Embrace your passion for rattan garden furniture and add an extra room to your home with a garden living room.
Why Rattan Garden Furniture Is Perfect For Outdoor Living Spaces
Us Brits love our rattan. Whether we opt for natural rattan or the more durable PE Resin faux-rattan, it's proven to be a timeless and ever-popular choice for our gardens. It's lightweight and tough enough to withstand our unpredictable British summers, and it can be styled up to suit a huge range of decor trends, making it one of the most versatile options for garden furniture. And that's why it's so perfectly suited to the latest garden trend - the outdoor garden living room.
What Is An Outdoor Living Room And Why Is It Trending?
This trend is about treating your garden like any other important hub in the home and extending your liveable space by creating stunning outdoor living rooms so you can escape, relax and socialise, whatever the weather. Creating an outdoor living room is one of the simplest ways to maximise your existing space without the expense and disruption of a home extension. Given our summers can be hit and miss with heatwaves or wet washouts, these garden living rooms are a really versatile way to enjoy fresh air and stay cool or be cosied up for cooler or wet-weather al fresco entertaining too.
How To Create An Outdoor Living Room With Rattan Furniture
Rattan is a key player in achieving these dreamy zen-dens. We've got six top tips for creating your dream garden space that feels like a cohesive extension of your home.
1. Choose The Right Rattan Garden Furniture For Your Outdoor Space
@our_hillside_home_ features our Seychelles 9 Seat Outdoor Dining Table and Corner Sofa Set in Beige.
Measure up and know what you're working with. Don't select garden furniture that's too big and will overwhelm the available space, but don't select pieces that are so small they then get lost in a larger garden, either. There's no reason why you can't have a gorgeous outdoor area if you've only got a balcony smaller bistro sets that seat two people are ideal options here. If you've got more room to play with, consider a larger garden corner sofa or outdoor dining set that will really maximise the opportunity to extend your home and comfortably seat friends and family. If you're lucky enough to have a big garden, you can create several ‘rooms' – one for larger gatherings and then smaller pockets of calm using single garden chairs, like an egg chair, in secluded spots
2. Define Your Outdoor Living Room With Pergolas, Gazebos And Plants
@samhamholmes featuring our Seychelles 9 Seat Outdoor Dining Table and Corner Sofa Set in Grey.
If space and budget are in your favour, creating a wooden pergola or installing a permanent gazebo will carve out a dedicated ‘outdoor room' straight away. These permanent fixtures with roofs will provide year-round shelter from sun or rain, allowing you to utilise your whole home at all times. Moveable awnings and parasols achieve a similar effect and will mean you can BBQ or garden party to your heart's desire even with the typical British summer weather. Strategic planting, using trailing and climbing plants with some trellis also create a more organic ‘room' that will still provide shade and shelter.
3.Create A Cosy Outdoor Lounge Area With A Fire Pit
Marbella 6 Seat Beige Rattan Firepit Table Garden Dining Set
A fire pit at the centre of your outdoor seating area will immediately create a focal point around which to gather. This will also make the space useable at night when the evenings are cooler. Go for eco firepit logs or bioethanol burners to minimise environmental impacts. If you're going for an outdoor dining set, consider also including a more informal seating area, whether that's a sofa or two moon chairs on either side of a fire pit, to allow for some relaxed socialising.
Style Your Outdoor Living Room With Rugs, Lighting And Accessories
@lulu.loves.home featuring our Maldives 5 seat Outdoor Sofa Set in Grey.
To really nail the sense of a living room outdoors, rather than just garden furniture plonked in any old space, use accessories like outdoor rugs, lighting and lanterns, outdoor mirrors and soft furnishings to give it a sense of place that reflects your personality. Matching this to your interior decor scheme creates a seamless transition between indoor and outdoors.
5.Outdoor Living Room Ideas For Every Garden Style
Get the perfect minimalist garden look by incorporating straight lines in your outdoor furniture choices and match it with straight lines and sleek finishes in your accessories. Add in some brickwork, black metal and timber elements to create an industrial vibe. Mix up patterns and colours for a more maximalist look. Softer, rustic furniture styles coupled with grasses, coloured glass accents, tapestries and string lights will create a boho artsy look. You can even consider placing some traditional indoor furniture, like upcycled dressers or thrifted gramophones to create a wonderfully whimsical Mad Hatter's Tea Party style space that will lend itself to 2024's hottest decor trend of eclectic maximalism. Just remember that anything not under a waterproof roof or explicitly treated to be used outdoors should not be left outside when the party's over.
Outdoor Living Room Ideas For Different Garden Sizes
Whether you're working with a compact balcony, a small patio or a large family garden, outdoor living rooms can be adapted to suit almost any space. Smaller gardens benefit from multifunctional furniture such as compact rattan bistro sets, modular seating and foldable tables. Medium-sized gardens may have room for a dedicated outdoor lounge area complete with a garden sofa, coffee table and outdoor rug. Larger gardens can be zoned into separate areas for dining, relaxing and entertaining, creating the feeling of multiple outdoor rooms.
Choosing furniture that matches the scale of your space helps your outdoor living room feel comfortable, inviting and practical all year round.
FAQs About Outdoor Living Rooms
How do you create an outdoor living room?
An outdoor living room combines comfortable garden furniture, soft furnishings, lighting and decorative accessories to create a relaxing space that feels like an extension of your home.
What furniture do you need for an outdoor living room?
Popular choices include rattan garden sofas, outdoor coffee tables, garden dining sets, hanging egg chairs and weather-resistant storage solutions.
Is rattan garden furniture good for UK weather?
Synthetic PE rattan is designed for outdoor use and offers excellent resistance to rain and UV exposure, making it a practical choice for UK gardens.
What accessories make an outdoor living room feel cosy?
Outdoor rugs, lanterns, cushions, throws, planters and garden lighting can all help create a warm and inviting outdoor living space.
What Next?
We love seeing how our customers style their Furniturebox products so be sure to give us a follow on Insta and tag us in your product pics. We've also got links to lots of useful info there. And we've also got heaps more inspiration over on Pinterest so give us a follow there, too!
