After living with our affordable outdoor patio furniture for the last two years, I figured I owed you all a proper review! It’s hard to believe, but we’ve been in our condo for almost two years. This will be our third summer on our sunny rooftop and our third year with the affordable outdoor furniture I bought on a whim in 2022.
For a little bit of backstory, we had no plans of moving in 2022. We met with a realtor in January to talk through small updates we could make in Dave’s old condo, as well as what we’d probably be looking for in a new home. We were set up in our realtor’s search system for both condos in the city and homes in the northern suburbs. Since we weren’t planning on making a move for a year or two, we weren’t exactly sure where we wanted to be.
Well, you know how it goes once you start looking at homes… All of a sudden, you’re ready to move! Not to mention, construction started at my old apartment building in February/March which made my unit unlivable during the day. (A devastating blow for someone who works from home! Seriously, take a peep at these videos if you’re interested. It was so crazy. Especially since my building provided zero solutions other than a half-assed “sorry.”)
After living through the construction for a few months, I was at my breaking point. Finding a new apartment, moving, only to be moving again in another year when Dave and I planned to move in together, it all felt like too much. Should I move into Dave’s two-bedroom apartment even though we both work from home? There was a lot to figure out.
I had a work trip in Miami at the end of April and stayed with friends for another week after because I couldn’t bear to come home to my living situation. Both Dave and I were taking the email search results from our realtor a little more seriously and figured we’d maybe look at a few places, just to get a feel for what we both liked in person.
A day or two after I got home, we saw a condo with our realtor in the evening. It was gorgeous, but at the top of our price range, so it was fun to look at, but we wanted to keep our options open and keep looking. Two days later, we went to an open house without our realtor, as we didn’t want to keep wasting her time on us just browsing.
As soon as Dave saw the rooftop deck, he called our realtor on the spot. I was in love with the listing photos before we even got to the open house and I literally got tears in my eyes as we were walking around. I adored everything about the unit, except the closet space. (Which still stands, haha.) And once Dave got upstairs and saw the private outdoor space with the city skyline view, he was sold.
The next few days and weeks were an absolute whirlwind… Having to put in an insanely high offer over asking to even have a shot at getting the place in the crazy market that was spring of 2022, the sellers wanting a six-week close, us having to hurry up and get Dave’s condo photographed and sold, coordinating two moves, majorly stressing about all of the financials, it was A LOT. We were excited, but also freaking the fuck out. Not to mention, we were not engaged and were just like uhhhhh, I hope this doesn’t go really freaking badly. Thankfully, it all worked out in the end. 😉
All this to say… There was not a single second to waste on design decisions. We were combining my one-bedroom and his large two-bedroom into a small three-bedroom apartment so we had more indoor furniture than we knew what to do with. (And ended up having to donate quite a bit.)
On the contrary, I’d never had my own outdoor space and Dave’s old condo only had a tiny balcony so we were essentially starting from scratch when it came to outdoor furniture. We had a large balcony off the primary bedroom and a giant rooftop deck (probably close to 1,200 square feet) to furnish!
For those paying attention to timing, it was mid-June when we closed and summer was finally kicking off in Chicago! If you’ve ever been to Chicago in the summertime, you know us Chicagoans LIVE for rooftop season. Needless to say, furnishing our outdoor space (and furnishing it FAST) was the highest on our priority list. And since we were technically paying for three homes at one time there for a minute, this project needed to be AFFORDABLE.
Not to mention, Dave invited a few friends over for a little high school reunion TWO DAYS AFTER WE MOVED. 😅 The pressure was on.
Our condo has a very large kitchen island with seating for four, but we don’t have space for a traditional dining table inside. Since Dave is such a great cook and we eat at home more often than not, I knew an outdoor dining table and outdoor chairs needed to be our first order of business.
Most of the great affordable outdoor patio furniture sells out in April and May, so I have no idea how I was able to score our modern patio dining set in June. It was truly a miracle!
I didn’t have any home improvement experience then, but I knew enough about interior design and home décor that I was able to make a few snap decisions that we’re still happy with two years later!
Shopping Tips for Affordable Outdoor Patio Furniture
1. Pay Attention to Timing
When you’re investing in expensive outdoor furniture, you’re usually expecting longer lead times. But when you’re shopping for affordable outdoor patio furniture, you’re most likely wanting it ASAP!
As I mentioned earlier, most of the GOOD affordable patio furniture sets (great quality + great style) sell out before summer officially begins in June! So if you want outdoor seating, now’s the time to buy.
Make sure you are checking the delivery dates before you hit purchase!
2. Know Your Style
Since our current condo is newer construction and very modern, I knew our decor for this home would skew on the modern side. Our rooftop is fully surrounded by dark grey metal siding, so modern outdoor furniture was a must. I opted for a sleek, black, aluminum outdoor dining table with a hole for an umbrella. Do I love the look of a scalloped umbrella? Very much! But it would look silly on our modern rooftop. So, I went with this striped umbrella and this base — both from Amazon! (And yes, they’re still in great condition after two summers and two winters.)
