At Lazy Susan, we believe that self-assembly outdoor furniture—especially when it comes to outdoor living—isn’t just a practical choice, it’s a smart one. For the Lazy Magazine team, it's about more than convenience; it's about giving our customers beautifully designed garden furniture that combines timeless style, enduring quality, and everyday functionality.
We often hear from customers things like, “I was nervous when I saw the word ‘flatpack,’ but honestly, the build was simple, and the result looks like a premium piece you'd never guess I assembled myself.” And that really captures our mission.
The term “flatpack” can carry some baggage—we get it. It’s often associated with frustrating instructions, missing screws, flimsy materials, and the dreaded wonky table leg. But our approach at Lazy Susan couldn’t be more different. We’ve reimagined Ready-To-Assemble (RTA) outdoor furniture to ensure the process is smooth, satisfying, and—most importantly—delivers on quality.
When you open a box from us, you’re not opening something temporary. You’re unpacking a piece of furniture that’s been designed with care, crafted with precision, and built to be enjoyed in your garden for years to come. It’s our way of making elegant, long-lasting garden furniture more accessible, without any compromise.
From the first design sketch to the final turn of a bolt, everything we do is centred around our core belief: that outdoor furniture should be just as thoughtfully made—and easy to live with—as anything inside your home.
The truth is, our Ready-To-Assemble garden furniture is anything but flimsy. From the durable materials we use to the elegant, functional designs, every piece in our collection is built with longevity, comfort, and ease of use in mind.
But before we go any further, let’s unpack the terms a little (if you'll pardon the pun) and clear up a few misconceptions.
Flatpack vs. Ready-To-Assemble (RTA): Is there a difference?
The two terms—flatpack and Ready-To-Assemble—are often used interchangeably, but there are subtle differences in perception and intent.
Flatpack typically refers to furniture that is shipped in a flat, compact box and requires assembly. The term became popular in the mid-20th century, largely thanks to companies like IKEA, which revolutionised furniture logistics and affordability.
Ready-To-Assemble (RTA) is a broader industry term that places more emphasis on the preparedness and quality of the product. It suggests that while the customer will assemble it, the design has been engineered for that process to be intuitive, reliable, and rewarding.
At Lazy Susan, we use the term RTA because it more accurately reflects what we offer: some assembly is required, but it is well-made, thoughtfully designed outdoor furniture that’s easy to build and built to last. Flatpack can sound like a compromise, but our customers quickly discover that there’s nothing second-rate about assembling high-quality furniture yourself.
A brief history of flatpack furniture
The concept of flatpack furniture first emerged in the 1950s and ’60s as a response to the post-war housing boom and increasing demand for affordable home furnishings. Pioneers like Gillis Lundgren of IKEA helped develop the model by designing products that could be disassembled and packed flat to reduce shipping costs and make them easier to transport.
What started as a cost-saving innovation soon evolved into a global design philosophy, allowing more people to furnish their homes—and later, gardens—with stylish, functional furniture at a fraction of the cost of traditional, pre-assembled items.
Over the decades, however, flatpack also gained a reputation for being fiddly, frustrating, or low in quality—a perception often driven by the use of MDF, MFC, particleboard, plastic fittings, or unclear instructions.
That’s where companies like us come in—we’ve taken the best of what flatpack offers and left the rest behind.
Why we chose to ship our garden chairs and tables flat pack
Our Ready-To-Assemble outdoor furniture stands apart from typical flatpack options.
Crafted from high-grade cast aluminium—not chipboard or MDF—it’s designed to withstand the elements. Rust-proof, rot-proof, and fully weather-resistant, each piece is built to maintain its strength and appearance year after year. In fact, it’s made to look just as good five years from now as it does the day you assemble it.
Whether you're refreshing your patio or setting up a new outdoor dining area, our RTA furniture gives you all the benefits of flatpack (compact shipping, easy delivery, lower environmental impact) with none of the headaches. The result is long-term quality with short-term effort—a chair or table you can build in minutes, and enjoy for years.
There are several key reasons we design and supply our outdoor furniture in a flatpack/some assembly required format — and they’re all about making your shopping experience better:
1. Easier, Safer Delivery
Flat-packed or RTA furniture is easier to handle, both for couriers and our customers. It allows us to ship items more securely and efficiently, ensuring your order arrives undamaged and ready to assemble at your convenience.
2. Convenient Storage and Portability
Need to store your furniture for the colder months? RTA means you can easily disassemble and reassemble items like chairs and tables. This makes it simple to pack them away in your shed or garage without taking up unnecessary space. Popular with our customers is taking the legs off tabletops to save space in the garage during the offseason.
3. More Intricate, Durable Designs
With self-assembly, we can produce more elegant, detailed designs that would be difficult or costly to ship pre-built. Our RTA approach allows us to balance form and function, achieving intricate styling without compromising on strength or weather resistance.
How to build your Lazy Susan garden chairs and tables
Each item in our collection—whether it’s chairs, tables, benches, or loungers—is designed to be assembled in about 10 to 20 minutes per piece. We’ve crafted our furniture with ease of use in mind, ensuring that assembling your garden furniture is a smooth, stress-free experience.
Everything you need to put your piece together is included in the box, and the process is made simple thanks to our straightforward nut-and-bolt system. So, how does it all come together? Let’s walk through the assembly of a typical garden chair and table set.
