Outdoor Furniture to Holiday at Home

It’s a summer staycation!

With world events changing the way we live for now, the 2020 outdoor furniture collection has been coordinated with a whole new lifestyle in mind. Offering a broader range of designs, natural materials and soft furnishings, Early Settler buyer Monica Porter explains how this year’s collection is all about bringing the vacay vibes to your own backyard for the ultimate staycation.

Premium quality, comfort and choice have become more important than ever this year. With so many travel restrictions in place, Australians can’t get away as they used to right now, so they’re prioritising making beautiful outdoor spaces to enjoy their weekends and holiday time from the safety of home.

Taking cues from the current trend of expanding outdoor areas to create an indoor–outdoor flow off the living room with more square footage for the family to spread out, among this season’s selection are an enviable range of high-quality sofa sets, dining tables and vibrant accessories in a broad choice of styles and materials.

Byron Day Bed

Au naturel

Natural, reclaimed and sustainable materials have soared to the top of the priority list this year as we all look to a more eco-friendly future. The 2020 outdoor furniture collection has a more extensive selection of outdoor pieces made from reclaimed timber and sustainably source teak in an assortment of styles.

Teak is such a wonderful choice for outdoor areas as it’s weather-resistant. Rich in a natural oil that repels water, it can withstand all types of conditions without warping, cracking or becoming brittle.

The ever-popular Reclaimed Teak Cross-Leg Table is set to be a star of the show once again this year. Available in a choice of sizes — including a colossal 4-metre design that seats 12 — its popularity comes down to the beautiful design, unique grain and exceptional durability, as reclaimed timber is well known for being much tougher than fresh lumber.

Reclaimed Teak Cross Leg Dining Table – 4000mm

Tropical escape

High-quality rattan, wicker and bamboo, jute rugs and eclectic plant baskets feature heavily in this year’s collection. Prized for their relaxed aesthetic reminiscent of tropical villas and balmy escapes, these pieces pair to perfection with lush outdoor spaces and loads of potted and hanging plants.

Destined to be the most popular piece on the deck, the new Byron hanging basket chair boasts a thick fitted cushion, sturdy construction and comfy design to curl up into.

Crafted in both traditional and modern weaves, the rattan range offers a look for every style, from the Hamptons-inspired Catalina sofa set to the contemporary Koa sofa set in natural rattan with a black powder-coated aluminium frame

Koa 3 Pce Sofa Set

Indoor–outdoor flow

Trends are showing a significant increase in Aussies redirecting their holiday funds into extending their outdoor areas and investing in lifestyle updates. Installing French or bifold doors directly off the living room to open the deck or patio offers a seamless indoor–outdoor flow, while also providing precious extra square footage for the family to spread out.

So many pieces in the 2020 collection were selected with the indoor–outdoor layout in mind and would be just as stunning inside the home as out on the deck. The Hendrix outdoor dining table, for instance, has a ceramic top with the elegant aesthetic of marble. And the Etchy is one of my personal favourites as it’s very unique with its thick sandblasted-glass top with a naturally occurring bottle-green tinge, like the frosted sea glass you see washed up on the shore.

Hendrix Ceramic Table 2400 x 950mm

Etchy Sand-Blasted Glass Dining Table 2100 x 1000mm

Living room on the deck

This fusion of indoor–outdoor living on a grander scale is one of the major outdoor furniture trends of the year. As we extend our living rooms to covered outdoor spaces, it allows more opportunity to bring the comfort of the lounge to the deck with soft furnishings and elegant accessories.

Among the season’s collection are an enormous choice of vibrant cushions. Colourfast and resistant to spills and light rain, the soft fabric casing is made from olefin crafted from recycled PET plastic, making it an incredibly eco-friendly choice with a lower carbon footprint than cotton or wool. Ideal for undercover outdoor areas, among the vast range you’ll discover jungle prints, exotic birds, native foliage, tropical flowers, animal prints and solid colours.

Hemmy 5 Pce Dining Set

Soft rugs, lanterns and side tables, too, are making their way outdoors as part of the alfresco sanctuary, while high-quality faux plants, such as succulents, ferns and string of pearls, are perfect for those who want to create a lush environment yet without the upkeep of real plants. The also offer unity between indoor and outdoor spaces.

Contemporary comforts

Hardwearing, durable and extremely practical for outdoor living, we’ve expanded out powder-coated metal pieces this year to include new choices among classic favourites in a range of styles.

On-trend terrazzo, faux marble and concrete blend are ideal for those who like a more urban aesthetic, while the Hemmy is essentially a dining set and lounge in one as it’s built for comfort with thick moisture-resistant cushions over a powder-coated aluminium frame — so very comfortable and versatile for relaxing or dining.

The elegant Arles garden table and chairs has a French-inspired design. And the new Kace dining table and bench seat is made from galvanised steel in a soft sage-mint and is set to be a family favourite.

Kace dining table and bench seats

Paradise on the patio

Staying home is the new going out and the outdoor collection has never looked better. This year is all about the ultimate in alfresco comfort to expand living zones in your home, whether entertaining a few friends, eating outdoors, curling up with a book… or even bringing the laptop out to work in the sunshine. Come and visit in-store or online to check out the 2020 outdoor furniture collection. And learn why the Reclaimed Teak Cross Leg table is one of our favourites.