This past weekend I reveled in the warm spring weather while doing two of my favorite things: furniture shopping and home decorating. Shocking, huh?
My patio upgrade is by far one of the most useful projects I’ve done here at the Borrowed Abode. Every spring, summer, and fall, the menagerie and I can often be found hangin’ on the back patio area. As of this weekend, we’re now hangin’ in style.
When it came to patio furniture I – surprisingly – knew exactly what I wanted:
- Solid wood that was ready to weather the outdoors
- Not made in China
- Table space for 2-1o people
- Seating for both dining and lounging
- Reasonably priced (but of course!)
- No wicker
I did a ton of research to find the perfect pieces. I’m confident that Ikea has the best deal around. They have a slew of outdoor dining and lounging options, all crafted from solid Acacia wood. Acacia furniture is resilient enough to live outdoors from spring-fall, and it only wants occasional oilings to keep in shape. The only catch? Each Ikea gets one shipment of the Acacia stuff per year. Once they’re out of furniture, you’re outta luck.
And that is why I dipped into my savings to score a patio set early Saturday morning. I didn’t want to miss out. An hour later, Strawberry-Basil Caipirinha in hand, I set about assembling the furniture. It was the easiest Ikea furniture assembly I’ve ever performed. I was done in a jiffy.
These sturdy and adjustable armchairs can do double duty for lounging and dining. I sprung for the slightly pricier versions ($70 instead of $50) which can be adjusted from an upright position into a slightly more reclining one. I passed on the matching taupe cushions. I can DIY colorful ones for much less than $30 each.
And at only $20 a seat, these folding wood chairs are awesome and uber-useful. They’ll provide classy seating for a bbq – but can be folded and stowed in the closet when not in use. Heck, they’d even look ok if I had to pull ’em out for guests at an indoor party.
And now for the pièce de résistance. I wanted a table with extra seating options, and boy did I get it. The Applaro Drop-Leaf Table can seat anywhere from 4-10 people. In its smaller form, the leaves can hang at each side – or they can be removed altogether in about 5 seconds. Here she is in her smaller form, with the leaves attached:
And here she is in all her extended-leaf, 10-seater glory. Isn’t she fabulous?
Now for the part more impressive than my ability to assemble the furniture alone. She’s only $99 at Ikea. Isn’t that fantastic?
Sure, I could have gotten a table and chairs for less, maybe on Craigslist. But this set was worth every penny. As I write this, I sit at the table with the dogs at my side, and the cat rolling happily on the table top.
Bonus: The furniture wasn’t made in China, and was made of sustainably harvested wood. Plus, with no need for stains or paints, it’s pretty environmentally friendly to maintain!
But what do you think? Are there better bargains elsewhere? Or are you as impressed as I am?
15 Comments
Gorgeous! I think you picked the PERFECT patio furniture, and it looks like your cat approves, too. Love the look and the environmentally-friendly aspect.
Oh, man, can I get to IKEA this afternoon before the insurance inspector arrives at my house? I NEED that table! Fabulous shopping job, and your responsible choices are terrific.
I love that set- what a great find! The picture of your cat cracked me up, she sure seems to like the new furniture. =)
How long is the table without the extension up? The info on the ikea website is confusing. Thank you
Hey Mariana – I am not sure exactly because the table is in the back of my shed and disassembled right now, but I looked at the website and the “min length” I believe is right, 55″. BTW, if you do buy it, I recommend keeping it covered when not in use – over time the sun and weather seemed to warp a lot of the boards easily. Hope this helps!
Can you fit two of the chairs with arms on one side ? I’m thinking of purchasing the square table an hopefully fitting 8 armed chairs around it.
Hi KS – I have to tell you, I don’t think the two arm chairs fit on one side, unless you have the leaves out. The square version might work better for you.
However, I want to caution you that this table hasn’t held up that well. If you get it, it does best if it’s covered when not in use. The constant wear and tear of sun and rain on it each summer has warped a lot of the boards and the wood needs to be revitalized with teak oil every few months. Just an FYI.
Thinking of using it on a screened porch so no sun but rain can blow in if there’s a storm. Also snow gets in in the winter but we usually cover whatever is out there for the winter. With smaller chairs will it seat 12 — 3 on each side before the leaves, one on each side of each leaf and one each at head and foot of table. Also, color is lighter in your photos than the ones I’ve seen online. I like the lighter color. Is that fairly realistic or has the camera just lightened it up? Thanks. AKG
Hi Alice, I think with smaller chairs it could seat 12, but I would recommend when you’re at Ikea you find the chairs you’d like and test them with the table that’s on display. I would hate to steer you wrong. I’m not sure about the color. My photos are fairly accurate, but I did buy the set several years ago. It has since faded. There are natural variations in the wood and maybe Ikea has a different source for the wood this year around. Also, if you treat it with oil the color will change then, too.
I am looking at purchasing some ikea furniture from this same line and wanted to know how it is holding up years later.
Thank you!
Hi there – great question! There are pros and cons to it. It was great for my small budget. The chairs, which have been on my covered porch, are in great shape. The table has required some maintenance and warped a little bit when it was out in the sun all summer. If you plan to leave it out exposed to the elements in the summer, you need to apply teak oil at least once every season, if not twice. It’s easy to do, you rub it on and then let it sit, but it is a little work. If you don’t do that, it will get dry and fade and possibly crack. If you are going to cover the table and chairs with a patio cover or something when not in use, it will probably hold up well without treatment.
I’m hoping to upgrade to something that is lower maintenance. The fact is, wood outdoor furniture just requires a little work.
Hi – we had two of the same reclining chairs, which we loved!) and one was broken in a recent move. Do you happen to recall the model name? I am trying to figure out the old model info and replacement cost info for the moving claim. Hope you’re getting good life out of those chairs, we just loved them and am sorry to have lost one since it doesn’t seem to be in their current lineup anymore. Thanks for any help!
Our chairs are still going strong – sorry you lost one! I don’t’ remember the name or anything though. 🙁 I’m so sorry!
IKEA Applaro
I had the same issue re warping of table top if you leave it uncovered in the sun….a real shame as its a great table/chairs set otherwise.
It is such a bummer. I have their plastic version now and it’s warping as well. 🙁