KEY POINTS:
It's official. It's summer. Time to kick back. The outdoors is a great place to relax on the lazy days of summer. But you'll need something to sit on.
Scandinavians are well known for their furniture design. In Scandinavia it is often dark and cold for long periods
of time and therefore people spend a lot more time indoors. So it stands to reason they often seem to place much more importance on the detail and quality of their furniture.
In New Zealand, we have a far more comfortable and temperate climate and because of that a lot of Kiwi culture is related to the outdoors. It would seem logical that there would therefore be a better choice of outdoor furniture available to us.
Well, if you've travelled through Scandinavia, you'll know that's not quite the case yet.
We need to throw out a challenge to our outdoor furniture designers in New Zealand to come up with some funky new designs. We're an ingenious lot. We can show the Scandinavians how to really enjoy the outdoors and show off some world class furniture.
For some New Zealanders, the outdoors is just a place to sit and enjoy a relaxing drink, a tree-stump in the garden is fine. But for most of us, aesthetics and comfort are top of the list for summer. Luckily for us, there is some exciting outdoor furniture on the market. And now's the right time to buy.
Outdoor furniture comes in almost every shape and size, and in a range of materials - from plastic to metal to timber to stone to concrete to upholstered.
The things to think about when choosing furniture are:
What do you want to do with it?
Will it stay outside all the time or will it need to be stored and transported?
How much care will it need?
The answers to these questions will drive your decision-making process that will then lead to questions of cost, material and aesthetics.
How do you intend to use the furniture - will it be for infrequent use?
Do you intend to use it year-round?
Do you need an umbrella - or a heater for those cooler evenings?
Chairs with cushions are very comfortable but the cushions will need to be brought in and stored at times.
It is worthwhile spending that little bit more and getting something robust and heavy, especially if it is going to live outside all year round - you don't want them flying around in heavy winds.
Also, in terms of longevity, better materials will last longer and will generally keep their appearance for longer.
Finally, the all-important test is to make sure that you try out the furniture by sitting in it for a while. If you spend lazy days in the sun reading books beside the pool, you don't want to be stuck with outdoor furniture that's comfortable for no more than half an hour. After all, it might be a really good book.