Young House Love

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Finding The Best Outdoor Sofa

The combination of all this nice weather and hosting Clara’s party outside have us back on The Outdoor Update Train. Chugga chugga, baby. Just picture me wearing spit-up-stained overalls with a striped hat to shade my mom-to-an-adorable-baby-who-wakes-up-all-night eyes. It’s particularly exciting because we worked for a few months last year to renovate the sunroom by ripping up the old carpet, removing the old broken doors, lofting the ceiling, getting some electrical work done, installing a plank ceiling, hanging two fans, and tiling the floor. There’s currently a daybed out there (an indoor daybed from West Elm, which has no long-term business being outside) along with an ancient Ikea coffee table. And two of our dining room chairs haven’t made it back inside since the birthday party.

Sunroom Before

We stole those two chairs, plus four of their brethren from the dining room for extra party seating (they’re outdoor chairs from Target) – and seeing the space filled up with all that temporary/borrowed/mismatched furniture really got us craving some more permanent pieces out there. And so the hunt for an outdoor sofa began.

CParty 2 Full Deck Other Side

We figured that buying the biggest piece first would help us determine what other items we’ll need to fill things out. And since we already have a dining table with an umbrella on the deck, we thought a cushy lounge area in the shade of the sunroom-turned-veranda was in order. We knew we wanted that woven wicker look over something wooden or metal (we both fell hard for the Arhaus furniture at the showhouse, but it was more than we wanted to spend). We also wanted Sunbrella fabric, which we hear is super durable and long-lasting, so here are a few of the things we checked out:

Sofas 1

1.  We liked the look of this sofa from Crate & Barrel, but we heard from a few friends with similar sofas that two-piece or three-piece bases can drift apart, so we’d rather have a sofa that’s all one piece. We did like that it came with Sunbrella fabric, and we appreciated that it was on sale, although it was still $2,222.

2. This Pottery Barn couch looked amazing to us. So luxe and cushy. When we first saw it, it was selling for around $2,000 I think – but it was $399 more to upgrade to Sunbrella fabric – and now it’s no longer available. Womp.

3. This is another Pottery Barn option that’s still available, but the $1,400 version (pictured above) is more of a loveseat. Our space would need the larger $1,800 option, but neither of them came with Sunbrella fabric, which was an additional upcharge of $300+.

Sofas2

4. We saw this one on Amazon for $489 (so much cheaper than the others!) with a really promising 4.5 star rating. I excitedly read about how much people loved it… but then I discovered the one star reviews from people who had theirs for more than one season. Apparently the wicker fell apart after one summer of use for a number of people. Another womp.

5. We’ve seen this baby from Restoration Hardware in the showroom and it’s gorgeous! But the fact that it’s sold without any cushions (it’s $1500 for the wicker part and an additional $555 for the Sunbrella cushions) was kind of a bummer.

6. We had also been eying this one from Home Depot since hearing awesome things about the brand (Brown Jordan) having a really well made product. It comes with a 15 year frame warranty, a 5 year fabric warranty, and free white-glove shipping (they carry it wherever you want it and unwrap it/place it for you). We also appreciated the $1,399 price tag and the fact that it comes standard with Sunbrella fabric.

While on our little sofa hunt, we also checked places like Craigslist, Joss & Main, Overstock, Hayneedle, and Wayfair but didn’t see anything we liked as much. We really appreciated being able to see as many of our options in person as we could – just to make sure they were comfortable, not too low to the ground, and the fabric wasn’t scratchy. In fact, when we stumbled upon a floor model of the Home Depot/Brown Jordan option (technically it was the chair from that set) it pushed us over the edge. It was comfortable and it looked great in person. Boom, this guy was on his way to our house:

Winner Winner

Although the price is nothing to sneeze at, we hope that it’ll be a nice long-lasting choice for us, which is the goal with the sunroom (there’s no Phase 2 out there). Its arrival should be the kick-start to some other updates that we’ve meaning to get going on back there, like making a coffee table, installing some sconces for lighting/ambiance, adding an outdoor-friendly table to fill out the other side of the space, and introducing some finishing touches (potted plants, side tables, etc).

