10 dining sets for entertaining outdoors this summer
Posted on 24th May 2021
I bet we are all wondering the same thing, when is the next heatwave taking over the UK, right? If you are just as excited as I am for spending balmy summer mornings to evenings in the garden, with a delicious barbecue, ice-cold lemonade, surrounded by friends and family, then it’s time to get ready for entertaining outdoors – and why not indoors too now that restrictions are easing?
Apart from a pro-style kitchen with a BBQ and pizza oven included, you are going to need the perfect seating spot to enjoy those fiery grills and long chats with your loved ones. So, with help from journo Sally Smith, I’ve put together a gallery of the latest dining sets, suitable for both indoor and outdoor schemes, to get you inspired…
The Ravenna dining set from Cox & Cox includes a 120cm diameter table and four chairs and is made from Acacia wood in a slatted design with a washed finish, priced £625. It’s a good idea to cover your dining sets during the colder months or in very wet weather to keep it in good condition for as long as possible.The Chilson table bench and stool dining set has crafted cement fibre tops for a contemporary look combined with an Acacia wood frame and legs. The set includes one table, two benches and two stools, available in medium £1,549 and large, £1,799, from Cuckooland. One of the latest dining sets from Heal’s is the Petra design, which has a natural Italian ceramic top table that is heat resistant, non-porous and scratch-proof that will be weatherproof throughout the year. This set is lightweight making it easy to stack and relocate with self-levelling legs. Dining table in dark grey, £899 with bench £399 and side chairs, £399 each.You can pick your favourite from a mix of styles from the Burford furniture range from John Lewis. This six seater weatherproof dining table it’s made out of FSC-Certified Acacia wood, priced £499 is matched with a dining bench in natural, £220 and two basket dining chairs, £290 a pair all are suitable for both indoors and outdoor use. This one’s ideal for that Scandi-inspired scheme.JYSK Rangstrup table, £169.99, a 110cm in diameter is made from aluminium requiring no maintenance and an artwood synthetic top matched with polyrattan Pandumbro chairs, £34.99 each, all treated with a powder coating making the set weatherproof, resistant to wear and tear and UV protected. It’s nice and compact, so you can fit it even in a small garden or balcony.Moda Furnishings’ large dining table is made with an 8mm toughened safety glass top for added durability and comes with 10 luxury rattan chairs. The best bit? It can all be left outside all year round due to its UV treated weave. This flat black weave is priced £4,775 and is available in four other colours.This Cormac dining table from Wayfair is priced £759.99 and is completely weather resistant with a stainless steel frame and oiled teak wood tabletop that matches beautifully with eight aluminium coated Brayton Garden armchairs at £135.00 each. This is a Garden Trading bench table with six stools from Lime Lace, priced £1,500. The frames are made from powder coated steel with a black finish topped with FSC certified sustainable slatted teak, all are suitable for indoor and outdoor use, it’s recommended to store under cover in winter months.Go for a more contemporary design with the 180cm Henley glass and aluminium dining table with 6 Remy stacking armchairs, £1,799, Bridgman, perfect for both indoor and outdoor spaces.The Alpin dining 6 seat set, £999, from Dobbies, comes with six chairs, a table, cushions, plus a parasol with base. What’s more, the cushions are water repellent, UV resistant and have superior ‘comfort filling’.
