As we officially transition into autumn it's looking like our summer season is over and our attention shifts to the 2023 season. And what better way to kick things off blog-wise than with a look at what we feel will be the next big outdoor furniture trends for summer 2023?
We’ve got lots of exciting things planned here at Lazy Susan but it's a little too early to share those with you, however, we can make some predictions in terms of what we think will be big on our patios and in our gardens next summer.
Trends are often a tricky thing to predict but we do our best to keep our finger on the pulse. Many of these types of articles are PR pieces looking to push a company's latest outdoor furniture sets or paid-for advertising with big magazines, etc. That’s something we’ve always tried to avoid. Of course, we will mention our range if it fits but we are happy to freely point to others in our industry too.
In our opinion, many of the pieces that are pitched as the latest trend are really more fad than trend anyway. And there's a big difference. We don’t see our collection as something that is ‘hot’ for a summer or two. These are classically styled pieces that are designed to never go out of style and work with the latest trends, whatever they may be, for many a summer to come.
For us, a trend is more of a shift towards a new way of living and a new or better way of using our outdoor spaces. The best example of this is the love affair the pandemic created with our gardens. They become our sanctuaries, and that has revolutionised the way we see and use them.
Recent research by the charity Mind highlighted that:
"Over 7 million have taken up gardening since the pandemic. We are spending more time in nature, and it has boosted the nation’s wellbeing."
The research goes on to say that:
"Spending time gardening or in nature helps our mental health, with respondents highlighting that it makes them feel less stressed and that they benefit from taking in the sights, colours and smells of the outdoors.”
These are the things that will fuel outdoor furniture trends for summer 2023, not some fad set from some home improvement store.
The way we live our lives and how we enjoy or use our outdoor spaces is directly correlated with the furniture we put in our gardens and on our patios, balconies and terraces. In our opinion, an excellent outdoor furniture trend, such as the concept of indoor/outdoor living, for example, should roll over from one summer to the next.
Lazy Susan’s top 10 outdoor furniture trends for summer 2023
The Lazy Susan team have selected our top 10 outdoor furniture trends for summer 2023. A mix of design concepts and pieces or sets that will inspire and hopefully help you make the most of your garden.
1. Balcony Outdoor Furniture
The Balcony Outdoor Furniture trend (as illustrated in the customer photo above with our Anna 4-Seater Set in Antique Bronze) exploded on social media during the pandemic when we were trapped at home and looking at making the most of our gardens. It was the banana bread of our industry, along with the hanging egg chair trend.
As long as people continue to share their small space transformations, this is one trend we see having serious legs and it will evolve as better solutions hit the market. Popular hashtags like #balconydecor, #balconygarden, #balconydesign, #balconygoals and #balconyfurniture have well over 2 million posts at last look.
The great thing about balconies and small gardens is the homeowner or designer just has to work that little bit harder. Not that we are saying large gardens are any easier, it’s just that when a balcony is all you’ve got, it has to work twice as hard to give that little bit of ‘outdoor' we all need.
And when it comes to balcony outdoor furniture, then Lazy Susan have you covered with our fab range of Bistros such as our Tulip 2-Seater Set (pictured above in Antique Bronze) is perfect on this beautifully minimal balcony.
2. Front Garden Outdoor Furniture
The front garden is one we tend to ignore when it comes to outdoor furniture here in the UK. In the USA (especially in the North East) it’s a little different where the love affair with the porch is as ubiquitous as Mom's apple pie.
The porch developed out of the idea of building a real community, and it was seen as a space between the public (street) and private (home) that could be shared with those around you. Specific porch furniture developed out of a need for pieces to place at the front of the property, with the Adirondack Chair (pictured above) being one of the best examples.
Of course homes in the UK are very different to those over the pond but here at Lazy Susan, we are seeing an increasing number of photos submitted for our Do Some Good campaign with our furniture out front, such as this shot of our Amy 6-Seater Set (above).
Our Garden Benches (such as our Jasmine above) in particular make for a great piece of front garden outdoor furniture but we’ve seen bistro sets and 4-seater sets taking pride of place. If you’ve got a great view from the front of your property or that’s where the sun rises or sets, then why not create a seating area?
3. Outdoor Dining Sets
The outdoor furniture trend for patio-style dining sets goes much further than the sets themselves. Yes, they are the critical component but what we are seeing with our customers goes beyond that. Patios are being built specifically for dining, covered with parasols, canopies or pergolas to provide shade and shelter, and accessorised to increase comfort and function.
Set size is irrelevant, those with limited space are taking our 2-seater Bistro Sets such as our Mia Set with the larger 88 cm table (pictured below) and creating an intimate dining area for two, whilst larger gardens are set up with dining for up to 10 people.
Outdoor dining sets are being styled with centrepieces, dressed for whatever the occasion from a laid-back breakfast for two to a semi-formal evening meal with friends and family.
4. Outdoor Lounge Sets
Outdoor lounge sets are shifting away from the modular/sectional sofa style setting which can look great but is a little impractical to more flexible single-seater with a coffee-style table or 3 and 2-seater sofa sets and arrangements.
This is illustrated perfectly with the beautiful Kettler Cassis Duo Set (pictured above) and their contemporary Versa Sofa Set (pictured below).
The outdoor lounge trend is all about relaxation but much like the outdoor dining trend, it is being taken to the next logical step with innovative accesorisation. Outdoor fires, outdoor rugs and soft furnishings, and patios are being styled and fitted like a room to increase their usability and comfort.
For those with the space, larger patios are being zoned to combine both outdoor dining sets and lounge sets, no compromise, you get the best of both worlds as shown in the photo above showing our Alice 6-Seater Set in Antique Bronze paired with a Rattan Sofa Set.