Until then, you can find me standing in the driveway holding an adorable baby and waiting for the delivery truck. Really, I need to calm down.

Comments

  1. Caitlyn says

    I am a complete Sunbrella lover as of this year. We bought a couch with Sunbrella material and then 2 yards of a complimentary print in Sunbrella to do our diy table to ottoman upholstery. I sing the praises of Sunbrella to everyone who listens. (Not a paid spokeswoman, but darn I should be). Enjoy your new outdoor couch.

    Reply

  4. Tiffany says

    I didn’t think I would ever find an affordable outdoor sofa. Saw one (off season, I believe it was Feb) at a Goodwill one town over. The bummer was no cushions, but it was $40 and 7 ft. long. And in AWESOME condition. I couldn’t pass it up!!
    Then my in-laws brought some cushions they no longer used…and they fit perfectly!!
    To people on a budget like me…it can happen!! :)

    Reply

  5. Emily F. says

    Love it! We have a covered patio area and use it ALL the time. We’re getting the ceiling and lighting redone this spring and I can’t wait for that to be finished. We also got lucky with the furniture and ended up with a 5 piece wicker set (love seat, two chairs, end table, and coffee table) for $80 at a garage sale. We definitely love lounging out there while the toddler plays.

    Reply

  6. Carolyn says

    Nice choice! I had to chime in for Brown Jordan. My mom bought her set of Brown Jordan in the mid 1980’s. To this day, it is still beautiful and living at my brother’s home. I bought my first set in the early 1990’s and it is now at my daughter’s college apartment on her patio. My 2nd outdoor set was purchased two years ago. LOVE Brown Jordan!

    Reply

  7. Christina says

    Funny story – we found that Strathwood set at a little consignment store – they were selling the entire set for under $200 (couch, extra chair and cushions)! I confirmed the price with them 3 times before loading it up. I was skeptical, but that was nearly 2 years ago and its still in perfect condition. We have a similar set up as you with a full shade cover. Hows that for a deal!!

    Reply

  8. Theresa says

    You should definitely bring your cushions inside during the 2 to 3 weeks that the pollen is really bad, and only bring them out when you use them. I just put mine in the guestroom for a few weeks because it’s much easier to deal with if the pollen never gets into the fabric to begin with. As far as the white curtains go, I previously purchased the least expensive white shears from Penneys that I could find. When they get dirty I just through them in the washing machine. The dirt does stain them a little bit, but you can’t really tell unless you’re looking up close at them.

    Reply

  9. Brit | House Updated says

    You guys will be so happy with an outdoor couch! We have an outdoor sectional and it is life-changing in the summer. We are pretty much outside all the time and never bother with the living room. Excited to see how it all shapes up!

    Reply

  10. Wynn Anne says

    We’ve been moving away from three-seater sofas, even for large spaces, because no one really wants to sit in the middle seat. Instead, we opt for two love seats, which fills the space well and has more flexible options. What are your thoughts?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Sounds smart! I really think it’s all about your space (our living room wouldn’t make sense with two loveseats but a sectional does the trick) and it also has to do with how you live (and how many close-sitting relatives and friends you have, ha!). We have a big family and nobody is particularly shy, so I imagine we’ll have 4 people piled onto this sofa pretty regularly – maybe even 6 with kids on laps sometimes :)

      xo
      s

    • traci says

      Wynn Anne,
      That is brilliant! We have that problem and it never occurred to me to just do love seats instead. That would be a much more efficient use of space than all the extra chairs I have. How does it look though? I mean, does it seem odd to not have a bigger piece to anchor the room?

