A common misconception is that one should worry about decorating the interior spaces of a building (house, hotel, restaurant, resort...) and invest most of their budget there instead of keeping the right budget aside to invest in outdoor décor, too. This idea may come from the fact that some are scared to leave expensive furniture out in the harsh weather all year long, so they prefer to have their outdoor furniture be almost “disposable”, in a way.
In reality, both spaces should be designed to last a lifetime – or if anything, for as long as your client wishes. So when you think outdoor furniture should withstand the elements all year round, you can easily see how going higher quality for your outdoor pieces of furniture is very important in order to make a worthy investment.
Don’t save money when buying outdoor furniture – on the contrary, try and create a space that can last, feel right for the needs of your client and look top-notch for a very long time.
The outdoors are the first thing people see of a property, so giving them the right amount of consideration, keeping the design fresh, clean and appealing, is your best bet to create a liveable, enjoyable space for your clients, and a space that gives a very positive idea of the business should you be decorating outdoors for a facility such as a restaurant, a hotel, a resort and so on.
Don’t save money when buying outdoor furniture – and don’t waste time!
Communicate with your clients by letting them know that going cheaper with their outdoor décor will actually prove much more costly in terms of both time and money, in the long run.
First of all, it is not true that outdoor furniture will decay fast because it stays outside the house. In fact, high quality, well made garden furniture is designed to withstand the test of time and to resist bright, hot sun, fast winds, harsh rains and the cold – so they will not need to keep an eye on their furniture to check on the level of deterioration the whole time.
The right type and amount of maintenance will be just enough to prevent the furniture from getting ruined and to ensure it lasts as long as it is meant to.
Lower quality pieces on the other hand, will be poorly designed – meaning their structure will be weaker and the materials not durable enough to resist time and weather.
This means that harsh sun will fade the original colour of the pieces for example – rain and strong wind will make the materials lose their original finish (from smooth to brittle for example, from shiny and glossy to matte and dull, and so on...). So, in order to have the outdoors looking appealing again, your client will have to replace the old furniture with new pieces, as that kind of deterioration signs cannot be repaired.
Also, keep in mind bad deterioration will make the items not only look old, but it will also end up being dangerous, making the items also be unclean – which means they may develop toxic bacteria on the surface.
Replacing furniture can be very difficult and cost a lot of time and effort. In fact, sometimes you will not be able to find the same collection you started your design with, so you will have to rethink the whole design to make the old and the new items look cohesive within the space you are decorating.
Redesigning the space with new furniture means a lot of extra work – so not only will your client spend all over again to buy the new pieces, but you will both waste a lot of time: you will have to go through the designing – selecting – buying process all over again!
Quality – Comfort – Design
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Quality
Buying low quality materials is not, as we already mentioned, a good investment at all. The deterioration that will happen quickly to a poor quality material, be it plastic and manmade or natural, such as wood for example, is most of the times irreversible and will end up with your client having to replace the ruined items.
Selecting top-of-the-line materials will ensure your design has the best life span possible, and that it will stay looking fresh and new for a long time, which is not only convenient in terms of time and money, but inviting furniture will also make the outdoors look much more appealing.
Having a clean, fresh looking outdoor décor will give your clients and any guests the impression of a welcoming space.
This means they will head outside the building, be it a house or a facility such as a hotel, a restaurant, a resort, and live the outdoors space as much as they will the indoors. They will use the space more, making the most of all the space available in the property.
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Comfort
Once people will be out wanting to enjoy nature, the fresh air and the wonderful patios, gardens and balconies, they will eventually use the furniture you set up.What this means, is that to have furniture that is great quality across the board, you must also make sure it is comfortable to use.
Tables and chairs as well as the rest of the furniture must have the appropriate size (height, width, depth) for the individuals who are going to use them, the materials must feel comfortable to the touch, and all items must fit properly in the space, so people can move around easily without stumbling upon anything and getting hurt, for instance.
As you can see, choosing pieces of furniture that fit well with the reference space is a matter of comfort in this case.
You can pick larger items for properties that have a lot of space available to use, decorate and live – while for smaller areas, you can source smaller furniture that thanks to the best quality materials and design, will still look extremely luxurious and precious.
For this very reason, do not overlook extra-small spaces such as balconies, little green corners – even just adding two chairs and a coffee tables (the right ones!) will ensure you make the best of all available surface without making it too busy, and on the contrary – giving it purpose and a breath of fresh air.
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Design
Selecting unique pieces is also part of creating a luxurious environment. You can source items that are very popular or very rare – both will serve as a beautiful focal point to the outdoor area and as conversation starters, and they will liven up the area making it more vibrant and interesting.
Ask your clients what their dream design is and try to pick materials, shapes and a colour palette that can match their wishes and at the same time, that are able to create a continuum out of the whole building area – indoors and outdoors.
Bring the general style of the indoors in the outdoors, keeping in mind all due differences in materials and design of course, dictated by the fundamental needs outdoor furniture must comply with.
Remeber…
Don’t save money when buying outdoor furniture, and choose the items as you would all furniture to be placed inside the property. High quality pieces do not need continuous watching over, and the right maintenance will, as mentioned, ensure a long lifespan and that they stay in mint condition for as long as the owner wishes.