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The best garden furniture sets for 2025

Cinead McTernan

Published: Tuesday, 15 April 2025 at 2:56 pm

Our selection of stylish and practical outdoor furniture

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Whether you’re looking to sit back and relax, entertain friends and family or even create an outdoor workspace, the garden is a brilliant way to extend your home, and enjoy the benefits from being outside in nature.

We’ve collated a selection of ten of the best garden furniture sets to add a touch of personality to your garden, and ensure you have a summer of fun. From stylish wooden corner sofas to luxurious rattan loungers, and from trendy metal bistro sets to classic circular dining tables, there’s plenty to inspire you. We've also rounded up five online garden retailers, all of whom offer a range of garden furniture ideas.

For more garden seating, you may like our round-up of the best rattan garden furniture, deck chairs, egg chairs, and hammocks for summer, while our selection of the parasols could come in handy, too. And, if you’re planning a get-together with friends and family, check out our tests of best gas BBQs, and the best charcoal BBQs, in collaboration with BBC Good Food, as well as our guide to barbecue accessories. If you're looking for tools to build and maintain your garden furniture, consider our tests of the best electric screwdrivers and the best hammers.

Jump to:

- The best garden furniture sets in 2025
- What to consider when choosing garden furniture
- What are the best materials for garden furniture?
- What is the best protection for wooden garden furniture?
- Cheap garden furniture – is it worth it?

Where to buy online garden furniture:

John Lewis - A mix of contemporary and classic designs
Garden Trading - Classic furniture to suit traditional and modern gardens
Robert Dyas - A traditional-style garden furniture collection, featuring sofa and dining sets, armchairs and bistro sets
Wayfair - A huge selection of garden furniture including sofas, daybeds, dining sets, tables and loungers
Made - Designer pieces, including modern garden sofas, chairs, tables, loungers, balcony sets and dining sets
Rattan Tree - Specialising in PE-rattan furniture sets

The best garden furniture sets in 2025

Browse our selection of garden furniture for patios, lawns and balconies:

Aventine Two-Seater Sofa and Sydra Side Table

2048_1365_Oka_Aventine_Sofa

Sleek and elegant, this sofa is ideal for both traditional or contemporary gardens. The all-weather PE rattan compliments the simple wooden base, as well as the sumptuous cream cushions, and we think it looks great teamed with the PE rattan Sydra Side Table.

Price: Sofa £1,395 and side table £195

Sofa available from Oka

Side table available from Oka

Vichy Corner Set

2048_1365_Vichy_Cox_and_Cox

If you’re after pared-down style, then the wooden-framed acacia wood Vichy Corner Set fits the bill. We love the contrasting metal legs, the practical but luxurious dew-resistant seat cushions, as well as the small round table that comes as part of the set.

Price: £1,795

Available from Cox and Cox

Bistro Set of Table and Four Chairs

2048_1365_Garden_Trading_Garden_Furniture

Perfect if space is an issue, this fully foldable and lightweight bistro set comes in a choice of colours to bring a little French chic to your patio. Available in clay, chalk, carbon and forest green.

Price: £300

Available from Garden Trading

Zest4Leisure Emily Table and Two Bench Seat Set

2048_1365_Robert_Dyas_Garden_Furniture

This traditional-style bench and table set seats up to six people. Crafted from FSC-certified timber, which has been pressure treated to protect against rot, the solid-looking panels create a rustic finish that's ideal for a country garden setting. It's worth noting it comes flat-packed and requires assembly.