5. Sustainable Outdoor Furniture
If the general gardening trends for 2023 can be summed up in one word, it would most definitely be “sustainability”, with much of that applying to outdoor furniture too.
A sustainable garden can be many things, from creating a haven for wildlife to making a conscious effort to using materials that have zero impact on the environment. And that is the big shift trend-wise we are seeing emerge in our industry.
When it comes to your outdoor furniture, you should look to purchase pieces that are not only made from sustainable materials but that is designed for the long term and won’t go out of style.
Our cast aluminium, ticks all those boxes, and as we stated in the can our garden furniture be recycled post we published earlier in the year:
“Cast aluminium is 100% recyclable and it can be found not just in our outdoor furniture but in many other common items you’d find in your home and garden from BBQ grills and cookware to car parts and components in household appliances. When these items are no longer functional, the aluminium can be easily recycled.”
It is an infinitely recyclable material, and according to recycling.world-aluminium.org:
“It takes up to 95% less energy to recycle it than to produce primary aluminium, which also limits emissions, including greenhouse gases. Today, about 75% of all aluminium produced in history, nearly a billion tons, is still in use.”
The high-grade cast aluminium used in our outdoor furniture could potentially be forged from recycled car wheels or old aeroplane wings. Although we must stress, this does not make it an inferior metal, far from it. It is sustainable but forged from high-grade cast aluminium.
6. Outdoor Kitchens
Not outdoor furniture as such but inextricably linked, we took an in-depth look at this trend in our recent latest outdoor kitchen trends post, and in that we stated:
“Just like the garden furniture industry has had to play catch up with its interior relations though, so too has the outdoor kitchen. If you take your outdoor living seriously, then a faded plastic patio chair and disposable barbecue are simply not going to cut it.”
This trend is fuelled by a rise in recent TV cookery programs by the likes of Jamie Oliver, James Martin and Tom Kerridge who have all put their own outdoor kitchens front and centre.
When we see such popular chefs cooking delicious food and it is all prepped, cooked and eaten in their own outdoor kitchens, then it's no wonder the rest of us are getting fired up (pardon the pun) for a spot of outdoor cooking with products such as our Cozze Pizza Oven (above).
7. Multifunctional Side & Coffee Tables
A more outdoor furniture-specific trend for summer 2023 we are predicting is the pairing of multifunctional Side & Coffee Tables with larger sets. We see this with our own furniture where customers are adding our Willow, Sandra or Ava tables as a bundle deal with a larger dining table set or pairing with a Garden Bench (as pictured above with our XXXXXX) to create a more intimate seating area.
The great thing about an outdoor coffee table is you can pick it up and move it around the garden and use it for, well, pretty much anything you can think of.
Big for 2023 will be the ability to use our gardens for a number of different functions. Those with larger spaces can purchase multiple sets or pieces and zone, those with limited space will need to look at pieces that have a small footprint but can help them use their outdoor spaces the way they want.
8. White Outdoor Furniture
White Outdoor Furniture is nothing new but with the rise of a number of popular fashion trends such as “cottagecore”, we’re predicting big things for our range for summer 2023.
Be it the romance of white furniture, outdoor fabrics or stunning flowers, white is one of the outdoor colours for summer 2023. The #whitegardenfurniture hashtag on Instagram is on the up too.
There is just something about an all-white garden furniture set that really adds a touch of romance and sophistication to a patio, as the customer photo of our Alice 4-Seater Set (above) illustrates perfectly.
OK, maybe the setting is helping a little too. But trust us when we say, you won’t be disappointed if you opt for a white set. Pop over to our shop to view our full range of White Metal Garden Furniture.
9. Hammocks & Hanging Chairs
If you want to kick back and relax, then you simply can’t beat a Hammock or Hanging Chair, and we guarantee that gentle sway will be popular in our gardens come summer 2023. This is a trend that has been building over the last few summers, especially with the Hanging Egg Chair boom during 2020/21 (epitomised by The Ella James Indoor/Outdoor Hanging Egg Chair from NotOnTheHighStreet.com above), and these perfect stress-busters come in a host of practical and functional designs.
Before you buy, you need to decide how you want to hang the hammock or swing chair. Traditional styles such as the UNICEF Handmade Mayan Style Hammock (above) can be suspended between or from strong mature trees or from a building overhang or pergola-style frame.
The alternative is a hammock or hanging chair with its own frame such as the stunning Globe Royal Double Seater Hanging Chair from Simply Hammocks (above) but these often require a large amount of space to measure carefully before you buy and take into account swing space, not just footprint.
10. Outdoor Upholstery
Nothing brings the comfort of the indoor to the outdoor like fabric. It is one our industry has toiled with and strived to perfect. Like Lazy Susan’s Outdoor Cushions, removable has long been the solution. However, industry innovators such as Sunbrella and Phifer are looking to change the way we think about outdoor upholstery.
For summer 2023 we will see a rise in permanently covered outdoor seating areas and textile-wrapped outdoor chairs and sofas that are now a very real possibility.
Take the Nova Infinity Outdoor Fabric Lounge Armchair from White Stores (above and below), this is taking the indoor/outdoor concept to the next level. Featuring the latest in fabric tech and designed in conjunction with Sunbrella, it is highly stain resistant and fully water repellent.
No longer will you have to worry about messy guests or sudden downpours, the fabric is water repellent, stain resistant, fade resistant, mould and mildew proof, UV resistant and, they claim, easy to clean.
We are yet to be fully convinced that they would stand up on a UK patio all year round, but this is a trend that is only going to evolve, and they certainly would look fab both inside and outside the home, which is what we all really want to see!
If you’ve got any photos of your Lazy Susan garden furniture in situ, 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].