Garden benches: tips for choosing yours
It's a universal truth: when the good weather arrives, we want to be in gardens, terraces, sunshine and especially to relax on the best garden benches imaginable. IKEA is ready to make this happen and much more. Here's all you need to know about the world of garden benches, multifunctional furniture for the garden and terrace and the most resilient garden furniture materials.
What you should know about garden benches
Along with the furniture for the garden and terrace, garden benches can form part of an authentic outdoor living room. Purchasing a bench for the garden isn't just about deciding between one with a backrest or one without. They are really functional and useful, but there's more to them than that. For example, a bench with shelves can solve the issue of having a smaller space on your terrace or balcony. And they are multifunctional pieces of furniture, meaning that they fulfil more than one purpose.
Let's look at what you should take into account when choosing between various garden benches:
1. How much space you have for your garden furniture
Step one is to find out the measurements of the space you have available for garden benches, chairs or tables.
Even if you don't have a lot of space, like with a small balcony (with flower boxes and hanging plants), there are many options to choose from.
2. Use of garden benches
The second point to consider before purchasing a garden bench, is what use you want them to have. As you know, garden furniture can be really multifunctional, like a bench with storage and wheels or a bench with storage without wheels. They'll always be useful for storing bench cushions or other decorative garden accessories, or they can even be used as a table. Like the one in the image, which belongs to the ÄPPLARÖ series.
If you like this style, María, one of our interior designers, will share how to combine solid acacia wood and eucalyptus wood in terrace furniture.
3. Garden furniture styles
If you already have other garden furniture or you want to completely upgrade them, just like when you decorate the living room, bedroom or kitchen, all outdoor furniture should be in perfect harmony.
For example, all these pieces of garden furniture go well together and are from the SJÄLLAND series. In grey and aluminium tones, they are very easy to move, light and what's more, they require hardly any maintenance
4. Garden furniture materials
Another important fact to consider, and by no means the least important, is the maintenance and resilience of the garden furniture materials. Because they're exposed to the elements, they require more overall care. But not all of them. If you go for a garden bench like this three-seater bench, forget about maintenance. Because it's made of aluminium it doesn't rust, and besides being resilient it's also light. A sight to behold.
On the other hand, if your style is more rustic, modern and based on wood, you should know that IKEA wooden benches have been treated with several layers of semi-transparent varnish to prolong the natural appearance of the wood. Whenever it needs an extra layer, use the VÅRDA wood stain for outdoor use.
We don't think we've missed anything out about multifunctional benches for the garden and terrace and about the garden furniture materials. However, if you're looking for more inspiration, here are some ideas for decorating the perfect garden:
We love it when customers use our products in a creative way. Why not try to do something new with them yourself? But do remember, any modifications or changes that you make to IKEA products prevent them from being resold or used for their original use, and so voiding IKEA product warranties and your right of return.
