Tuesday 9 February 2010

Outdoor furniture

If like me you looking forward to Spring and can see an end to the dark cold winter days, then you might be looking at the garden and planning what seeds to sew and what improvements you intend on making this year. I for one have done a bit of winter gardening and what I have noticed is that my garden furniture is looking a little worse for wear. When I bought my garden chairs and table I was told that they were rust proof and wouldn’t deteriorate. They are made of some sort of metal with an aluminium coating which was supposed to be rust proof. Well they have all rusted around the feet of the chairs and table, also where there are screws holding bits together have rusted. So I am in the market for a new garden set. So where do I start?

Well luckily I don’t have to leave my home and can do online shopping. I thought I would do some research and find out the best furniture which would not rot or rust after a few years. After a bit of investigation work I can see that all the top designers and those with a bit of money think cane furniture is the best bet for garden furniture. When I read the words ‘cane furniture’ I imagined a creamy old rocking chair my Nan used to sit in which I thought is not quite what I want. I want something stylish and smart that would fit my modern garden. Well after more investigation I found out that cane furniture is not what I thought at all. The designs you can get these days are top notch. In fact thinking about it, when I read through the Sunday times I often see pictures of huge mansions with outside furniture and now on closer inspection I can see that it is all cane. You can get the furniture in most colours and either opt for natural colour fabrics or have your own choice of fabric and make your own. Some of the furniture I have seen would look very nice in a modern lounge, conservatory or orangery.

Before I take the plunge I wanted to find out what’s the big deal with cane, why is it so good for outdoor use? Well cane is a raw material which comes from the stem of large rattans. The material gets treated so that it becomes flexible for moulding. The cane gets stripped and then weaved to make the furniture. Then the furniture gets painted using special paints which allow the furniture to be weather proof, UV resistant, colour fast, chemical resistant and fully washable. Also cane furniture is completely environmentally friendly which ticks many people’s boxes these days.

Now the prices are not cheap from the online sites I have looked at. However you are buying quality handmade furniture that will last for years and years. This is why you see cane furniture all over the continent in plush hotels. Like anything you buy it is always worth trying to haggle and get the prices down. If you don’t ask you don’t get.

Sophisti-cane is an online store offering designer cane furniture and Outdoor Furniture. Contact them today to see what discounts you can get.

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