Many think the only options when it comes to garden furniture storage solutions are waterproof covers or traditional garden sheds. Yes, both of those will make this list (or variations of), but they’re not the only options.
The main reason we choose to store our garden furniture is to protect it from bad weather. Storms are (or they seem to be coming more) frequent in the UK. High winds especially are reason enough to have a safe storage solution available.
Why store your garden furniture?
Whilst the (not so great) British weather is top of the list, there are a number of other less obvious reasons why many of us garden furniture lovers decide to store our Garden Furniture when it is not being used.
Firstly, it keeps it clean and ready to use. Weather in the UK, even in summer, is a mixed bag. Anything left outside will get dirty. Makes perfect sense to cover or store it.
Storing your garden furniture will also significantly reduce how often you need to clean it and keep it looking great for longer.
At Lazy Susan, our high-grade cast aluminium is painted with a protective finish so it is fully weatherproof and designed for the UK climate. It is also super easy to clean with just a sponge, warm water and a little car shampoo. But the less we have to clean it, and the more we can enjoy it, the better in our book.
Other garden furniture materials such as rattan and wood are not as hardy though. They either require significant maintenance to keep them weather-resistant (e.g. wood) or they’re not that weather resistant in the first place (e.g. rattan). So, again, it makes sense to store them.
And lastly, some people will look to store their garden furniture if space is limited, needed for other outdoor activities or if that specific set is more for occasional use. For example, a garden table and chairs will get regular use, and draw people outside, but other items such as say a daybed or sun loungers, only really need to come out when the temperature is high and the sun is out.
Do you need to store our garden furniture?
Of course, with our collection, you don’t even need to store it. Many leave it outside all year round. And we get that. It looks great and the patio will look a little unloved without it taking pride of place.
Some people don’t like to clean their garden furniture too. Again, we understand, many prefer it when materials such as wood take on that silvery weathered look. That or they’ve simply got better things to do and will happily replace it after 5 or 6 years.
However and whatever you choose to do is entirely up to you. We can only offer our professional opinion.
The only time we would strongly advise that you store your garden furniture, or at the very least stack it carefully in a sheltered part of your garden, is in high winds and storms.
In recent years we’ve seen an increase in both. The recent Storm Noa brought 70mph gusts to our shores. Even the heaviest pieces of outdoor furniture can be blown over if the weather is that wild and your garden is exposed to the elements.
Our advice is if we get any weather warnings of 35mph and above, then it definitely pays to be proactive and store or secure it!
Lazy Susan’s favourite garden furniture storage solutions
If you’ve just purchased new garden furniture or you're looking to make improvements to your outdoor space, then we want to share some great storage solutions that will not only deliver on the practical side but will also look and function a whole lot better than some rickety old garden shed...
1. Garden Furniture Covers
If you don’t have the space for a garden shed or you don’t want to keep moving your furniture, then covers are the best solution. They’ll keep it dry, keep the muck away, and they can be quickly whipped off when the sun is shining.
You can purchase good quality garden furniture covers off the shelf, such as the range pictured above from White Stores, or there are a number of online companies that will make them to a specific shape and size for a more secure fit.
When looking to purchase garden furniture covers for our furniture, we would advise you to go for a medium-weight PVC-coated polyester, as it is waterproof, dustproof, durable, tear/abrasion resistant, UV-resistant and breathable to let air circulate and prevent mould from forming.
You also need to ensure the covers can be secured in place with tie fastenings so they don’t blow off and that a good fit that is not too tight is difficult to fit and not so loose that you have to tuck in a pile of excess cover.
We also find that individual covers for your garden table and each chair are better for staying on and if you need to quickly move/stack. To purchase the correct shape and size for our range, you’ll find full dimensions on our website.
2. Garden Shed
Here at Lazy Susan, we love a garden shed. They free up space in the house, garden and garage and you can safely and securely store your garden furniture in them.
However, to ensure your garden furniture is safe and secure, the shed itself must be fit for purpose. If you’re in the market for a new shed or you want to make sure an existing one is up to snuff, then for us a good shed should tick the following:
- Waterproof and windproof
- Constructed on a good foundation
- Constructed from high-quality materials
- Correctly framed to give it strength
- A high-quality roof
- Sturdy flooring
- Good quality Doors and Windows (correctly fitted and sealed)
- Suitable security (such as locks and an alarm)
- Suitable storage (such as hooks and shelving)
Sheds are now available to purchase in a host of timbers, composite plastics and metals like the stylish Steel Shed with Gable Roof & Firewood Storage from Living & Home (above) or the sleek pent-style Heavy Duty Shed from Hex Living (below).