  11. Lisa in Seattle says

    Say, I thought you might be interested to know that this is the second morning I’ve had some audio ad for Angie’s List start to auto-play on your site. It doesn’t seem to be a pop-up. Has anybody else reported this?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So sorry Lisa! We never allow auto-play ads and you’re the first person to tip us off. Do you have a screen shot or happen to remember where the Angie’s List ad was displaying (the top sidebar spot? the one above our book button?). Thanks so much!

      xo
      s

    • Lisa in Seattle says

      I wish I did – I didn’t see a banner ad for them or anything. So weird. I loaded your main page, scrolled through the story to read it, clicked on the Comments balloon, and while I waited for it to fully load I could hear something coming through the headphones sitting on my desk. Picked them up and there was some recorded woman’s voice talking about Angie’s List. The same thing happened yesterday also while waiting for comments to load. I’ll try to be better on top of it tomorrow in case it happens again to try to get more info.

    • Marissa says

      I’ve had a lot of auto play ads on the side too! But it doesn’t happen when I’m on iPad or iPhone, just on a desktop! They’ve been different every time not just one company. I’ll try to catch a screen shot next time!

  13. Renee says

    Love your sofa. I’m surprised at the price of outdoor furniture, but I didn’t realize some of it comes with a warranty.

    I wanted to make a cushion for a bench I have and I was surprised at the price of the foam inserts. I found this company in Florida that was very reasonably priced…compared to everyone else.

    http://www.foamproducts.net/index.htm

    I also found out that the cushion needs to be wrapped in dacron in order to slide in and out more easily.

    Reply

  14. Erica Trout says

    Bridget,

    I stack the cushions on top of the kid’s old wagon and cover them. (We used to keep them in the garage, and while it’s not really far from the patio, it still seemed like a pain to carry them back and forth.) Now they stay on the patio and out of the elements. There is a picture at the very bottom of this page: http://ericatrout.wordpress.com/

    Reply

  15. Kim says

    We have some of the matching chairs to that couch from a couple of seasons ago from the Home Depot. We’re going into our third summer with them and they’re going strong — frankly, they look brand new still. They’re on our enclosed sun porch, so they will experience a little less weather than yours, but with the roof over yours, yours won’t be too exposed. We love them. Comfy and cute and they spruce up so nicely with a few cute throw pillows. Enjoy!

    Reply

  17. Nina D says

    As soon as I saw the Home Depot pix I said: that’s the one!

    Re Sunbrella fabric, my husband and I own a rental property in the Caribbean. We have loungers out on the balcony which we bought Sunbrella cushions for and that was maybe 4 years ago. I can report that they have held up beautifully to year-round blazing sunshine and various guests lounging around with sun lotion and/or bug spray on their bods, not to mention damp bathing suits.

    So, two Sunbrella thumbs up from over here. I’m sure you will be happy with the product. (Also sure that if for any reason you’re not, you’ll tell us!)

    Reply

  18. Vivian B. says

    What about Costco for actual patio furniture? The warehouse in my area (Orange County, CA) often has furniture in store which is cheaper than ordering online since there is no S&H but Costco.com seems to have some good options too. You can sometimes get a bonus coffee table and the fabric is Sunbrella. Although your current Home Depot purchase is just as lovely! Can’t wait to see everything put together in the space. :)

    http://www.costco.com/Cancun-Sand-4-piece-Modular-Deep-Seating-Set.product.100032152.html

    http://www.costco.com/Hampton-6-piece-Deep-Seating-Sectional-by-Sirio%e2%84%a2.product.11527596.html

    Reply

  19. Nikki says

    Where did you buy the yellow pillow that you had on the daybed during the party? I’ve been looking for that exact pillow. (You have two of them but one is a different color – I hafta hafta have that yellow one!) Thanks :-)

    Reply

  20. traci says

    I love the couch. A few people mentioned using pallets to build a coffee table and such. I think that would look great, but you have to be careful with pallets. They can pick up a lot of gross stuff in their lifetimes. I think this is essential reading for anyone who wants to build with them http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2013/07/5-things-to-know-before-you-build-with-pallets.html

    I also was surprised you didn’t check Costco. You’re right that their offerings vary regionally, but you might want to give them another shot as they recently added a ton more organic stuff across the board, including kirkland signature versions (their store brand). They do have a lot of home improvement stuff and springtime is great for good plants at amazing prices (flowers, shrubs and trees).

