3 Brands That Do Garden Furniture Really Well

It’s time to decamp all social activities to the garden. These three garden furniture companies make creating a lovely outdoor space easy.

We long for it all through winter. Through spring we prep for it. And now finally it is here: the moment when we can really enjoy our gardens, whether by lolling in the sunshine on a sun-lounger all weekend or by entertaining friends (or just ourselves) with al fresco feasts amidst the roses. Having cultivated the garden all year, it would be a shame not to complement it with some really excellent garden furniture. Happily, these three brands make it easy. Here we shop our favourite pieces from each.

The Houghton Collection

The Houghton Collection launched in 2002, the brainchild of Lord Cholmondeley, a direct descendent of Sir Robert Walpole who built Houghton Hall. Its founding mission was to sell and share some of the extraordinary pieces of furniture from the original 18th-century decoration of the grand Norfolk pile. Alongside that admirable concept, the Houghton Collection has also developed a garden furniture arm, its creations ‘mostly from 18th- and 19th-century designs unique to Houghton, including painted hardwood seats with scroll arms, which were originally part of William Kent’s design.’ We’ve especially fallen for the Sassoon loungers, based on the 1920s originals (do note, they can be painted in any colour, or left pain, and all come with a white cushion). These are our picks. Shop the whole collection here.

The Sassoon Lounger

£1,700 (unpainted)

Lattice Bench

from £3,500

Cholmondeley Low Table

£3,300

Rowen & Wren

Rowen & Wren was founded in 2011 when textile graduate Lucy Uren and her retail specialist partner Graeme conceived of a homeware brand that would stand for three central tenets: to create sublime simplicity, to deliver timeless future heirlooms, and to prize sustainable craftsmanship. Their constant muse along the way has been their own thatched cottage in Hampshire which, like the brand itself, exudes a comfort blanket of familiarity with a modern twist. A keen gardener herself, Lucy has long placed an onus beautiful and sustainably made garden furniture. These are our picks. Shop the whole collection here.

Sudbury Garden Bench

£798

Byron Bench, Teak

£788

Harmen Outdoor Chair

£159

Raj Tent Club

For something a little unusual, try Raj Ten Club, which specialises in a mix of new and vintage pieces, from parasols to day beds. Dreamy, romantic and a touch bohemian, we love everything in the collection, which you can shop here. Want to rent a piece for an event, rather than buy? You can do that too.