One of the most common mistakes people make when shopping for patio furniture is they focus mainly on appearance. Sure, your patio does need to look good and match the aesthetic of the house or the backyard garden but that’s not the only thing you should pay attention to. When you focus solely on the looks, you could miss out on a lot of other, important factors such as comfort, quality, durability, etc.
For instance, a wicker chair looks really good, but, if you’re planning on keeping it out in the rain or snow – it’s not going to last very long. For that, and many other reasons, we’ve decided to make a list and show you why you shouldn’t choose patio furniture solely based on the way it looks. Let’s dive right in.
You’re Not Organizing
When shopping just by looks, you tend to impulse buy, meaning, you’ll buy whatever looks good and you won’t pay attention to the bigger picture. That’s how you end up with a non-functional, weird-looking patio. On the other hand, when you plan properly and you consider everything, you can create a nice, cohesive unit where everything works together, nothing gets in the way and you have a functional, yet comfortable lounging area.
Make this your first step – write down the list of the items you need. A lounge chair, a table, a hammock – whatever it is, just write it down. Once you do that, it’ll be much easier to resist impulse purchases and wasting your money. Not to mention you won’t have an overstuffed patio where you’ll have to jump over a chair to get to the sofa.
Also, you’ll have to think about what you’re most likely to use the space for. If you’re just looking to chill and unwind after a long, hard day at work, then you’re probably good with a lounge chair and a hammock. On the other hand, if you’re a social butterfly and you plan on having a lot of late-night, cocktail parties – then you’ll probably need a bar, a large table, lots of chairs and so on. The moral of the story, plan it out!
You’ll End Up With Uncomfortable Furniture
First of all, let us just say that this does not have to be true all the time, but the possibility of a beautiful chair being an uncomfortable one are pretty real. We’ve all seen some outlandish-looking lounge chairs that basically look like a piece of art, but you can just tell they’re a pain to sit in. So, before you empty out your wallet on a good-looking piece of furniture – sit or lay in it. This is a must-do step. You wouldn’t buy a bed or a mattress without laying in it, would you?
The same thing applies here, you have to do the ‘sit-test’. Even a hammock can be uncomfortable. Maybe the knots are too large and they hurt your back. If that’s the case, imagine how unpleasant a chair can be. Sure, you can pretty much solve this problem by adding a plush pillow under your buttocks, but, ask yourself this – should you do it?
No, you shouldn’t. It has to be comfortable without any additional effort to make it so.
You’ll End Up With High Maintenance Furniture
Another thing that may strike you if you don’t pay attention to it right away is the high-maintenance furniture. Somehow, people seem to forget that you do have to maintain your patio stuff. One of the latest trends in the outdoors seating game is aluminum furniture. Companies like RemarkableFurniture pride themselves on their low-maintenance gear. Now, just deciding on the material is not the end of the road as far as maintenance goes.
It’s safe to say that you won’t just sit on an aluminium or hardwood frame. You’ll have to add some pillows or blankets for comfort. You have to think about those as well. Bright colours look really good and vibrant, but if you have kids, pets or if it’s raining often, those things get really dirty, really fast. You have to think things through. You’ll want good looking, but durable and forgiving materials for your outside lounge area.
You’ll End Up With Non-Fitting Furniture
It is absolutely paramount that you consider space when shopping for patio stuff. Just because something looks good, doesn’t mean it will fit. A lot of us shop online and we can’t really appreciate the size of an item just by looking at the dimensions. For that reason, if you’ve decided to do a thing or two and remodel the patio, pull out a ruler and measure the whole thing. You want to make sure you have enough space to fit everything and have enough space left to move around freely once it’s all there. You may fall in love with a lounge bed, you may even try it out and feel the heavenly comfort of it, but, if it’s too large – it’s just not worth it.
You May Sacrifice Quality
Final, and arguably the most important thing you may miss out on when shopping solely based on the looks is the quality of the furniture. Like with anything else, just because something looks good, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s built well. Once again, we’re going back to the materials. Although there can certainly be great, quality, plastic pieces of outdoor furniture, most commonly, that’s not the case.
On the other hand, materials aren’t the only thing that matters. Quality build and craftsmanship is also a large factor. You could use the best hardwood there is, but if you put it all together with lousy screws put in wrong places, chances are, that thing is not going to last long.
You’ll always want to read the reviews of the products you’re interested in. Learn a thing or two about the item from other people’s experiences. That’s arguably the best way to learn about the pros and cons of a certain thing.
All in all, if we had to sum all of this up in a few words, we’d say – be thorough in your research and planning. Don’t just focus on the one thing. Nothing is one-dimensional, including furniture, so expand your horizons and focus on all the important things, not just the looks.
