Patio table & chairs that's comfortable to work at

[trashbat]

Until yesterday anyway, we've had unbroken great weather in famously sunny Manchester, and we've just redone our whole garden. I've been sat outside most days on the laptop, a mix of typing & sitting back on video calls.

We need a new table and chairs, though, because the old set is falling apart.

Our old one looks something like this, but only four chairs and from B&Q about 8 years ago:



I quite like the look of something like this in a 4 or 6 seater:



but, aside from it being non-trivial to work out which random vendors are actually legit & can be trusted, I don't know that the above would be remotely comfortable to sit at for prolonged periods, especially to work.

I'm the sort of person who has become physically accustomed to sitting in a nice chair (Humanscale Liberty) indoors otherwise I get back pain & stiffness, but I have been surprisingly OK with our old patio chairs. Of course, I realise it's not like I'm going to get anything properly ergonomic for outside, but there's a spectrum, right?

Any recommendations, either for products or vendors? Nothing ridiculously expensive, but doesn't have to be dirt cheap either.

[Quattr04.]

I regularly work from my LG outdoor st tropez set I got from John Lewis a few years back

It’s plastic rattan and holds up well being outside all year, really comfy sturdy chairs

I got mine in the clearance for £800

They do bigger versions and square tables etc

[mikey_b]

Quattr04. said:

I regularly work from my LG outdoor st tropez set I got from John Lewis a few years back

It’s plastic rattan and holds up well being outside all year, really comfy sturdy chairs

I got mine in the clearance for £800

They do bigger versions and square tables etc

When did garden furniture become so unbelievably expensive? 10 years ago I bought a set of 6 chairs and a large table, all solid teak, from Westminster Outdoor Living for less than the cost of that plastic rattan set. Looking on WOL's website now, a similar table is over £2k and a similar chair is over £600. Each!! That's almost £6k of furniture outside in the rain. Maybe I should buy a cover, I keep putting it off.

[Cow Corner]

I do like working outside in the summer, but can only do it for short periods and I think whatever you get will be a compromise, as the needs for a chair to lounge and drink wine or eat in is very different to working at a laptop for hours.

Even a more formal outdoor set will probably not do your posture/back any good - you’ll probably what to add some back support, at least.

Or just save the money for an osteopath!

[Quattr04.]

mikey_b said:

When did garden furniture become so unbelievably expensive? 10 years ago I bought a set of 6 chairs and a large table, all solid teak, from Westminster Outdoor Living for less than the cost of that plastic rattan set. Looking on WOL's website now, a similar table is over £2k and a similar chair is over £600. Each!! That's almost £6k of furniture outside in the rain. Maybe I should buy a cover, I keep putting it off.

I know, the set I’ve got was £1100 full price and I had discount off it in the September

Just like everything else I imagine, inflation, higher wages, John Lewis needing to make a higher margin etc

Nothing is “cheap” anymore

[trashbat]

mikey_b said:

When did garden furniture become so unbelievably expensive? 10 years ago I bought a set of 6 chairs and a large table, all solid teak, from Westminster Outdoor Living for less than the cost of that plastic rattan set. Looking on WOL's website now, a similar table is over £2k and a similar chair is over £600. Each!! That's almost £6k of furniture outside in the rain. Maybe I should buy a cover, I keep putting it off.

My thoughts too! £800 for the one above is somewhat palatable but its full price not so much.

This is our current one in happier times, possibly after I'd resanded & refinished it.



Bought in 2017, I looked up the receipts in my email. £55 for the 110cm table. £86x2 for two pairs of chairs. So £227 for the lot. Good luck finding anything like that for that money now.

I don't know how I feel about rattan. Something to think about though.

[trashbat]

Cow Corner said:

I do like working outside in the summer, but can only do it for short periods and I think whatever you get will be a compromise, as the needs for a chair to lounge and drink wine or eat in is very different to working at a laptop for hours.

Even a more formal outdoor set will probably not do your posture/back any good - you’ll probably what to add some back support, at least.

Or just save the money for an osteopath!

Heh. Yeah. We do have other patio furniture, a bistro set, for just lounging though.

You're obviously right, but given the mix of work, I do think a workable compromise is possible.

[Glosphil]

After owning numerous wooden tables & chairs we bought a cast aluminium powder coated set. Doesn't need a cover & just the occassional jet wash. Add a set of decent cushions & very comfortable. Red wine spills just wipe off. After 4 years looks like new. Not cheap - large table & 6 chairs cost just under £1,000 .

[Tisy]

You need the back support otherwise you'll get shoulder and neck pain after a while, particularly so if you are reaching up to a mouse or trackpad on the table with no support for your elbow, wrist and shoulder. I'd tried it myself and it doesn't end well. Forget the table - just get a reclining outdoor chair / lounger and then sit the laptop on one of those height adjustable lap tables across your lap and if you use a mouse, either get one of the clip-on armrest mouse tables or have a table at the right height at the side of the chair to put your mouse mat and mouse on.

I've got one of these and can sit in it for hours with no (dis)comfort issues https://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/vancouver-zero... . They're a bit cheaper at Argos. For me, the arm rests are at just the right height to support my elbows and shoulders when using a keyboard on a pillow on my lap. I've got my monitor base velcro'd onto this https://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/simply-marble-... and it slides in between the legs on the lounger. There are all sorts of sofa C-shape side tables available with leg layouts to suit your seat of choice. You won't need this if you're using your laptop screen though. I need a bigger screen as text is too small to comfortably read on a 17" laptop screen at 1080p resy.

If I had somewhere outside which was under cover and secure, I'd get myself a second Himolla Corrib and foot stool in a heartbeat to use outside as that's what I use as my "desk" set-up inside and it's supremely comfy with keyboard on a pillow on my lap, mouse and Fellowes gel wrist pad mouse mat on a box to the right side, and monitor and PC on one of those wheeled over-bed tables with height adjustment. https://www.himolla.com/uk/chairs/chairs/corrib-77... + https://www.ebay.com/itm/334797971793 . The recliners are like £1500 new but they regularly come up on Ebay and Facebook secondhand for about £100 or less if you get lucky. I bought mine second hand for £120 over a decade ago and both the chair and stool are still like new..

Some ideas for you anyway .