Price: £819

Available from Robert Dyas

What to consider when choosing garden furniture

Will it fit? The size of your garden, patio or balcony will help determine the style and type of the garden furniture you choose. If you have a large lawn or palatial patio you won’t be constrained by size. In fact, once you’ve measured the space, making sure there’s a metre clear of the table edge so people can get in and out of their chairs, it’s worth buying slightly bigger furniture than you think you’ll need, so there’s plenty of room for family and friends to sit in comfort. It's a bit like a greenhouse – you won’t regret buying the largest one you can, as you’ll soon find yourself filling it up. However, for those of us with a small garden, patio or balcony, it might be more sensible to go for a cleverly designed, space-saving option, like a bistro set that can be folded away.
Revelling or relaxing? It’s also useful to think about how you use your garden. If you’re entertaining, a dining table and chairs means you’ll be able to eat al fresco in style and comfort. However, if your outside space is a calm sanctuary, somewhere to relax and unwind after a busy day at work, then a lounger, squashy armchair or sofa will be on the top of your list. Get-togethers with friends may be more fun with bar-style tables and stools, while evening gatherings will last longer into the night when snuggled around tables with integral fire pits.
Which style should I choose? Whether you go for traditional or contemporary designs is really a question of taste and the type of design that appeals to you and works with your home and garden. There’s so much choice on the market, you’ll be able to take your pick of ornate, metal bistro sets to go in a quiet corner of a traditional-looking garden, or a sleek, modular sofa to provide a focal point for an urban space. The choice is yours.
How do I store it? Unless you’re lucky enough to have a garage or garden shed to store your furniture over the winter, chances are you’ll need to leave it in situ and at the mercy of the elements. While covers are a good investment and offer protection, you may prefer to go for compact or foldable furniture that won’t take up too much room to stow away. If you are buying a cover, make sure you measure the furniture carefully, so you can be sure the cover is the right fit. And, if you can find one that’s both waterproof and protects from UV rays, all the better.
What's my budget? Finally, but perhaps most importantly, the price tag will be a consideration when you’re choosing garden furniture. In fact, more often than not, it’s the deciding factor. Style, size and materials affect prices, as well as the brand label, so it’s a good idea to work out how much you’d like to spend and use the online price filter to focus your search.

What are the best materials for garden furniture?

Over and above personal taste, there are several things to consider when choosing which material will most suit your needs:

Hardwood: Teak, acacia, oak or eucalyptus are weather-resistant, sturdy and will endure for years, especially if you’re prepared to give them a quick wash each summer with soapy water. There’s also the added advantage that you can stain it to match your colour scheme if you’re not a fan of how the wood ages. However, furniture made from hardwoods can be a huge investment.
Softwood: An inexpensive alternative to hardwood furniture, this will need annual maintenance to ensure it lasts for more than a year or two.
Natural rattan: While this woven material looks gorgeous, it’s expensive and as it’s not weather-resistant, is best suited to a conservatory rather than outside, where it’ll be exposed to the elements.
Synthetic or polyethylene (PE)-rattan: A popular alternative to natural rattan, as it’s a cheaper, lightweight, low-maintenance and hard-wearing option. However, check the construction of the frame underneath and be prepared to store it in winter as it might blow over in strong winds.
Aluminium: Lightweight and rust-resistant, it’s a good choice if you’re looking for something that will last a long time and can be moved around the garden.
Powder-coated steel: A cheaper alternative to aluminium, but it has less weather resistance so will need more careful storage during bad weather to prolong its lifespan.

Cheap garden furniture – is it worth it?

If you’re looking for something that looks good but won’t break the bank, it’s a good idea to shop at the big chains like Aldi, Argos and The Range. However, it’s worth weighing up between saving money and getting good value, because low prices means you may be compromising on materials. Plastic, softwood, and steel aren’t as durable as PE rattan and hardwood, which means you’ll ultimately have to replace them, and there’s also the issue of sustainability – specifically when it comes to plastic items.

Second-hand furniture might be your best bet, and it’s worth checking out Ebay, Gumtree and your local Facebook community sites, to see if you can pick up a bargain.

Keep an eye out for sales, too: there are often discounts that are well worth taking advantage of.

This product guide was last updated in April 2025. We apologise if anything has changed in price or availability.

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