Patio Cushions

Once you have selected outdoor furniture, you’ll need to think about choosing patio cushions to add style and comfort to your furniture to make the perfect garden seating area. Here are the 5 steps to making the right choice for your outdoor patio furniture.

1. Decide on a budget

Patio chair cushions vary greatly in price as well as quality. The cheapest outdoor cushions will probably not do much to enhance your patio furniture – they will cheapen it, no matter how much the furniture cost. But you don’t have to go overboard either. It’s unnecessary to spend a small fortune to have your sitting area looking good. Do a little browsing and then set a budget based on the typical prices you have seen for quality patio cushions.

2. Measure Your Furniture

Cushions come in all shapes and sizes. For a typical chair you need to measure the width and height of the back as well as the width and depth of the seat. For a lounge chair, you would just need the full length and width. And for a cushion pad, the size of the seat – diameter if round, width and length if rectangular. Also, think about what type of cushions will work with your furniture – a deep seat can take very thick cushions but they may not look right with your furniture.

Outdoor OCushions add comfort and color

3. Decide on a Look

If you are looking for a place to relax in natural surroundings choose a design for your patio furniture cushions in simple neutral and natural colors with a restrained pattern (if any). If you are going for a tropical pool look, then choose an outdoor fabric with a bright patterned design. If you are decorating your patio for fall choose rustic red, brown or green colors to help set the stage. Whatever look you would like to create there will be a design for patio furniture cushions to match.

4. Consider Fabric Type and Features

Do you need your patio chair cushions to be weather resistant and waterproof? This will affect the type of fabric you choose. If you leave them out in the rain (or have a poolside patio) be sure and choose a waterproof fabric. If you take the cushions in after use you can choose a finer fabric.

5. Check Out the Quality of the Options Available

Take a look at some cushions online or in your local store. When you have found something suitable you like think about the quality of the patio cushion covers.

• Check whether the fabric is machine washable. This will help it stay looking good.
• A quality cushion designed to withstand a lot of use will have reinforced seams, zip closure and piping to help durability.
• Check also how the cushions are secured – do they have tie tabs for example?
• Do the fabrics have a Teflon coating to resist moisture and spills?
• Are the outdoor cushions UV resistant coating to prevent fading if they will be left out in the sun for long periods?
• Are they thick enough to be comfortable without being too thick for your patio furniture?
• How firm is the foam filling?
• Will it withstand as much use as you have in mind?

Once you have surveyed the options available in your budget you can make a wise choice when buying your patio cushions and then all you have to do is wait for a sunny day, sit back, relax and enjoy your garden.