Your garden or patio should be curated and cared-for, not a desperate case for the Homeowners Association. Some ornamentation can help close the gap, and while the best outdoor furniture stores won’t drop by to weed your lawn, they will help with flying in some more seating arrangements, grills, and accessories like umbrellas and side tables—namely, all the window dressing you need to transform an average open-air space into an al fresco dreamscape.
Naturally at AD we have a lot of opinions on what’s actually up to snuff in the outdoor arena, and we’re sharing some of our favorite shopping destinations across price points that tick a couple different boxes for us: good design (evidently), easy shipping, and a decent amount of variety. Quality goods are implied, though we sadly haven’t had the chance to try everything firsthand. Without further ado, an AD-approved selection of heavy hitters in the outdoor space that will make your patio or garden sing.
A Short List of the Best Outdoor Furniture Stores:
Manufactured with recycled materials, Outer is on a mission to make your garden space a little more green. Its pieces embody a classic coastal style that you and your grandmother can get behind, plus work with a durable selection of teak and aluminum and wicker that hold up after years baking in the sun. Customers tend to give Outer high marks for the ease of delivery and assembly, in case you’re looking for something relatively fuss-free. And while the brand doesn’t own any retail showrooms across the country, another perk is you can book an appointment with an Outer shopper in your area virtually or IRL to map out a customized layout based on your space and get more guidance on individual items.
Channel coastal vibes with Serena & Lily’s extensive collection of serene, beach-inspired furniture and home decor, including all-weather wicker options, sleek designs swathed in performance fabric, poolside lounge chairs, and much more. Serena & Lily’s team of design advisers will even collaborate with you to plan out furniture arrangements, pore over swatches, create mood boards, and so on. Basically, they will do everything they can to make your outdoor (or indoor) vision a reality from start to finish—and did we mention this service is free?
Outdoor furniture so often feels like it belongs in another style category entirely (the land of metal bistro chairs and log cabin Adirondacks), but Neighbor makes its designs feel like something you could easily imagine in a modern living room or interior. Rich colors like rust, leaf, and ash give the furniture a surprising amount of versatility and you can even find inventive pieces like sexy wicker couches with built-in side tables. While style is the brand’s biggest ace, their designs also walk the walk with solid makeups that include quick-drying foam and weather-resistant fabrics like Sunbrella. There are a variety of options that all coexist together despite not necessarily hailing from the same collection, and everything is backed by a limited warranty.
Yardbird’s eco-friendly furniture is created using recycled materials, and their commitment to sustainability extends to their packaging and manufacturing. Taking inspiration from English gardens to West Coast living, you’ll find lots of decorative styles to meld with your aesthetic of choice. Yardbird also has a number of showrooms around the country, so you can mull over certain pieces in-store before making a decision.
If you’re a dedicated coupon clipper, Wayfair is where you’ll find all the deals on outdoor furnishings: The mega online retailer is known for flash sales and coupons which you can combine with everyday discounts. In addition to selling some of our favorite outdoor dining sets, fire pits, and outdoor rugs, Wayfair also sells outdoor fencing and flooring, lighting, garden equipment, heating and cooling equipment—plus hot tubs and saunas for year-round coziness. To sweeten the deal, delivery is free on orders over $49, but just be sure to read over the reviews—as quality and functionality can vary.
Chances are you’re already familiar with West Elm’s pieces for interior living spaces, but the retailer brings the same energy, intentionality, and contemporary aesthetic to their backyard and patio collections as well. Pieces feel luxe-on-a-budget and comfortable, plus made with high-quality materials. Another thing we love is the constant rotation of designs—chances are, you’ll see something new every time you visit the site or store. From accents for small spaces to patio umbrellas, there’s plenty of outdoor patio furniture to peruse.
Digging through Castlery’s site, you’ll find lots of texture and luxe-looking silhouettes. If you have expensive taste and don’t want to drop $10,000 on a dining set, chances are Castlery has something for you. Many pieces mix dark (weatherproofed) textiles with natural wood, an expert combination for an elevated backyard. The brand gives off minimalist, but cozy vibes for people who love a bouclé moment or a neutral color palette. There may not be as many options to choose from as a big-box store, but curation and high quality designs are a given.
If you’re all in on Scandi-influenced, LA-presenting outdoor furniture, look no further than Article’s catalog. We love the poolside vibe of their outdoor selections, with their selection of warm neutrals and acacia wood foundations.
Crate & Barrel has a robust section dedicated to outdoor living. Their bestsellers include nature-inspired seating sets, sculptural side tables, and sophisticated seating. While their sister brand CB2’s options skew more modern, Crate & Barrel fuses timelessness with contemporary designs (as evidenced by the luxe Adirondack chair below). Plus, a good selection of the furniture you see online can be seen in person at one of the company’s many brick-and-mortar stores.