Just like garden furniture, each type of shed material has distinct pros and cons, so do a little research, and shop around to find the right one for your needs and outdoor space.
3. Garden Cupboard
To make a smaller garden appear bigger, one of the best design tricks is to go vertical, and a garden cupboard can do just that. Alternatively, if you didn’t want something above the fence line then you could go wider and lower.
This option would possibly require some disassembly (such as the tabletop removed from the base) if you have anything bigger than a Bistro but they take up less space than a shed and come in a range of shapes and styles.
The same criteria we would look for when purchasing a shed applies, they’re essentially the same thing, just without the space to walk in. Materials and styles too. The big advantage is they can be a little easier to blend into your design scheme or hide altogether.
If you’re in the market for new, then the key is to purchase a configuration that will fit the garden furniture you have and any other outdoor items you want to store.
And if you’re happy to leave your furniture on the patio, then a garden cupboard can be the perfect space to store the items we would advise you don’t leave outside such as Cushions and Parasols.
Some of our favourite designs include the Outsunny Wooden Garden Cabinet (above) from Aosom with its stylish shutter-style doors (perfect for cushions and parasols) or the more secure (and garden furniture friendly) Metal Storage Unit from Asgard on Wayfair (below).
4. Garden Storage Box
The next option down from a shed or cupboard is a garden storage box or chest. You can get some pretty big ones that with a little caution could be used to store some of the smaller sets and pieces.
To be honest, you often find with many of these outdoor cupboards that their looks are deceiving and it is surprising what you can actually fit in them. However, what they are definitely good for is storing garden cushions so they are kept clean, dry and ready to use.
Again, they’re available in a host of different materials but some of the best ones are made from durable maintenance and fade-free resins and then reinforced with steel to give them weight and stability.
The Keter 1200L Store-it-out Box (above) is a great example of deceptive looks, and the top and front opening makes it really easy to store even bulky items.
5. Garden Room
At Lazy Susan we love a garden room. They’re a great way to add value to your property and create extra space without all the hassle and cost of an extension or loft conversion. Plus, they look great and add plenty of wow factor to your outdoor space.
Whilst the designer in us would never advocate using them for storage and sacrifice their style, they can be the perfect solution for storing your garden furniture in bad weather.
Or, alternatively, shop savvy and purchase stylish garden furniture that’s just as at home inside a garden room as it is on your patio.
6. Pergolas & Gazebos
Some of the best ways to store your garden furniture are not even storage, and the pergola (shown above) or gazebo (below) is a great example that falls into that category.
A pergola is defined on Wikipedia as:
“A pergola is most commonly an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained. The origin of the word is the Late Latin pergula, referring to a projecting eave."
A gazebo on the other hand is defined as on Wikipedia:
“A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands.”
The main difference between a pergola and a gazebo is just the roof really. A gazebo will give you full coverage from the elements, while a pergola is traditionally slatted to allow the sun to shine through.
However, there is a third option to the traditional slatted timber-style structures when it comes to garden furniture storage and protection from mother nature.
You can now purchase contemporary aluminium pergolas that have a gazebo-style full roof that you can open and close to give you the best of both.
The stylish PergoSTET range from Harbour Lifestyle (pictured above) is constructed from durable powder aluminium (much like our own garden furniture range) and they're perfect for providing shade in summer and keeping the rain off your garden furniture with their retractable waterproof roof and tilting double-layered Louvre blinds (shown in the video below). Ed: This will be the next big purchase for my own outdoor space!
8. Garage
The garage is another great option when it comes to garden furniture storage if you’ve got the space. The problem with many garages is that they’re already full and can get a little dusty.
You need to ensure you have safe space, and by safe space we mean you can put the furniture in there for a period of time without it getting bumped and scraped.
And secondly, if you do store it in the garage, always put it away clean and dry, and cover it with a dust sheet or garden furniture cover to keep it that way.
If space is an issue then our garden chairs are stackable and you can carefully remove the legs off our garden tables. Just make sure you finger-tighten the bolts in the base or pop them somewhere safe for reassembly.
If your garage has rafters, then that can be a great place to safely store the top, or alternatively, shop around for some cleaver garage storage solutions such as the storeWall system (pictured above and demonstrated in the video below):
As they say at storeWALL:
“storeWALL is the perfect solution to store your outdoor and patio furniture. Our slat-wall system will hold and storage your furniture to keep it out of the elements during the winter months. It is easy to do, it is organised and it will keep it safe."
If you have any photos of our Garden Furniture in storage or on your patio, then we’d love to see a few snaps for our Do Some Good charity campaign. You can tag us @LazySusanFurniture on Instagram or Facebook or email them to us at [email protected].