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BACKYARD TOWN GARDEN DESIGN

 I feel like this post should be titled “Where’s Waldo?”One of my favorite blog readers submitted a request for “ask Cindy” that hit a personal nerve with me. She recently moved and has been struggling to find patio furniture.  As most of you know we sold our lake house and our personal home within a week of each other.  Our lake house was sold completely furnished including our patio furniture.  We did save two beautiful tables that were crafted by our friend Jim.   We sold all of the chairs, ditto with our Chualar home except for the small table and four chairs in our new courtyard. Fast forward…I thought no problem, we will buy new chairs when we need them. It turns out they are ridiculously expensive, very hard to come by (most will not arrive until August, September or even October) and there weren’t many that appealed to me. Let’s take a look at what I am buying for my backyard town garden design. 

cindy hattersley's fountain

Two things I don’t understand are outdoor swivel chairs (they can be problematic indoors I can only imagine adding saltwater, dirt, and moisture outdoor issues)  and completely upholstered furniture that looks just like indoor furniture?  Trying to keep an upholstered piece free of dust and dirt?  No thank you.  I have a hard enough time with my indoor furniture.

As I stated above, we have a beautiful dining table and coffee table that were crafted by our friend Jim.  They are rather substantial so I needed chairs that would support the sizes of the two tables. Here is a shot of the dining table at our former lake house. The chairs stayed with the house.  I loved the combination of the two but those chairs are not proper outdoor chairs.  We took them in and out which worked fine there.  In our new digs, I need chairs that can stay out all season and be covered in the winter. (FYI I will be painting the base of these tables a more neutral color).

lake house coffee table and fountain cindy hattersley

 

lake house patio table

I really wanted the manchester dining chair from Williams Sonoma Home, but I just couldn’t justify the price or the wait (September).

WS Manchester Dining

I liked all of these, from left to right, the frontgate hampton, the crate and barrel abaco , the serena and lily pacifica  suzanne kasler for ballard, williams sonoma home san clemente , world market diani, pottery barn palmetto, and wsh armless san clemente.  Honestly, I just couldn’t justify the prices since I don’t know if we will be staying here, or where we will be landing.  We could live here forever who knows.

my favorite outdoor dining chairs

SHOP MY FAVORITE OUTDOOR DINING CHAIRS

I ended up going with the World Market Dianion sale for $209.  I am very happy with them.  I have not had cushions made for them yet, but they are comfortable even without cushions for now. This is a knockoff of the popular South African Malawi chair. I wasn’t crazy about the color black (Target had a natural version earlier in the season but it wasn’t comfortable).

world market diani chair

If all of these chairs are too pricey (I think they are), I came up with a list of price-friendly alternatives. All are linked below the graphic.

cheap chic outdoor dining chairs

SHOP CHEAP CHIC OUTDOOR DINING CHAIRS

 

I like a collected look in my outdoor spaces so I didn’t want a matchy-matchy look.  I wanted to purchase two lounge chairs with ottomans.  Here is a list of those that I considered.  I liked all of these but of course price and delivery time were a big factor in my decision.  All chairs are linked below the graphic.

chic outdoor lounge chairs

SHOP CHIC OUTDOOR LOUNGE CHAIRS

The winner?  The Susanne Kasler Harbour Chair and Ottoman.  Ballard gives designers a substantial discount, I LOVE IT,  and it is on sale.

suzanne kasler harbour chair and ottoman for ballard designs

Most of the back area is gravel. The gravel area is bordered by Italian cypress and germander on one side, the office area porch, a white border around the house, and the fountain in the center.  These chairs will be situated against the garage area on either side of the chunky coffee table with the mirror above.  Here is my inspiration board for the area.

town garden plan cindy hattersley design

SHOP THE TOWN GARDEN INSPIRATION BOARD

I have an old deacon’s bench that I will paint black that will go in front of the office area where I will place some big pillows and some old watering cans.  I Like a collected look in my garden as well as my home so I wanted it to coordinate but not have a matchy-matchy look.  Hopefully, it will all work out!  It is all planted.  I will post pictures as soon as everything arrives.

WHEW, this post took a long time to produce! I hope this backyard town garden design may help you source some outdoor garden furniture if you are on the hunt.  Trust me I have seen them all!  You might also enjoy my post Designing a small town garden here

WHERE TO BUY OUTDOOR FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES

If money is no object, I think Williams Sonoma Home and Ballard have the best options right now.  Ballard has some of its furniture on sale.  I am sure WSH will eventually if you are willing to wait.

 

Anthropologie

 

Arhaus

 

Ballard Designs

 

CB2

 

Crate and Barrel

 

Frontgate

 

Pottery Barn

 

Rejuvination

 

Serena and Lily

 

Target

 

Wayfair

Have a great weekend!  We are getting our sod today yippee!  I will be back on Sunday joining Mary Ann and Annie for our Sunday favorites!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karen B. says

    Cindy,
    This is a great post. Your selections, both expensive and a good value makes sense and I will check out the suggestions.
    Your home is progressing beautifully. Thank you for sharing with us.
    xo,
    Karen

  2. Sheryl says

    Home Depot also has some good choices, especially in the Hampton Bay line. The delivery time is also reasonable as well as the price. A whole set of table and chairs for a good price.

