If you’re looking to spruce up the exterior of your home in Indiana’s Circle City by having a patio set up, you should plan it well so that you only get furniture that doesn’t easily wear down when constantly exposed to the elements. A good option, for instance, is wicker furniture that you can purchase from leading stores like Wicker Works of Brownsburg. So what exactly should you be looking for in outdoor furniture in Indianapolis?

Choose Your Materials

The material plays an important role in determining a furniture’s overall quality and longevity for outdoor use. For instance, plastic can last a long time and is flexible, but you’d be sacrificing aesthetics for the most part. Wicker, on the other hand, whether natural or synthetic, can provide a good blend of quality and aesthetics.

10 Tips to select Outdoor Furniture

Maintenance Needs

Consider a material’s maintenance needs—even if it’s the most durable of options. However, if it needs to be cleaned more often than you can be bothered to, it might not be the best choice for you. Teak needs to be oiled annually, steel or wrought iron needs repainting, and wicker needs to be kept just dry enough so that it doesn’t get brittle.

Think about Size

HowStuffWorks Home section writer Sara Elliott speaks about the need to consider sizing when it comes to choosing patio furniture:

One problem is size. Some patio chairs are just too narrow and skimpy. Others are built so low to the ground that getting out of them can be downright embarrassing — especially for older folks. Sizing for loveseats and couches can be tricky, too. Some are pretty deep from front to back, which can make them uncomfortable to sit in for any length of time. When shopping for outdoor furniture, sit down and relax — literally. Test the pieces you have in mind. Think comfort and buy accordingly.

Consider Storage

Know that at some point in the year, your furniture will have to be stored away to keep it from getting damaged by a particularly harsh weather condition. Think about how you’re going to stash them away, as well as the size of your storage space. If you don’t have enough room, think of getting furniture that can be folded instead.

When looking for Indianapolis outdoor patio furniture for sale, keep these big three in mind: quality, aesthetics, and function. Always seek to get a nice balance between the three so you end up with something that will last a long time with little maintenance, but wouldn’t end up being an eyesore in the process.

(Source: 10 Tips to Select Outdoor Furniture, Howstuffworks)