Around this time of year back in 2003, the year we bought our home, the birds chirping and the warmer temperatures signaled the start of warm weather and outdoor living. After a long winter we, as fresh faced newlyweds, excitedly greeted the change in seasons with talks of how we wanted to spruce up our back yard and transform it into a space in which we could relax, dine, and entertain.
We launched into a mini upgrade/overhaul that saw the removal of overgrowth, addition of a pond, and a general sprucing that was long overdue. The yard we had when we moved into our home was a far cry from "nice."
A crucial decision and investment at the time was centered around the type of outdoor furniture we would purchase. We scoured stores, ads, and online, before finally deciding on a teak set -- a table, four chairs, and a bench -- from our neighborhood Crate and Barrel outlet that's just a few blocks walk from our place. Short on cash but full of new homeowner excitement and motivation, we scrimped together the greenbacks and wedding gift cards needed to make the purchase. How tight were we on cash? The table didn't fit in our car, and this was before car sharing options, so we went so far as to carry the entire set home the eight or so blocks in order to avoid paying shipping charges. That, was a long walk home.
While we've greatly enjoyed this set over the years, we found ourselves swearing at our decision year after year, as the maintenance of the wood was truly...high maintenance. However, we justified its worth as it gave us wonderful neighborhood settings like this scene.
Between special teak wash, oiling the wood, and even going so far as to sand it down for a better finish, we've often regretted dealing with this beautiful but decidedly delicate material.
Part of this high maintenance has to do with the material. It's wood, and wood needs a lot of effort and attention when left outdoors unfinished. But another major issue was our own mistake. We applied a teak protectant we thought was a good idea because it promised a longer life and less maintenance. Unfortunately, this didn't allow the teak to obtain that naturally weathered look, and it now looks fake orange in places. We believe this product also trapped water within joints and caused the wood to fail and crack in places. We should have just stuck with periodic teak oil application.
Don't get me wrong, we've loved this set, but with more than a decade spent enjoying this furniture set, we've finally decided to throw in the towel and look for something new. The problem is, we just can't seem to find exactly what we're looking for. I've searched in store or online at the following stores:
- Overstock
- Crate and Barrel
- Pottery Barn
- Williams Sonoma Home
- Arhaus
- Target
- Smith and Hawken
- Frontgate
- Ballard Designs
- Kohls
- Macy's
- Sears
- JC Penney
- West Elm
- World Market
- Home Goods
- Lowes
- Home Depot
- And others I'm surely forgetting
Phew! No wonder I'm frustrated. (Or maybe too picky?)
So here we are. We feel like we want to go with an aluminum set that can withstand the weather with low maintenance. Given our desire to do other projects on the house, we don't want the maintenance of our outdoor furniture to require a significant amount of time commitment any longer. I know this means giving up the warmth and aesthetic of natural wood, but it's worth the sacrifice to me.
Of course, Alex would love to build a new outdoor set with a wood base and poured concrete top, like the one below from Restoration Hardware, but we all know that's not likely to happen before 2024, so I think buying a new set is likely advisable. I'll just tell him "honey, it's only temporary until you can build us a new set. Then we can use this one we're buying now when we purchase that farm house without plumbing."
In our search, I'm going to be looking for something that's similar in style to the set we already have. I like the look of a slatted table, and somewhat simple chairs. But I'm definitely looking for aluminum. Perhaps something like this one from Macy's.
I had initially thought about looking for something that is wicker or synthetic wicker, but that just seems like it will catch a whole lot of dirt and bird poop, ending up a real pain to keep clean. If we had an overhang the furniture would live under, like one of those great outdoor California kitchens, it would be more of an option. You know, something modest like this...
...or perhaps...
But since our furniture will live under a tree that is frequented by our neighborhood bird and squirrel population, bombs away means a need for easy cleanup.
And finally, I want to stay away from any sort of faux wood looks. We're not buying a wood set, so I don't want to pretend we're buying a wood set. If it's aluminum, I'm embracing it and all of its low maintenance glory. Besides, the faux wood items I've seen simply aren't convincing.
My search for our aesthetically pleasing yet affordable furniture continues through the dark corners of the Internets, but I'd love your two cents on the subject. We'll hopefully be buying something very soon, but any last minute words of encouragement or advice that may help to steer my decision would be wonderfully appreciated.
