Forget battered benches and sagging chairs, now you can furnish your garden as smartly as your home

Before you race outside into the garden at the first sign of sunny weather, make sure you have the right furniture for lounging around or for the more ambitious business of outdoor meals. Skinny and sleek or chunkyand robust, the latest designs come in myriad materials, with everythingfrom stalwart teak and chunky iron to delicate wire and new syntheticweaves. To make sure you choose the best style for your outdoor space,our no-nonsense guide is packed with all the information you'll need...

Before you buy

Who, what and where?

• Think about who will use your furniture and what for. Will it have to standup to children and pets? How long will you be spending in your garden? Doyou want to eat family meals and/or entertain outside?
• Measure up your space, make a sketch and mark features such as paving,decking, walls, fences and flowerbeds. Leave space around your furniture forcomfortable use, with room to get in and out of your home.
• For sunny spots, consider a built-in parasol/umbrella but make sure basefixings are rigid. Some loungers even have hooded shades.
• Avoid designs that are glaringly prominent. Wood fits in anywhere,particularly when weathered; metal in a dull, silvery finish is easy on the eye and stone also blends in well.As for colours, white looks fresh and bright, but dark green doesn't alwaysfit in well with lots of grass or foliage.
• Stores such as Homebase, Argos, Woolworths and B&Q sell inexpensive stylesin vivid colours. These can look good on patios and balconies, but couldlook out of place in gardens with colourful beds and borders.

Inside or out?

Do you want designs robust enough to leave outside all year round? A lot of casual, lightweight furniture is simply weather-resistant rather thanweatherproof. It can cope with the odd shower but must come insidein winter, so make sure you have somewhere to store it. Some chairs stackrather than fold - useful forthe corner of a patio/roof terrace. Protective covers made from weatherprooffabric are handy if you don't have winter storage space, but it is probablybetter to spend the extra cash on weatherproof furniture.

Comfort

Wherever possible, try out chairs, benches and hammocks. Heavy styles incast iron and solid wood are less yielding than aluminium, synthetic mesh orwoven chairs. Shaped wooden backs can be more comfortable that straightslats.

How much?

Try to buy from a good retailerwho can give advice on how long furniture will last. Splashing out onsomething that's only good for a couple of years is bad for your bankbalance and the environment.

Eco issues

Buy furniture to last as long as possible. Consider an old bench or tablefrom a local salvage merchant (salvo.co.uk). Or build your own from recycledmaterials, such as cast-iron supports and railway sleepers.

Materials

Modern styles mix all kinds of different materials, so check with yoursupplier whether furniture is only weather-resistant or is fullyweatherproof. For cutting-edge design in mixes of many materials, tryEncompass (023 9241 0045 encompassco.com). The ConranShop has a good selection of oldand new classics (020 7589 7401 conranshop.com). Contrasting materials canalso look good, such as metal furniture on timber decking.

Stone

Stone (for tabletops or supports) looks good outside but it is heavy and canstain. Try Architectural Stone Supplies (01565 830 707;architecturalstonesupplies.co.uk). Terrazo, with chips set in resin, islighter. For recycled stone tablestry Stone Age (01524 736 988; stonetables.co.uk).

Glass

Glass may be used for some tabletops - but always check that it is safetyglass that will not shatter.

Wood

• Teak is one of the toughestwoods available, making it a good choice for outdoor furniture. It is aclose-grained hardwood with lotsof natural oils, which help it to withstand rain, salt, sun and snow withoutrotting. When new, teak has a glaring, almost-orange colour, but this willweather to an attractive silver-grey within months. However, if you preferthe bright colour of the original wood, oil it on arrival, and then applycleaner and preservative every season. Try Indian Ocean(020 8675 4808; indian-ocean.co.uk)or Patio Furniture (01726 817 587; patio-furniture.co.uk).
• Oak often comes from British woodlands and has a gentler feel than teak.For simple, solid designs, try Gaze Burvill (020 7471 8500 gazeburvill.com).Other hardwoods include eucalyptus - ask carefully aboutdurability/maintenance.Try David Craig (0191 378 1211; davidcraig.co.uk) for FSC (ForestStewardship Council) certified English oak and ash - and Zambian hardwoods.Lutyens Designs offers garden benches made to the original designs oftwentieth-century architect Edwin Lutyens and is run by his granddaughter(020 7978 2480; lutyens-furniture.com).
• Pine is used for less expensive FSC-approved designs, and can be easilyshaped. Look for wood that's ‘tanalised' (pressure treated) toresist rot. Try Devon Garden Furniture (01769 560 223;devongardenfurniture.co.uk).More rustic-looking styles can be made from small logs - try The GardenFurniture Centre (01564 793 652; gardenfurniturecentre.co.uk).
• Ask suppliers of wood furniture whether it comes from properly managedforests. These may haveFSC approval, and/or they may be approved by local governments.The FSC website (fsc-uk.org) lists17 approved suppliers, rangingfrom stores like B&Q and Focus,to local carpenters and saw mills.