As we mentioned, CB2 skews more minimalist and modern, if you want your garden to have an upscale, on-trend look. Need a backyard or patio design consultation? They do that too. Their designers will create mood boards and room renderings to help you bring your outdoor space to life. The quality and delivery process is pretty standard (in a good way) for a massive retailer. Reviews have noted quick ship times, but make sure the piece you’re looking to purchase is in stock before buying. A good number of items have longer lead times—as long as you know what to expect, you’re good.
Shop Target’s outdoor living section and your next haul might just include some backyard must-haves, like this cute-as-can-be wicker patio set. Target has patio chairs starting at $20 and seating solutions for every size space. Don’t forget to check out their vibrant selection of accessories, including bright outdoor pillows, mood-setting string lights, and every kind of planter you can imagine.
If you’re looking for a statement piece of outdoor furniture, chances are you’ll find something that catches your eye from California-based Lulu and Georgia. The brand’s highly curated selection of outdoor living essentials elevate classic silhouettes, spanning teak lounge chairs to side tables. Each piece is special and looks like something you’d find straight out of a designer’s studio. In fact, the brand consistently works with top designers from around the world to offer dialed-in furniture collections. This is a great place to shop if custom work isn’t within your budget but you still want something special.
Our favorite Anthropologie outdoor finds include mosaic tabletops, patterned outdoor sofas, garden chairs, ceramic stools, and fringed hammocks, but you can also find plenty of classic pieces among the retailer’s more bohemian wares. Shipping tends to be quick and the brand has a loyal following—there are certain pieces that are coveted long after stock sells out.
Design Within Reach’s elevated aesthetic brings a certain IYKYK sophistication to any backyard. The brand also has exclusive rights to a number of iconic designs and brands (like HAY), so it’s always worth checking for special colorways or fabrics if you’re looking for a very specific piece of furniture.
Lighting and furniture designer Tom Dixon recently made his first foray into the outdoor space with a small selection of grooved pieces that feature lightweight, stackable aluminum bent into playful curves and rounded forms. A decade of research went into these charming designs, which are fairly affordable at under $1,500 (with the chairs and stools falling well under $500).
No surprise here: “The Everything Store” is brimming with budget-friendly gems to round out your barebones patio or backyard. Though more than 20,000 pieces of patio furniture on its digital shelves can feel overwhelming to parse through, you can filter your search to find exactly what you want (a specific type of umbrella, say, or something that’s produced in a more eco-friendly and sustainable way). Or, you can read up on our favorite Amazon outdoor furniture pieces that balance affordability with durability and style.
Sundays has a novel take on outdoor furniture: Classic lines with modern quirks. They carry a curated line of outdoor essentials—extending to tables, dining chairs, and sofas—elevated with playful touches like chubby legs and armless arrangements.
Yes, the same place you load up on peppermint bark samples and stand mixers also sells outdoor furniture and decor. Williams-Sonoma might not be your first destination for furniture, but it sells a decent selection of accessories and places to sit and eat, too. We like the gentle curves of this wicker sofa that keeps it from feeling too stuffy and traditional, plus the minty fresh details on the delightful striped cushions seen below.
This Minneapolis-based retailer is all about offering new, considered takes on traditional furnishings. Take the stark, Judd-esque lines of this coffee table, or the stacked steppe feel of the Ridge outdoor sofa seen below. The colorways are also fun and the designs are fresh, if you want your outdoor space to look a little less like everyone else’s in the neighborhood.
We have no notes on the Riva Outdoor collection from Interior Define, which uses dark teak wood and a water-resistant fabric to create a vibe somewhere between forest-bathing and 1960’s poolside.
Burrow, best known for its flatpacked couches in a box, also makes seating arrangements for the outdoors. If you’re big into entertaining, Burrow offers a wide selection of furniture and dining options that can seat up to 12 people for outdoor movie nights, extended family dinners, garden parties, you name it.
How to Shop the Best Outdoor Furniture Stores
Whether you’re hoping to kick back with pals or touch grass all by your lonesome, a comfortable outdoor space is a happy space. But because buying outdoor furniture can be such a big investment, here are a few things to consider before you add that sectional set to cart:
- Measure, measure, measure! While there may be fewer space concerns in the wide expanses of the outdoors, you should still take a look at how wide a sofa is or how deep the seat sits before going all in on a purchase.
- On that note, scan the return policies in case what you decide on doesn’t quite fit your backyard. Getting outdoor furniture shipped out (and then figuring out a way to return it all) can be a massive pain in the neck, so check what actually fits the bill for a full or partial refund if you’re less than satisfied.
- Don’t forget the power of a warranty (the elements can do a number on outdoor furniture!)
- Go in with a plan—think of how you want people to flow throughout the space and buy furniture that supports that strategy. (For example, a big dining table may not be the answer if you dream of small nooks for people to chit-chat in the garden.)
- Choose fabrics like rust-proof metal and Sunbrella fabrics that are known for being fade-resistant.
- Look over the “care” section of each furniture item. Some of the fabrics just aren’t built for regular deluges and sun exposure, so you may have to buy additional covers for them or bring them indoors when they’re not in use.
