At Trex Outdoor Furniture, we talk a lot about bringing indoor comforts outside. However, it's equally rewarding to invite the outdoors into your home.
Find out why it's a good idea to use your outdoor furniture inside, and explore our clever ideas for styling durable deck furniture in your house.
Outdoor Furniture is Durable & Low-Maintenance
For a kid with an active imagination, a piece of indoor furniture can easily become a pirate ship or a castle under siege. If you’ve ever seen either in real life, you know that a nice linen-covered sofa tends to take a beating over time.
With outdoor furniture, parents don’t have to worry about children permanently damaging a plush couch or scuffing up a leather recliner. Most patio pieces are easy to clean and designed to withstand heavy rain, so a spilled sippy cup or Goldfish crumbs doesn’t spell disaster for your outdoor furniture. (Plus, for bigger spills and messes, a little soap and water will do the trick.)
Deck Furniture is Practical & Stylish
For Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers, the idea of bringing an outdoor dining set into the home was considered madness … until now. Our current, ultra-busy culture, combined with the need to multitask and maximize every moment, and the rise of smartphones and social media, has made using outdoor furniture indoors not only practical but also trendy and appealing.
Gone are the days when synthetic wicker or bamboo chairs looked out of place in a living room or kitchen. Don’t hesitate to get creative with how you mix and match outdoor pieces with existing indoor furniture. An outdoor bench can work in an entryway. Swap out old side tables for outdoor occasional tables.
Indoor & Outdoor Furniture Costs Are Comparable
Let’s say you’re redecorating a room from scratch. You’ve seen plenty of great examples on HGTV or in home decor magazines, but you don’t want to spend $10,000 on a stiff, uncomfortable loveseat and an artsy table that looks too fragile to hold a magazine.
So, what do you do? Try outdoor furniture.
For a three-piece bar or dining set, expect to pay between $650 and $1,500. If you’re planning for future redecorating, watch for sales and decreasing prices throughout the year.
Why spend a mortgage payment on a lavish couch or loveseat when you can enjoy a whole set for the entire family at a similar price? Plus, you can move that furniture outdoors again for cookouts or parties. The same can't be said for indoor-only furnishings.
Be Selective With Your Furniture Choices
Scale is a key factor in deciding which furniture pieces to bring inside and which are better left outside. Large sectional sofas and dining tables that occupy a significant amount of space outside can quickly overpower a room indoors. It’s also wise to keep porch swings or anything mobile outside to avoid damage to walls and nearby decor.
Also, avoid picking too many pieces that push a room beyond eclectic and into the disjointed realm. Aim to select pieces that share a common theme with your existing indoor pieces. For example, an Adirondack chair may look great on your porch or in a sunroom, but it likely won’t translate as well in your den.
Outdoor Furniture is Built to Last
When you buy an indoor couch, it’s just that: for indoor use only. Depending on circumstances, the average lifespan for a couch is seven to 15 years. However, outdoor deep seating furniture lasts for decades and is much easier to maintain than a suede or buttery leather sofa.
Also, keep in mind that if you get tired of your indoor/outdoor look and want to invest in some ultra-modern furniture to wow the neighbors, there’s no need to chuck your outside pieces to the curb. The best part about outdoor furniture is that you can always just put it back on the porch or in the backyard.
Whether it’s the middle of summer or the dead of winter, don’t give your outdoor furniture the cold shoulder when it comes to using it indoors.
