Guide
Outdoor furniture for hospitality: a buying guide
Choosing chairs, tables and parasols for a terrace, beer garden or café: the materials, the space and how to look after it all over winter.
Choose the material for the place
- Aluminium is light, does not rust and stacks easily, so it suits pavement cafés and terraces that are cleared every night.
- Teak and other hardwoods are heavy and long-lasting. Left untreated they weather to a silver grey; oil them if you want to keep the honey colour.
- All-weather weave looks like rattan but is a synthetic fibre made to stand up to sun and rain, for lounge seating on a covered terrace.
- Resin and plastic are tough, light and easy to wipe down, for busy beer gardens and family areas.
Plan the space
Measure the area and note what is fixed, such as steps, planters and heaters. Leave clear routes for staff carrying trays, and think about how many covers you need on a busy day rather than a quiet one.
Look after it
Covers and somewhere dry to store cushions make outdoor furniture last much longer. Stacking chairs and folding tables are easier to put away over winter.
See our outdoor furniture for chairs, tables, benches and parasols.
