Luxury Patio Furniture: Indoor Vs. Outdoor

When it comes to home furniture, there's specific items for the indoors, furniture for the outdoors, but there's also furniture for sun and Florida rooms. While it's pretty easy to tell indoor versus outdoor types apart, being able to tell what luxury patio furniture works for sunrooms versus outdoor patio, deck and backyard furniture is not as simple a matter.

Let's start with indoor patio sets. Luxury patio furniture for sunrooms and Florida rooms does not need to be as sturdy as outdoor furniture, but because it is more open to the elements than indoor furniture it must be slightly more durable. There is a small risk of wind damage depending on how open the room is, but more importantly, as the name implies, a sunroom is usually open on three to four sides to the sun, which leads to fading, concentrated heat and dry air. Try and avoid brightly saturated colors and dark colors. Whites work best and will not feel as hot to the touch. Light colors also work to reflect the cheeriness of the room.

For regular furniture like table and chair sets, stick to synthetic and durable materials. However, wicker is also a very popular choice. The lightweight woven fibers are elegant and comfortable, especially when paired with a plush cushion. Cheap pieces can easily be obtained, or for luxury patio furniture that won't fall apart, nicer full sets will run around $2,000. One warning though: cats often love the feel of wicker and will turn your chairs into scratching posts. Even clawless felines can inflict a lot of damage on the fragile strands. Light-colored softwoods are another pleasant addition for table and chair sets, as well as breakfast nooks. Woods are less likely to warp and rot than if left outside, so they do not necessarily need to be finished, but they are still subject to fading and blistering paint from the direct sunlight. If teak is your wood of choice, make sure not to over oil, as this type of wood already produces natural oils. Over oiling can turn the beautiful wood black. As far as side accents to a sunroom, ottomans and side tables are common. The latter can be made from any type of metal, since there is not risk of rusting from rainwater and dew.

Outdoor Patio Sets must obviously be the strongest furniture because of its exposure to the elements. Furniture must be weather-resistant and usually sealed because of the following risks: warping, rotting, rusting, and molding. In general, wicker luxury patio furniture does not hold up nearly as well as it does indoors. There are however models specially designed for outdoor uses which employ a strong resin coating and rust-resistant aluminum frames. Teak is a particularly good choice because it is one of the strongest woods out there, produces its own protective oils, requires little maintenance and has an attractive grain and light blonde to caramel coloration. Other common woods found in outdoor sets include cedar and pine, which also hold up well against the elements. As far as adding cushions to make chairs more comfortable, cushions must be outdoor-specific, meaning they practically waterproof and easy to wipe down. Though coarser than and not quite as comfortable as their indoor counterparts, these types won't easily mold or fall apart. As a rule, try and bring all furniture into storage at the end of fall or in particularly bad conditions. If you can't do that, cover furniture with nylon waterproof tarps.