relaxing in the open air and enjoying the spectacle of nature is a pleasure that many share. However, in order for the days to pass in peace, it is essential to have the right outdoor furniture.
The garden sofa, for example, is an indispensable element for welcoming guests. How to choose it? In order not to make mistakes, just follow small instructions!
SELECTION CRITERIA
Let’s see specifically what are the criteria on which the choice of an outdoor sofa is mainly based.
In fact, the factors to be taken into consideration for the choice are completely different from those regarding the interior.
Although the functions and design of the objects always remain the same, it is very important to keep in mind that keeping furnishings outside requires meticulous attention and maintenance so as not to ruin them.
WEATHER
In your area, what is the weather like?
It sounds like a trivial question, but the weather is the first factor to consider when choosing any outdoor furniture.
Especially when it comes to sofas that are made of different components, fabrics and materials.
Is yours an area characterized by dry heat? It often rains? Do you live near the windy coast? All these questions, in fact, consequently influence where the garden sofa should be placed and the materials to be preferred.
SPACE AVAILABLE
Based on the space you have available, you must then decide where to put your seat. If you have a small balcony, the choice shouldn’t take you too long. In this case, choose the wall closest to the house, so as to enjoy the view and stay sheltered.
While, if you are lucky enough to have a boundless garden, you need to consider multiple aspects.
First of all, you can create a corner to relax among the trees or place the garden sofa on a patio near your home.
Furthermore, the surface on which the furniture will rest is also very important. It is better not to put soft wood or some metal structures directly on the lawn as humidity could cause them to rot or corrode them.
Finally, immediately after deciding where to place the outdoor sofa, you have a tedious task: you have tomeasure the actual space available.
There is nothing worse, in fact, to start looking for the dream seate and then realize that the favorite model is not suitable there. Having a priori dimensions, in fact, allows you to filter the search and not be confused by proposals that you should discard a priori.
MATERIALS
The choice of materials for the garden sofa is very important and follows the same precautions mentioned above.
In fact, it is very important to be careful and choose materials that do not spoil too easily with heat or bad weather.
In any case, even here the choice is quite wide and we can choose, first of all, between natural and synthetic materials.
NATURAL
Let’s start with natural materials.
Wood remains one of the most used materials to make the sofa structure and the most chosen types are above all:
- Iroko;
- teak;
- balau;
- mahogany.
For those who love the natural and casual atmosphere, while maintaining a certain elegance, an outdoor sofa with a wooden structure is ideal. In addition, there are more resistant types, such as teak, which lend themselves very well to surviving in the open air.
Furthermore, instead of wood, rattan is emerging, a particular type of wood made from different species of palm trees.
In fact, since wood is a living material it needs some extra care and specific treatments.
Rattan, on the other hand, represents the ideal choice for having a sofa with good performance and durability.
It is also a material that is not only used in the manufacture of garden sofas, but it is possible to find different garden furniture built in rattan.
The rattan also integrates very well in a bohemian garden made of macramé weaves, neutral tones and combined with other wooden furniture.
Finally, the main advantage of rattan is its lightness.
So, if you are a person who likes to renovate your outdoor furniture, a sofa of these materials will avoid any back pain caused by moving heavy furniture.
METALS AND SYNTHETIC MATERIALS
An outdoor space with clean, contemporary and modern lines requires a metal structure. In fact, among the solutions there is aluminum that does not need major maintenance and is light and anti-corrosive.
While a wrought iron seat is heavier, but this means that it is ideal for particularly windy areas. It will take some extra care to prevent it from rusting: a compromise to give a touch of liberty style to your garden.
Also, if your priority is an easy-to-clean and simple style garden sofa, then go for synthetic materials. Synthetic rattan (or polyrattan) mimics the rustic character of rattan despite having no particular demands.
Then there are also the garden furniture in resin which are the most modest and very simple to maintain. If you want to move the sofa a little more to the right or a little more to the left, you can do it independently.
Plastic also continues to be used for outdoor furniture even if it is no longer the first choice, despite being the cheapest material.
This is because now we try to furnish the exterior with quality garden furniture and those in plastic are not among the most elegant.
Lastly, iron and aluminum no longer suffer from these problems. In fact, they can be produced with specific techniques and covered with paints that guarantee greater resistance to bad weather and rust.
TEXTILES
Even the fabric of the cushions is no longer a problem: today, in fact, the cushions are produced in textilene. The latter is a practically indestructible synthetic fabric, able to resist any type of wear and tear.
Even the batyline manages to counteract the effects of the sun’s rays and humidity thanks to its innovative qualities. It is also easy to maintain.
So, with these types of materials, the cushions are made, which must withstand all types of weather conditions as well as washing in the washing machine. The material to choose for the interior of the cushions is dry fast foam, a synthetic foam that dries easily in case of rain.
PRICES
Let’s put the budget last because it shouldn’t be the priority when buying an outdoor sofa. It is a component of furniture that must be resistant, practical and beautiful, therefore you must invest in a quality seat.
The price of a product varies according to all the features that we have previously listed. Obviously a 3-seater sofa in teak wood will cost much more than a plastic armchair with cushions.
So if your budget is a little lower, just change some options, focusing on cheaper features.
LEAVE A COMMENT
If you found the article interesting, leave a comment with your considerations about it!
Finally, if you need a personalized guide to choose the furnishings for your outdoor areas, send an email to valeriadesign@casaomnia.it!