Several types of outdoor furniture look good in premium homes and gardens, the most popular being metal (usually aluminum), woven (“wicker”), and wood. Often these are mixed into transitional styles such as wood and metal, wood and woven, and metal and woven. Luxury hotels and resorts provide useful examples for homeowners looking to create a tasteful and high quality outdoor seating or dining area.
Wood is one of the most popular types of outdoor furniture, particularly for those seeking an organic and natural look. Of course, wood outdoor furniture must be made from weatherproof, or highly weather resistant woods, such as Brazilian cherry, robinia, mahogany, acacia, or teak. Top hotels and resorts often choose teak because it is classic in style, durable, and weatherproof. See our Outdoor Furniture Wood Types Buyer’s Guide for a comparison of wood types and uses in patio furniture.
Wood furniture “looks” welcoming, some have claimed due to deep human psychological connection with nature. Not only does wood appear pleasingly natural to us, it also provides a wider surface for sitting, and doesn’t get hot in the sun. Teak furniture in particular has the added feature of aging to a very natural gray color when exposed over the long term to the sun. Most people prefer this color, which blends well with natural environments, although there are products which will restore or maintain the original buttery color of new teak. Some of those products also coat the wood against stains or further color changes.
An advantage of teak, then, is that it doesn’t require painting or maintenance – we all know that anything that is painted must be repainted from time to time. Not only does teak withstand outdoor conditions without paint – it’s actually a bad idea to paint teak! Due to teak’s high oil content, paint will not bind properly to teak and will flake and peel over time. Teak furniture should not be painted. Another advantage of teak is that stains, dents, chips and other marks can be sanded out (as mentioned earlier, stains can also be prevented with a coating of a teak protector).
Teak benches are the most widely used bench in premier parks, hotels and resorts, golf courses, museums, gardens, and fine homes. For example, Barlow Tyrie garden furniture can be found in famous places around the world.
Teak dining tables and dining sets are extremely popular among premium hotels and resorts because of their classic (and sometimes contemporary) look, organic look and feel, and the fact that teak does not heat up in the sun and become uncomfortable to sit on, unlike metal furniture.