Metals

Steel (an alloy of iron and carbon) is very strong and can be lightweight -but it will rust unless treated. Galvanising (a zinc coating) shields steelagainst the weather, and an epoxy coating (clear or coloured) will giveextra protection. Powder-coating, baked on at high temperatures, is anotherprotective coloured finish. Metal-framed furniture is often combined withsleek, synthetic, fabric-mesh seats. These designs are thin and elegant, with a little ‘give'that makes them more comfortable than solid wood. Try Holloways (01886 884665; holloways.co.uk).

Stainless steel is usually rust-free, but to avoid corrosion in saltyconditions, choose stainless steel which has been electro-polished with asmooth surface that's less porous. Try Alexander Rose (01444 258 928;alexander-rose.co.uk).

Aluminium (widely available) is very light and strong. Anodisingwill give a good resistance to corrosion and can also add colour. Castaluminium designs have intricate shapes available in many finishes/colours,including verdigris.

Cast, wrought and forged iron is very heavy (and of course strong) but willrust unless protected. Try Michael Hill of Spalding (01775 840 925).

Wire (usually steel) can be turned into elegant shapes with a period feel.These can look attractive when weathered or even rusting, but may then stainclothes and table linen. Try Matthew Eden for wire work basedon Regency originals (01249 713 335 mattheweden.co.uk), and look at Allweather & Tubbs (01308 425 252 allweatherandtubbs.co.uk) for a range ofclassic designs.

Plastic and synthetic

Cheap plastic garden furniture is lightweight and can blow over. It may getbrittle over a period or time, and discolour and/or crack if it is knocked,or gets too hot.

Plastic used for more expensive furniture will be more solid. It should beUV-resistant to stop it from fading, and resistant to temperature change toprevent it from cracking. Check up on these points before buying. Look outfor drainage holes in solid seats.

Plastics such as polyethylene are now being used with powder-coatedaluminium frames for woven garden furniture that looks like cane. Styles areelegant and lightweight, soft and comfortable, and weather andfade-resistant. Try Gloster (01454 631 950; gloster.com) and also BarlowTyrie (01376 557 600; teak.com).

Synthetic waterproof fabrics for seats come in PVC-coated polyester yarns,which will not rot or fade - but shouldn't be left out in heavy rain.

Several manufacturers use recycled materials, includingplastics and metals. Try Marmax Products (01207 283 442;marmaxproducts.co.uk) and Glasdon Manufacturing (01253 891 131;glasdon-manufacturing.co.uk).

Looking after your garden furniture

• Get supplier's advice, carefully keeping any product tags.
• Tilt wooden furniture over in winter, and keep feet off wet ground.
• Test all cleaning methods on undersides.
• Take care that pressure hoses do not mark wooden furniture and harm metal finishes.
• Mop up spills as they happen.
• Wash down wooden furniture with warm soapy water and rinse off - opengrains can trap dirt. Use a soft brush to remove any green mould.
• Inspect metal frames regularly for rust. Remove any loose material andapply rust-resisting paint.
• Oil any joints as necessary.
• Clean synthetic fabrics with water and soap, rinse well, andwipe dry - don't use scouring powders or solvents.
• Before you use your furniturefor the first time in spring, check seats are clean so they don't stainlight-coloured clothes. Lightly scrub and rinse wood if necessary.

POINTERS

• Think of your furniture as part of your overall garden scheme - shopsand garden centres with a landscape service can help with this.
• Consider delivery access for large items - narrow side alleys and gardengates can be constricting.
• Synthetic mesh seats should havea tension device to stop them sagging over a period of time.
• Look for mortise and tenon dowelled joints in wooden furniture asa mark of quality.
• Stainless steel and brass fittings will not rust.
• Always make sure that furniture is dry before storing for the winter.
• Protective covers for winter use can keep furniture looking newer, butthese tend to look ugly and may stop you using furniture on warmer winterdays.
• Metal furniture on paving stones can make an annoying clatter - somedesigns have ‘silencer' pads undertheir feet.
• Mini models for children are appealing - but will quickly be outgrown.
• A bench around a mature tree can add a romantic touch.
• Viewed from afar, furniture becomes sculpture - so think about shapes andwhere they might go.
• Take care that new furniture doesn't block off a favourite view.
• Circular tables tend to suit square patios or lawns.
• Folding compact furniture is great for picnics in the country or on thebeach, but will it fit in your car?Top

Top and bottom pictures: www.redhotplancha.com, Red Hot Plancha, 01527 404 226
Second picture: Elizabeth Zeschin
Third image: Mel Yates
Forth image: Edina Van der Wyck

Words: Barbara Chandler