    Just curious, how is Teddy sleeping? We’ve been getting a 3, 2, 1 hour pattern at night, but the last few days he’s been going 4-5 hours for the first leg which is awesome. I’m hoping that isn’t just a fluke! Of course, he’ll sleep for 4-6 hours reliably if my husband holds him the whole time. I can’t wait for some longer sleep. I was sleepless the whole pregnancy as well and realized yesterday I haven’t had real sleep in almost 11 months, oy!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Traci! We’ll have to check out Costco again. And as for Teddy’s sleep it’s still pretty inconsistent. He usually wakes up every few hours to eat (he seems to be a super hungry baby – he’s 12.5 lbs!) but I have faith that he’ll figure it out eventually :)

      xo
      s

  21. Valerie Leo says

    Hi–

    Love your blog. I’ve been reading for a while. We love our outdoor couch and it was amazing deal. You might check it out. It’s from a website called Belizo.net. It’s a wholesale company out of Texas that I found from my Texas friends. It looks exactly like Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel, but a fraction of the price. Modular and holds up well to the elements. The snow innundated us in Chicago before we had the chance to put it away in storage…so it sat outside for the entire winter of the Polar Vortex (we took the cushions in) and it still looks great. The delivery was all in a pallet from a shipping company, so no white glove service to help set up, but the furniture was well packed and very light to move. Hope this helps!

    Reply

  22. Mili says

    Hi,

    Do you plan to put some screens for the sun room? How do you plan to deal with bugs and mosquitoes?

    Reply

  23. Sarah says

    I love the sofa you chose! If I had a patio I would definitely want something along those lines. I toyed with the idea of a chuny wicker sofa for my covered deck (porch?) but I think it will be too heavy, visually. Bummer. Can’t wait to see yours in situ!

    By the way, I just did a blog post about making over some wooden chairs, with exactly the same title! Great minds think alike, I guess. :-)

    Reply

  24. Heather @ Them Teaching Us says

    Oooohhh! I can’t wait until we can start shopping for outdoor furniture! :) It always gets me, though, that it’s so expensive. Apparently a classic case of you-get-what-you-pay-for. I can’t wait to see the other surrounding outdoor elements.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We have just heard more firsthand love for Sunbrella than Olefin, and have noticed a lot of companies (like Restoration Hardware, Arhaus, Pottery Barn, and Crate & Barrel) seem to use it as well. Olefin could be awesome too though!

      xo
      s

    • Kelly says

      Perennials is also good. RH carries that and I actually have it on an indoor sofa.

  26. Keeley says

    If any readers are shopping for outdoor furniture (tables, sectionals, sofas, fire pits, etc.), I highly recommend costco.com. Delivery is free and they offer unconditional returns to their warehouses. I have a membership, but you may be able to shop online without one (or just spend the $55 to get one). A lot of my furniture came from that site.

    I haven’t found a furniture option with a better delivery and return policy and their quality tends to be outstanding. The warehouses also sell patio furniture in the spring (that’s wrapping up now). I’m suprised you two don’t shop there!

    Reply

  27. Chloe Joy says

    Oh man!! If you change your mind, I have the Crate and Barrel couch w/ sunbrella (1 two-seater that hooks to an end seat) and have been thinking of selling it in DC. I bought it in AMAZING condition on Craigslist last summer for only $400 and haven’t had any issues with the seats coming unhooked. The only problem is that to expand it into an L-shaped sectional like I want, I’d have to pay $900+ for a single corner! It just feels wrong given I paid less than half for the whole couch. Anyway, I’ve been watching CL like a hawk for a corner but may just sell and start fresh with a cheaper but bigger set.

