Wood outdoor furniture is by far the best type of furniture you can buy for your patio. Wood looks natural and comforting to the eyes. It blends with outdoor environments since wood is a natural material. Teak is extremely resilient and if your teak furniture is not upholstered, it can be left outdoors throughout the year and in all seasons.

Cedar is next in line as far as durability is concerned. Oak is strong and its natural honey color can look appealing. However, you must occasionally dust, wipe, seal and stain your wood patio furniture so that it remains in optimum condition and serves you for many years to come.

We talk a lot about the outdoor lifestyle. Over the years, your outdoor spaces have become an extension of the interior of your home.

But how do you make the outdoors seem homier? One way is to focus your decorating efforts on the outdoor dining set, a staple of all outdoor living spaces, one that can really serve as an anchor for everything else you do in decorating your home.
If you are just getting around to redecorating your patio, balcony or porch, here are a few tips from smart designers who are dialed into the latest trends.

First, location. Before you ever buy a stick of furniture, let alone a major investment like an outdoor dining set, you want to figure out where you’re going to put it. The first choice may not always be the right one either. While it may seem romantic to add a table out in the yard, perhaps on a brick patio at the edge of the property by the fire pit, you really want to think about how you’re going to move all those dishes and service ware back and forth between the house and the outdoor dining set, especially in the dark.

You may want to go with a location that is closer, or at least which makes more sense in terms of your lifestyle. For example, if you have small children and a pool, you may want to locate your table near the pool, so parents can keep watch of their children.

Next is size. While you technically have all the space in the world (it is called the great outdoors for a reason), you want to consider the size of the table. You may even want to get more than one outdoor dining set. Perhaps you want a smaller bistro table by the house for morning coffee and the paper and a larger table set farther away for more formal dining.
You also want to consider how many guests you typically have over. You can get huge sets these days that seat 12 or even 16, but you may be wasting space and money if you only have 6 to 8 friends over for dinner regularly.

Don’t forget to factor in features for your outdoor dining set. Yes, features. Some sets have drop in leaves so you can easily change the size of the table. Others have cushioned seats or the ability to accommodate a large sunshade. If you are getting cushions, be sure you get ones that leach water away and dry quickly. Nothing puts a damper on a summer soiree like damp pants from wet cushions.

Today’s sets come in a wide array of colors, materials and styles. If you want fashionable furniture that will be a classic for years to come, you can’t go wrong with teak. It is always a great investment. Wicker is another great choice, as is the new generation of polywood products that are made of recycled milk jugs and other containers. And who doesn’t love cast iron or cast aluminum as a choice for the backyard?

If you live in parts of the world where it’s not always sunny, you may want to think about keeping your table ready for an unexpected sunny day. Keeping your outdoor dining set under a large sail sunshade or an overhang can allow you to move the party outdoors within minutes. If you’re worried about getting chilly, consider propane heaters for the space.
Speaking of the weather, you may want to make sure that your furniture is either easy to store or move when the weather finally heads south for the winter. But be careful with going too light. Wispy outdoor furniture can go flying in a fall windstorm and more than one owner has had to brave the elements to chaise down an errant chair.