Step 1: Unbox your furniture and organise the parts in your outdoor space
The first step is easy — open the box and make sure you have all the parts. You’ll find:
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Seat/Back panels (for the chair)
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Legs (for both the table and chair)
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Armrests (if applicable)
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Tabletop (for the dining or bistro table)
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Bolts, screws, and washers (to secure everything)
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Assembly tools (including an Allen key and a small wrench for tightening bolts)
Lay everything out so you can easily access each part. The pieces are lightweight, thanks to our cast aluminium material, which makes them easy to handle and assemble, even for one person.
💡Lazy Magazine Tip: When self-assembling outdoor furniture, we always recommend doing so on a soft, clean surface to prevent any scratches or damage to the finish. Many of our customers find it helpful to use the cardboard box and protective packaging, such as the bubble wrap or foam sheets that the furniture is shipped in, as a cushioned workspace. Alternatively, laying down a soft blanket, rug, or old towel can also help protect both the furniture and your flooring or patio surface. This is especially important when attaching legs or aligning heavier components, as even cast aluminium can suffer cosmetic marks if placed directly on a hard surface. Taking a few extra minutes to prep your workspace will help ensure your finished piece looks pristine and showroom-ready.
Step 2: Start by assembling the garden chairs
Now, it’s time to put together your garden chair, which should take about 10 minutes. The video above shows the process for our popular April chair:
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Attach the Legs to the Seat Frame:
Start by aligning the four legs of the chair with the seat frame. We’ve made sure the holes align perfectly, so there’s no guesswork here. Insert the bolts and finger-tighten them to start with. -
Secure the Backrest:
Next, attach the backrest panel to the seat frame. Again, the bolts will slide in easily through the pre-drilled holes. Tighten them securely with your fingers, but don’t overtighten just yet—leave a little room for adjustments to ensure everything is aligned properly. -
Attach the Armrests:
If your chair has armrests, simply slide them into position and secure them with bolts. This step is particularly easy with our self-aligning brackets, designed to keep everything in place while you tighten the bolts. -
Final Adjustments and Tightening:
Once everything is loosely assembled, go ahead and tighten all the bolts fully using the provided tools (of course, you can use your own tools too). Make sure each joint is securely fastened and that there are no wobbly connections. Our nut-and-bolt system guarantees that once tightened, your chair will remain stable and solid.
Step 3: Assemble the garden table
Building the table is similarly quick and simple, and the instructions we supply are shown in the image above for our best-selling June table. Here’s how to assemble our bistro or dining tables:
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Attach the Table Legs to the Table Top:
Begin by securing the table legs to the tabletop using the provided bolts. The table’s sturdy leg system ensures stability while making it easy to connect the legs without hassle. The pre-drilled holes line up perfectly, so there’s no need for additional adjustments. -
Secure the Base and Tabletop:
Once the legs are in place, connect the base to the top. This step is incredibly simple due to the slot-and-lock system built into the design. The metal brackets ensure a tight fit, so you won’t need any extra fasteners beyond what’s included in the kit. -
Final Tightening and Checks:
Like with the chairs, once the legs and top are attached, use your tools to tighten the bolts securely. Double-check each leg to ensure it’s firmly in place. You’ll also want to make sure the table is level on the ground before fully tightening everything — this will ensure a perfectly stable surface for dining, drinks, or relaxation.
Step 4: Enjoy your new garden furniture!
That’s it! After following these simple steps, you’ll have a sturdy, comfortable garden chair and table set ready to take pride of place in your garden or patio. Unlike bulky, pre-assembled pieces—like those heavy, cast iron tables or chairs—Our cast aluminium designs are lightweight and manageable, making assembly and moving them a breeze.
You’ll also notice that, unlike cheaper alternatives, the materials used in our RTA furniture are weather-resistant, rust-proof, and built to withstand the elements, meaning you won’t have to worry about your furniture deteriorating or becoming unsafe over time.
Why does this assembly method work so well?
Our nut-and-bolt construction method is designed with durability and flexibility in mind. It allows for small adjustments during assembly, ensuring that the pieces are correctly aligned before everything is tightened. This slight flexibility is key to making sure the furniture remains stable but also able to handle everyday outdoor use, from weather changes to shifting weight.
Additionally, because the furniture is self-assembled, you can also disassemble it easily for storage during the off-season or transport to a new location. This is a practical advantage that many pre-assembled, heavy items simply don’t offer.
In summary, with Lazy Susan's Ready-To-Assemble furniture, you get high-quality, easy-to-build outdoor furniture that combines form, function, and durability. Our cast aluminium designs are not only light and manageable for you to assemble but also built to withstand the elements year after year—so you can enjoy your outdoor space without worrying about the long-term upkeep.
At Lazy Susan, our design team set out to create a garden furniture range that pairs style with substance. Every piece in our shop is crafted using traditional casting techniques and high-grade aluminium, making it resistant to the elements and perfect for year-round outdoor use.
Whether you're hosting barbecues in the sun, relaxing with a book, or enjoying morning coffee on the patio, our furniture is made to deliver lasting comfort and elegance. And if you want to enhance that comfort even further, our range of coordinating outdoor cushions is the perfect finishing touch.
Do you have our self-assembly outdoor furniture? We'd love to see it! Share your garden moments with us as part of our Do Some Good charity campaign. Tag us on Instagram or Facebook @LazySusanFurniture, or upload your photo here.