    Reply

  28. Dominique says

    I’m excited to see this space come together. Last time I was at target they had adorable outdoor furniture. I wonder what the quality is on those pieces. Im glad you wrote about quality and long term use on these options because I probably wouldn’t have thought to take that into consideration. I’m often sold on just looks alone.
    http://Www.thewomenofwestwood.blogspot.com

    Reply

  29. Jennifer I says

    My cats destroy real wicker, so I think that this look would not work for us, as much as I love wicker. Anyone have any experience with cats and the plastic wicker? Do they claw it like they do the real stuff?

    Reply

    • Jill says

      We have had a plastic wicker table and chairs from Pier1 for about four years and have had no problems – 2 cats. I have noticed a few spots where the wicker has broken, I just need to get out the glue gun or epoxy.

  32. Jill says

    Enjoy your new couch. I napped on ours last night after dinner for a bit. It was so nice & peaceful with fireflies popping up.

    Totally unrelated…I love that you all have cut down on your blogging. You all are now dessert & I look forward to your (still-very-frequent) posts. I hope that it has given you all more time as a family and to enjoy life a bit.

    Reply

  33. fmchoff says

    Good to know about the couch! We will get to that eventually for our back porch.

    We recently got an outdoor dining set from Home Depot (their Belleville collection) and absolutely LOVE it! Having two boys, I was adamant that I did not want a glass topped table- one wrong move with a baseball could easily lead to shattered glass all over my kiddos. This one has removable tiles on top, so I can easily change out the tiles based on my mood or if one of the boys hits a home run and breaks one.

    Reply

  34. Cheyenne Kira says

    Ok I have a bug question for you haha! We live in the country similar to your surroundings do you have any issues with spiders? I am terrified and the only reason we haven’t “pimped out” our porch is i would be too scared to actually sit on anything haha! any tips for this arachnid crazy mom?

    Reply

  36. Kathy says

    I have Brown Jordan teak outdoor furniture and also aluminum sling style loungers. Both sets are over 15 years old. The teak looks like new when scrubbed and oiled. We had the lounger fabric redone about 3 years ago. The frames are still in excellent condition. Worth the investment! You made a smart purchase!

    Reply

  38. Michelle says

    I saw y’all and your adorable little family in line at Broad Appetit this weekend, and though I was a bit star struck, I was too much of a pansy to disturb your cute family time and say hi. Plus, I know how important it is to get those delicious little plates into bellies ASAP and I know I got cranky waiting in lines (by cranky, I mean I realized my beer was empty while waiting in line for Mama J’s….). But I hope y’all enjoyed and thank you for giving me a little “SQUEEE! BABY!” moment for the day :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Michelle, you’re so sweet! We had such a good time! It was Teddy’s first street festival. Haha! Say hi to us next time :)

      xo
      s

  39. Cheryl says

    Great post! We’re in the market for outdoor furniture right now and I’ve been having serious sticker shock. I know you guys always do your homework and are super savvy shoppers so it reassures me that it may just be pricey to get good quality that will last. Glad to see in the comments people who have had their sets for years and are still happy.

    Reply

  40. Christine says

    Just want to jump on the Costco bandwagon (don’t ya love how a simple post about outdoor furniture gets hi-jacked??!) I am vegan, organic, AND gluten-free. We just don’t eat processed food of any sort (or at least try not to) and yet I have been SO impressed by Costco’s offerings. Their organic rice, coffee, and even fresh produce is worth the trip, alone. But, the real reason we signed up is because of their corporate policies – they pay all employees a living wage – the avg is $21/hour, almost all of their workers get healthcare benefits, their CEO makes a reasonable salary, and they NEVER mark up stuff more than 15%. That last fact impressed my husband and me the most. I also read just last week that they go above and beyond with their store brand, Kirkland. The CEO says, for example, the Kirkland coffee they sell is actually Starbucks’ (says right on the package), but re-branded as their Kirkland Brand using Starbuck’s premium beans. He says in order to build brand loyalty, he made sure this isn’t the cheap-crap stuff like you find with the Sam’s brand. Okay, he didn’t say the cheap-crap stuff part, but I wouldn’t touch Sam’s if my life depended on it. Anyway – sorry to go on (and on), but you should give it a quiet try sometime.