  3. bonnie sachs says

    great post. i was lucky to get the world market chair that sort of looks like manchester from wsh. i agree about the cost of the wsh chairs…the world market version – altho not perfect (the color has that trendy greyish tone) but they ended up costing less than $150 each on sale! they are very comfortable. i dressed them up with woven pillows. i’m using them indoors as a replacement for my more formal queen anne chairs that i’ve had since 1984. i don’t think the new ones will last that long.

  4. Sandra says

    I love this post. The fire bowl is pricey. Why did you pick it? Where did you find a fountain? Will you write about your plantings? Will you go with plants you have used before? Is there a problem planting in late summer?

  5. Caitlin says

    It would be a bit of a drive but there’s a great Serena & Lily outlet in Berkeley and a larger location in Vacaville. You could try them by phone to see if they have stock on the items you like. There’s also a Terra outlet in Richmond, right next to wonderful Annie’s Annuals. Their furniture is well made and handsome.

  6. Nancy says

    Very informative post. Thanks for the hard work and research that went into it. We also experienced what you did and it seems the whole world is definitely not back on track and humming as it was prior to the pandemic. There are waits for and shortages of everything!
    I’ll add a place to your list where we found an outdoor wicker set. Plough and Hearth online. We had never bought anything from them before, but found an attractive set in their catalog. The drawback? It was supposed to ship August 24th, but as things go, it has now been delayed until October!….just as you’re saying. We’re disappointed that we won’t have the summer to enjoy the set, but there’s nothing we can do.
    What you chose is very attractive, but still a little pricey for my budget.

  7. C C says

    Thank you so much Cindy for taking the time to research this sticky wicket of a topic and to share!
    I have a 1500 sqft deck that had been filled for the last 6 years with miscellaneous crappy stuff, mostly from secondhand stores.
    I too couldn’t conceive of buying one wicker chair for $500-1500, and was always flabbergasted at the prices of outdoor furniture! And often the cheaper ones, once you look at the measurements, are mini chairs and look out of proportion on a large deck.
    Thanks again and can’t wait to see your progress!

  8. Gray says

    I feel your pain. Everything from overseas is crazy expensive and is taking months due to the container situation. I have been waiting for a metal arbor from Wayfair, for two months, and when it was finally available, the price increased 30%.
    We have a 1830’s Southern farmhouse, and everything I find that’s not outrageously expensive, is too modern or southwestern for the house. I always end up on Frontgate or Serena and Lily. Both are $$$$.
    I am now searching for a woven rattan or wicker sectional, for the inside of the house. The one I like for the room, which has antique wicker in it, is $7000K. 🤣

  9. cherie says

    Thank you for a great article. You’d think many of these chairs were handmade and shipped from some far away spot with donkey trails down the mountain. I’m hanging onto my very vintage technically on it’s last legs old-fashioned wicker because I have trouble justifying the enormous prices. I like what your chose, particularly because the lower portion of the chair allows breezes to flow through and doesn’t rub the back of your legs raw. I’m having a lot of fun watching you decorate in a new home albeit much smaller than your previous casa. Reading your posts is preferable to being a fly on the wall as you’d probably give me a quick swat. Thank you for letting us hear about the whys and wherefores of your projects.

    cherie

  10. home before dark says

    I bought teak chairs (which we had to assemble to save money. husband is not handy. we did it!) and a table with the most simple elegant assemble I have ever seen. That was in 1995. I need to wash them (not powerwash!). Good to go! I do not cover them and just let them patina. I like the black (of course) chairs. I think your new garden is going to be very elegant.

  11. Ramona Puckett says

    We’ve been looking for outdoor furniture, too, and it’s hard! I forgot about world market, though. We’ll have to go check it out. Thank you for sharing this!

  12. Liana says

    We’ve had the Pottery Barn Palmetto’s for the last 7 years, under the most challenging weather conditions, ocean front, full sun, and occasional dog’s raising leg business, and they have lasted the test of time. The frame is just as solid as it was when we bought them and the weave is intact with no cracking. We’ve chose that for its practical and affordable Pottery Barn’s ready made Sunbrella cushions, which I also occasionally find on eBay for a bargain.

  13. Dora Renata Pala says

    Ottima scelta, non vedo l’ora di vedere il risultato finale. Eventualmente, nel futuro potresti considerare di esporre i tuoi pro e contro su questa attuale e radicale scelta di vita. Tante persone, riducono gli spazi per diminuire le spese, o perche si rimane solo in due o uno. Sarebbe interessante. Grazie.

  14. Sharon says

    I have been anxiously waiting for this post and it is WONDERFUL bc it is so informative with links to everything! Now I am anxiously waiting to see your town garden photos too! Thank you, Cindy for all of your detailed blog posts….I learn something from each one.

  15. Pam Clarke says

    I love reading all your posts as you source so well! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and doing the footwork for all of us. And your style and story telling is fabulous too.

  16. Carol S. says

    Great timing! I’m starting to look for a couple of outdoor chairs and small table, thanks for doing my homework! I love your vision board. A very collected work and that fountain is beautiful. Well done.

  17. Rosemary Smith says

    Thanks so much for this article. I honestly thought I was the only one having difficulty finding outdoor furniture that I liked and was priced affordably.

  18. Mary Ann Pickett says

    Love this post. I just pinned everything. Thanks for doing all the research for all of us!!!

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