help! we need an affordable outdoor dining set
As we get ready to enjoy our first summer in our river cottage, I’m becoming obsessed with our under-used deck. I keep imagining lovely sunset dinners and dew-kissed breakfasts outdoors, but we have nothing to serve our food upon. The trouble is, I haven’t seen any furniture I like in local stores. We need to order a dining set pronto, and hope it gets here before our family visits the weekend of June 20th. I’m looking for something rustic and cottage-y; I hate those big iron-and-glass tables you see everywhere. Right now I’m torn between this Adirondack Picnic table and benches from LLBean and this seven-piece Eucalyptus set by Ewins. Both are about $600. I know the LL Bean furniture will be strong and well made, but I wish it came in a natural wood shade. The Ewins scores points because it has a hole for an umbrella (we will need shade) and the chairs have backs, which will make for more comfy lounging and general hanging out. I’ve looked at the usual suspects — Ikea, Pottery Barn, Pier1 — and didn’t see anything comparable in that price range. Am I missing suggestions? Any sources I should check out? Something with free shipping would be dandy, too. — Angela M.
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:13 am
Love the Ewins one. No contest.
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:40 am
My only reservation about the LLBean one (which I was eyeing myself) is the lack of backs. I really think you would be happier with chairs with a back support.
I searched and searched and finally bought our set on eBay from a seller called SKYOUTDOOR. Hands down, I could not find a cheaper set anywhere. Here is a link to their store:
http://stores.ebay.com/SKYOUTDOOR_Outdoor-Furniture_Sets_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ9509017QQftidZ2QQtZkm
We’re really happy with the set! Good luck!
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:02 am
I vote Ewins too, but check out Land’s End. I bought a table and four chairs last year. Shipping was nearly free and VERY fast.
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:06 am
Try keeping an eye on http://www.overstock.com
I purchased 2 teak folding chairs at a very reasonable price. They have free shipping, stuff arrived quickly, and looks great on my patio. Unfortunately, I don’t see the chairs I bought but they have other teak patio sets.
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:25 am
They are both nice. I bought this picnic table for 100 bucks for my country place and I love it..it makes me really happy to have blueberry pancakes while sitting out there.. I also think if there is any blue stone around you can make a cool table use some more stone or wood for legs..but these are both nice choices you have!!
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=115049-18866-PT6-KD&lpage=none
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:33 am
I just bought IKEA’s Applaro drop-leaf table ($150), 2 armchairs ($60 each), 2 reclining chairs ($60 each), and 2 folding chairs ($30 each). For under $500 I think it’s a great set, and am hopeful it’ll last a long time.
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:39 am
I had been looking for an outdoor set for a while, and I ended up buying mismatched metal pieces at a second hand furniture store this weekend. The table is white, but the chairs are those lovely 1950’s ones that last forever. I’ve got them in several different bright colors, and they look great out in our yard.
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:43 am
I have no resources for you, sorry — we got ours on Craigslist and it’s the opposite of what you’re looking for (ours is modern, metal, and glass!). But it sure is comfy. That would be my only bit of advice: find similar chairs and sit in them before you buy. You want to be sure that you’d going to *want* to lounge on your patio in them, not get a backache.
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:45 am
Hmm, you know, the other thing you could do is just assemble mismatched pieces from flea markets/antique sales, like old wooden kitchen table and chairs. That would look sooo cute, especially if you had colorful pillows for them.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:06 am
I noticed that Target had a lot of great choices and don’t overlook Wal-Mart because they carry the Better Home & Gardens line which is really fabulous too!
One other spot that I have seen some great stuff at is Overstock.com and you can’t beat that flat shipping!
Hope that helps a tad!
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:16 pm
I vote Ewins–the backs and umbrella hole will greatly increase your use of the table, and how long you lounge.
We have a really narrow porch and we outfitted it with Ikea stuff this weekend. There were some great larger options (we needed the things that fold down to, like, 7 inches) but maybe the one near you is already sold out? I was at the Stoughton, Mass. store.
Target’s Smith & Hawken line definitely has some decent stuff, too. And I think Martha Stewart Everyday (at K-Mart) used to do outdoor furniture, too, though I don’t know about the style factor.
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Thanks for all the great advice! Mary, you are right. I LOVE the idea of doing something more pieced together. The problem I have with all these sets is that they are SETS. But if you buy old furniture — old wooden furniture — will it last if you leave it outside? Can you weather treat it? I guess if you buy it cheaply enough you won’t care…. Also, the trouble is I’m in HURRY. I don’t know if I have time to shop around. I want to sit and dine NOW…..
June 2nd, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Mary has a good idea in piecing things together. This way you can try the products at a reasonable price and see what you like for the deck. Patio furniture has gotten so darn expensive!! Craigslist may be a good option as well, but the time of year is likely not good to be looking due to the higher interest level.
June 12th, 2008 at 4:32 am
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