3. Know Your Threshold for Upkeep
I knew Dave and I were not the type of people who would want to put cushions away after we were done using them. We appreciate nice things and take care of what we have, but we absolutely prefer low-maintenance furniture. When I was looking at patio sets, I knew anything with a CUSHION was off-limits. We have enough on our plates and I knew soggy outdoor furniture cushions would be a future problem. Thus, I only considered woven chairs that wouldn’t retain water!
The same goes for the outdoor lounge chairs we bought… I opted for mesh chaise lounges for our rooftop to keep it easy and low-maintenance.
4. Keep Your Climate in Mind
Do you have big trees that will be dropping on your upholstered patio furniture? Do you live somewhere with harsh winters? Do you have somewhere you can store your outdoor furniture indoors in the winter or will you store your furniture outside? Set yourself up for success, especially when you’re opting for affordable furniture.
Since we’re in Chicago with harsh winters, don’t have extra storage space for our outdoor furniture, and don’t have any way to shield our outdoor seating from the elements, I knew aluminum was the only way to go. Of course, I absolutely love the look of wooden and teak outdoor furniture, but I knew it wouldn’t stand a chance with all of the sun, rain, snow, and wind that our rooftop was sure to get.
When it comes to your outdoor furniture, it’s not a place where fashion can outweigh function!
Buying Outdoor Furniture at Target
If you’re in the market for affordable outdoor patio furniture, I can’t recommend Target enough! But now that Target’s website also sells a bunch of non-Target merchandise, you’ve got to look a little more closely at the brands. I like to filter my searches by brand and click “Target Brands” so I’m only seeing their in-house brands like Threshold.
I even bought our outdoor rugs for our balcony patio at Target the summer we moved in! You can see all of our budget-friendly outdoor balcony furniture in this post.
As you’re able to see from the photos here, I bought a black aluminum outdoor dining table that seats six. While my exact table from Threshold is long gone, they currently have a few similar styles…
Henning 6-Person Rectangle Patio Dining Table
Searsburg Aluminum 6-Person Rectangle Slat Top Patio Dining Table
Brookfield Rectangle Patio Dining Table – Light Brown
Northmont 6-Person Rectangle Patio Dining Table
Ryegate 6-Person Weathered Teak Rectangle Patio Dining Table
Sadly, they don’t currently have any dining chairs that are an identical match to the cute chairs I bought two years ago. However, there are some fun rattan chairs that I do like if you’re looking for a cushion-less style…
Wicker Stackable Outdoor Armless Patio Dining Chair
Spinnaker Set of 2 Wicker Boho Dining Chairs
2pc Popperton Arched Wicker Outdoor Armless Patio Dining Chair
2pc Nolina Outdoor Patio Chairs
Metal Mesh Outdoor Stacking Patio Dining Chair
Suffield Wicker Patio Bench with Back
Steel & Wicker Outdoor Patio Garden Bench Light Brown
The main thing worth noting with my Threshold outdoor dining table and chairs is how well they’ve held up! We have not put a cover over them during the two winters we’ve lived here and all seven pieces still look as good as new. Honestly! It’s pretty incredible seeing as we probably only spent around $700 on the entire set! I couldn’t be more thrilled with our purchase.
Also! If you’re seeing this post before April 13th, make sure you’re signed into your Target account to see the “Target Circle Week” prices. All outdoor furniture, décor, and outdoor lighting are currently 30% off!!
Affordable Outdoor Furniture Stores
While I’ve found some of the best affordable outdoor patio furniture at Target, I’d recommend a handful of other stores, too! Home Depot patio furniture is surprisingly pretty decent, although it skews towards a more traditional style. Their in-house Home Decorator’s Collection is great. And I’ve found some fabulous products on both Amazon and Walmart, too. The key is to know the specific high-quality brands to look for… Christopher Knight, Better Homes & Gardens, and Best Choice Products are three I can personally vouch for.
FAQs
1. What type of patio furniture is the most weather-resistant?
From the research I’ve done, aluminum is the most weather-resistant! Wicker can also be fairly weather-resistant. Teak will tend to look weathered in wet climates.
2. Is it worth it to buy expensive outdoor furniture?
It depends on your circumstances! Are you in your forever home? If so, it may make sense to invest in the best outdoor furniture that you’ll have for decades to come.
Since we knew our current condo was a stepping stone, needed furniture quickly, and didn’t have a lot of extra money to spend on it, we went the inexpensive route for our dining set.
3. Where can you buy affordable but good-quality patio and garden tables, chairs, and other accessories?
My favorites are Target, Christopher Knight Home, Better Homes & Gardens, and Best Choice Products. You can find some great pieces on Amazon, too! Make sure you’re spending time combing through reviews.
You can also try Facebook Marketplace to find deals on outdoor patio furniture!
Any more questions? Let me know in the comments below!
You can find more of my home decor content and outdoor furniture recommendations here! Be sure to subscribe to stay in the know.
