We confess, Austin normally has gorgeous weather---the kind of weather perfect for relaxing on porches and decks. We found ourselves on a friend's beautiful screened-in porch this weekend, only we experienced some uncharacteristic rain! Though some of our friend's furniture was shielded by the rain, many cushions, pillows and electronics had to be taken in. It got us to wondering...
Firstly, if you have an outdoor space, what sort of furniture do you have? Do you choose whatever you love, or do you avoid upholstered pieces for obvious reasons? When there's inclement weather, how do you protect your outdoor furniture? Do you bring it in anytime it rains, or do you leave it out there to weather naturally? Share any outdoor furniture secrets you've discovered!
Don't have any outdoor furniture secrets to share because you don't have any outdoor furniture yet? Here are some previous Apartment Therapy posts for inspiration:
Alexis' Modern Glass House 
Before & After: A Bathroom Goes From Pinky Peach to Sleek and Chic
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Tom Black Espadrille
20 Scrumptious Brunch Recipes 
Magic One-Ingredient Ice Cream 5 Ways: Peanut Butter, Nutella, and More
Comments (8)
We bought a canopy for our patio because we wanted upholstered pieces and take the cushions off our chaise (which is outdoors) if we know it is going to rain. The canopy has worked out great becuase now we can have an outdoor chandelier and another room to decorate:-)
"Austin normally has gorgeous weather"? How long have you lived here--three days?
I make sure my cushions are vinyl (not very green, but I'm reusing what I have), the real retro (my great-grandma's furniture, circa 1970) ones I keep under an awning. I know the only reason I have such nice vintage outdoor furniture with the original cushions is because my great grandma kept it out of the sun and weather. I am making some vinyl cushions (waterproof) for my seats on my unprotected deck. I am using grandma's retro vinyl table cloth and some old foam I had laying around the house, so if the sun and other elements ruin them I won't feel too bad. I try not to take too many things outside that I wouldn't be too upset if they were taken or be ruined.
I vaccillate on this one. Don't protect our little teak table at all. But we cover up our non-teak chairs so we can leave the cushions on them. So our furniture looks like a bad tan - some stuff dark, some stuff weathered grey.
My teak furniture was covered with a green film and very dark from the rains. I just rented a power hose to clean off the moss and crap off my patio and furniture. The furniture looks brand new again.
i have a wood chaise lounge and a painted/powder coated metal bench (roxi-ikea) that both have cushions on them. just got em, but i keep the wood under a tarp (from home depot) and bring the cushions in when i can and store them in the linen closet. sometimes i get lazy, but i try not to make a practice of leaving them out. sun, rain, dew - nothing outside seems great for furniture.
I live in Sacramento, so battling hot rays and rainy weather (in the winter) is the norm. My favorite outdoor weather proof items are the water/fade proof rugs (Pier One and Cost Plus sells really colorful, hip outdoor rugs) and fade proof pillow cushions (again, Pier One, Cost Plus sells beautiful pillows that can be mixed/matched). I may incorporate sculptures in my rock garden, but that's it for indoor items. I used to try to use regular pillows, but, the battle of hurrying home to get the pillows out of the rain was too much for me.
I live in the Chicago area and have no choice but to leave my patio furniture out all year round. The covers for the chairs are very expensive, is there any suggestions of a more economical way to cover my chairs?