If you’re lucky enough to have a terrace or a sizable deck, what else do you really need? Maybe an outdoor sofa.
As Peter Dunham, an interior and textile designer in Los Angeles, put it: “The ideal thing is to have somewhere for a nap outside.”
A sofa will also help anchor any outdoor seating area. “They’re nice when used in conjunction with chairs, so that you have a big piece with little pieces talking to it,” Mr. Dunham said, noting that while guests will often reposition chairs, a sofa holds its own. “You can’t really move it.”
What style should it be? Start by taking cues from your home’s architecture.
“Don’t use a really contemporary-looking, sharp-angled outdoor sofa at a Nantucket cottage,” Mr. Dunham said. “That’s just going to be jarring.”
Far more important than style, though, is comfort. “It’s really where you’re spending time lounging,” he said. “So that’s the number one thing to look for.”
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How high should it be? Because outdoor spaces are usually casual, Mr. Dunham said he typically prefers sofas with lower back and seat heights. “Indoors, you might use an 18-inch seat height,” he said. “Outdoors, you might do 17 or 16.”
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What’s the best material for cushions? “You definitely want to use dry-fast foam cushions,” he said, covered with outdoor fabrics like those from Sunbrella. “The water just runs right through them,” he added, so they dry quickly after rainstorms.
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Should you store the cushions indoors when you’re not using them? Mr. Dunham suggests an alternative: “We recommend that people buy a cover,” he said. “You can just put it over the whole thing — the cushions and the sofa.”
Bonaire Sofa
Teak sofa by Piet Boon (with cushions, in choice of fabric, sold separately)
From $3,095 for the sofa (plus $795 for the cushions) at Restoration Hardware: 800-762-1005 or restorationhardware.com
Terassi Sofa
Teak-and-aluminum sofa with quick-dry foam cushions in Sunbrella fabric
From $2,995 at Design Within Reach: 800-944-2233 or dwr.com
Helios Metreo
Cast-stone sofa with integrated radiant heating
$6,200 at Galanter & Jones: 415-937-0336 or galanterandjones.com
Perch Outdoor Sofa
Powder-coated aluminum sofa with teak slats and Sunbrella fabric cushions
From $2,199 at Blu Dot: 844-425-8368 or bludot.com
Pool Party White Sofa
Sofa with metal-tube frame by Fred Segal
$1,399 at CB2: 800-606-6252 or cb2.com
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