Garden furniture ideas: 10 ways to style your outdoor space Regardless of whether you have a long, lush garden or a courtyard the size of a postage stamp, there’s nothing quite like enjoying your own outside space at home. It’s great garden furniture ideas that make anything possible. From watching the morning bird brigade from a bistro table breakfast spot or relaxing on a swing seat with a good book – even sitting around a comfortable dining table where you can enjoy the warmer weather as you eat. With the summer months approaching, it’s never too early to start thinking about how you can make the most of your garden – starting with the best garden furniture. Garden furniture ideas From family get-togethers and alfresco evening dining to a solitary mid-morning coffee outdoors, our gardens have to work hard to accommodate all our needs. The type of outdoor furniture we choose is key to making any outdoor space more usable. ‘Corner lounge sets and hanging chairs have been the most searched for items so far in 2022, as customers seek to bring the inside out,’ says Rikke Blaeside, design and range manager at JYSK. ‘In January 2022, we saw an incredible 375% increase in search volumes for garden items compared to the previous month of December.’ Of course, there’s lots to think about, whether you’re looking to buy a brand new seating set or mix in a few additional pieces with your existing furniture. What material should you go for, what type of furniture would work best, and how will it fare in the non-summer months? We’ve come up with a range of garden furniture ideas to give you some inspiration, as well as advice from the experts on how to care for your chosen pieces. 1. Create an outdoor living room Image credit: Garden Trading With our outdoor spaces often used as an extension of our homes, it’s no surprise that we’re turning them into replicas of the living space we have inside, ready for us to socialise, work and entertain. Think of these areas as you would an indoor living room, decorating with items such as an L-shaped sofa, coffee table, rugs and pouffes – even a mirror on the wall and layers of lighting. ‘How you style the space and the furniture you choose needs to be adaptable to suit various purposes,’ says JYSK‘s Rikke Blaeside. ‘To create the ultimate outside living room, use furniture and accessories that are not traditionally associated with outdoors, such as soft furnishings like cushions and blankets. Adding lighting to the garden is also a key element of creating a cosy outside area. Using lights in a warm tone helps to create a warm, inviting atmosphere in a usually cooler environment.’ ‘You could also create zones and sectioned areas within the garden itself,’ Rikke continues. ‘Using outdoor rugs, fencing and furniture is a great way to zone off the different living areas from the rest of the outside to give the illusion of a distinctive, designated living space.’ Buy now: Amberley sofa set, £2,100, Garden Trading 2. Build bench seating Image credit: Future/Claire Lloyd Davies Built-in seating works beautifully if you have a compact garden, but smaller spaces aren’t the only gardens they excel in… neat, minimalist lines gives this style of seating a modern look and can also provide additional storage should you want it. When planning your seating, consider building planters into the top of the back rest for plants and shrubs, along with a lift-up seat lid to store cushions when not in use – and don’t forget to make sure the seat itself is deep enough that it’s comfortable whether you’re sitting or laying on it! 3. Find room for a bistro table Image credit: Homebase Sometimes the spot that catches the most sun in the morning isn’t the area you want your dining or sofa set to sit, so why not add a bistro table and chairs to the mix and use them to enjoy breakfast as the sun goes up, or a glass of wine at the end of the day? Bistro sets also make a great choice for smaller outdoor spaces, when you don’t have room for larger pieces of furniture. ‘A compact space needn’t stop you from investing in garden furniture,’ says Andy Baxter, MD at Maze. ‘Bistro and bar sets work well, especially for city living, where a small patio or balcony is more common.’ This French-style furniture comes in many colours, so it’s easy to choose one that works with your scheme, whether you’re looking for a shade to blend in, or one to add a bright burst of vibrancy. Buy now: Lazio metal bistro set, £120, Homebase 4. Enjoy entertaining with a bar Image credit: Future/Joanna Henderson Having become increasingly popular in the last few years, a garden bar is just as fun whether you’re serving up exotic cocktails to guests or mixing yourself a G&T for ‘happy hour’. Of course, you can DIY a bar yourself by converting a shed or building your own garden tiki bar. But there’s also some great ready-made options to buy, which you can personalise with a few bar signs, stools and drinks-related accessories. Want the children to get involved too? Why not invest in a mixology set that they can use to whip up their own alcohol-free cocktails? 5. Style a pretty seating spot Image credit: Dunelm Sometimes all you want is a place to sit and read or enjoy the sunshine, which is where a few individual chairs can come in handy – and if you choose ones that are lightweight, they can easily be moved to wherever you need them. Pull them out into the sun (or a shaded area), or use them as extra seating for dining, indoors or out, when needed. Your garden chairs don’t have to be formal to make a big impact, either. Here, a mix of metal and rattan gives the seating a relaxed feel, while a large coffee…

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