    Cheers (oh – and LOVE the outdoor furniture! Expensive, but it really looks like it will keep forever.)

    Christine

    Reply

  41. Hope says

    The sectional from Crate & Barrel comes with nuts and bolts that act as “sectional clips” to keep the pieces together. Good luck with whatever you end up choosing!

    Reply

  42. connie says

    Not trying to bash here but I recently stopped shopping at home depot due to a really bad situation trying to get a warranty honored. Just saying maybe don’t count on the fact that it has a warranty.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yikes, thanks for the tip Connie! The warranty is from Brown Jordan directly, which we hear has awesome customer service, so here’s hoping!

      xo
      s

  43. Emily @ Life on Food says

    It is funny what a little warm weather can do to kick start a project. All winter I could have cared less about our lawn but now that it is warm all our house budget funds which I coveted for indoor projects (my kitchen reno) are going out the door for lawn improvements.

    Reply

  44. Jen says

    I think another added bonus of the sofa you decided to go with is the rounded arms. Less chance of a little one ending up hurting themselves on the hard wicker corner (but I’m kind of a nervous type )

    Reply

  45. aurelie says

    sherry – love the couch but let’s get serious about the real issue here: i feel your sleep pain!! hang in there woman. the sleep deprivation can be a little heartbreaking, especially when your first was such a wonder sleeper. but it does get better, i promise! our son (who is 3) was pretty darn good (though not claramazing) in the sleep department. then came our daughter (who is 9 months) who threw us for a loop with her crazy night wakings… but many many sleepless nights later, a few painful sleep training attempts, and a few months later we are feeling a bit more whole. i hope you are able to steal some naps here and there. take care of you!

    Reply

  46. jen says

    just curious – do people ever have problems with outdoor seating a bugs? how do you keep bugs and spiders out of your cushions?

    Reply

  47. Joseph@Littlehouseblue says

    I think the couch you guys got is the best looking one of all the options too. Win win! I’ve been wanting to get some outdoor furniture lately but we haven’t found anything we like that’s in our budget. Maybe there will be some sweet post season sales that we can hit up and be ready for next year.

    Reply

  50. Debbie says

    we are in the process of designing our new home (construction to begin early 2015 & last another 10 months). it’s a 7200 sq ft monstrosity (we don’t seem to build anything less) w/ two outdoor areas totaling about 2600 sq ft total (this is in addition to the 7200). each outdoor area has an outdoor kitchen (top deck will be a full kitchen, seating etc. lower patio will consist of a huge stone pizza oven/fireplace + sink, tv area etc.) since weve been down this home path before (we have 4 other homes) we have an inventory of furnishings that we pick up on our travels that sit in one of our hangers waiting for its new home. but we never seem to have any outdoor furniture in our arsenal & struggle to find good quality that holds up to the weather up north. while we went all out for the top deck since it is going to be marvel of modern architecture completely cantilevering off the back of the house w/ only the house to support it & hanging over a man made lake, we decided to go a little more low tech for the lower level & just get some good quality modular wicker. we love http://www.homedecorators.com/ which is a subsidiary of home depot. excellent prices for pieces & sets. we got a couple neutral sets to mix & match w/ some other pieces we already have. plus at the time we got free shipping. it might be 2016 before we actually get to use it, but im excited that we found something that looks good & seems durable. i have no opinion on how you choose to raise your children or where they sleep, nor do i think it would be my place to say anything about that lol.

    Reply

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