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Outdoor furniture for outdoor restaurants, hotels, and public spaces – how to choose

The short answer

Outdoor furniture for public spaces is chosen based on three factors that rarely apply at home: how often the furniture is moved, how many people use it, and how it is stored between seasons.

An outdoor dining area that is packed away every evening needs light café tables and stackable chairs. A courtyard or park needs park benches and benches that remain in place and can withstand the weather without supervision. A hotel terrace, on the other hand, is closer to home use — the furniture stays out all season and is allowed to age gracefully.

The material matters, but less than one might think. The weight and construction more often determine if a piece of furniture works in operation.

What distinguishes public spaces from home use

A dining set at home might be used thirty times per season by the same family. The same dining set at an outdoor restaurant is used thirty times a day by people who don't own it.

This leads to three practical differences:

Wear and tear is uneven. Chairs are pulled in and out hundreds of times. The stress is on the joints, not the surface. A piece of furniture that looks new may still be on the verge of becoming wobbly.

Furniture is moved. Municipal regulations, weather, and the risk of theft mean that many businesses bring in their furniture every evening. In such cases, weight and stackability become more important than appearance.

The surface must not require planned maintenance. A home can oil its furniture on a Sunday in May. A business with forty chairs cannot. Untreated teak solves this: the wood is naturally rot-resistant and needs cleaning, not treatment.

Four environments, four needs

Outdoor dining and restaurant

Furniture is moved daily. Prioritize low weight and chairs that can be carried multiple at a time. Teak café tables and dining sets work well because the wood tolerates moisture without swelling or cracking.

Expect the furniture to be handled by staff under time pressure — avoid designs with loose parts that can get lost.

Hotel terrace and pool area

Furniture stays out all season. Here, heavier furniture can be chosen, which is an advantage: a 36 kg lounge sofa won't blow over and stands stable even on a wooden deck.

Deck chairs are particularly suitable by the pool and jetty. The SAL deck chair was designed in 1924 for the Swedish American Line's ships and used on board the M/S Gripsholm — it was designed for salt, sun, and daily use from the start.

Courtyard, park, and housing cooperative

Furniture remains outdoors year-round, often without daily supervision. Choose park sofas and benches with high inherent weight and few moving parts. A 14 kg bench can be carried by one person if needed but won't be moved by the wind.

Jetty and bathing area

The harshest environment: salt, direct sun, constant humidity. Here, material choice is crucial. Our deck chairs are made of solid A-grade teak — pure heartwood, the part of the log with the highest oil content and thus the greatest resistance.

How to calculate seating capacity

The most common miscalculation is to count table length instead of seating width.

A chair needs 60–70 cm width per person for the guest to sit comfortably without elbows clashing. Our dining chairs are 57 cm wide, which provides approximately 65 cm per seat with spacing.

Table length	Seating capacity	Comment
150 cm	4	Two per long side
200 cm	6	Three per long side
200 cm + ends	8	If end seats are used

A 186 cm bench comfortably seats three adults. Benches save space compared to chairs because they don't need room to be pulled out — good to know when space is limited.

Standard measurements to consider: dining table height 73–75 cm, chair seat height 45 cm, bench seat height 46 cm. The difference between table and seat height should be around 28–30 cm.

See product specific measurements in dining sets and outdoor tables.

Weight: the number that matters most in operation

Weight is rarely the focus when choosing outdoor furniture, but it dictates how the furniture can actually be used.

Furniture	Weight	Implication
Deck chair	10 kg	One person carries two at a time. Works where furniture is brought in at night.
Bench 186 cm	14 kg	Moved when needed, stands stable in wind.
Dining table 150 cm	25 kg	Two-person job. Stays where it's placed.
Garden sofa	27 kg	Permanent placement.
3-seater lounge sofa	36 kg	Permanent. Requires planning for winter storage.

If the furniture is brought in every evening: keep it under 15 kg per unit. If it stays out: higher weight is an advantage, not a problem.

Material — short version

Teak is standard in public spaces for a reason: the wood's natural oils make it rot-resistant without surface treatment. It withstands moisture, sun, and frost and needs neither varnishing nor oiling to last.

We work with two qualities. A-grade is pure heartwood with the highest oil content — we use it in deck chairs and chairs that are outdoors year-round. A/B-grade is used in dining sets and lounge furniture, where the heartwood is placed in the visible and most stressed parts. Our teak is FSC-certified.

If you are considering other types of wood, we have a detailed comparison of pine, oak, acacia, and teak.

Maintenance when furniture is used daily

Untreated teak grays to a silver tone during the first season. This is a surface change, not wear and tear — the construction is not affected, and the furniture becomes neither weaker nor more sensitive.

For a business, cleaning with mild soap and water a couple of times per season is sufficient. Oiling is an aesthetic choice for those who want to maintain the warm tone, not a requirement for durability.

This makes maintenance costs predictable, which is the whole point in operation. Read more in our care guide for teak furniture and in the review of whether teak should be oiled or not.

Winter storage: dry and frost-free is preferable, but teak can withstand being outdoors year-round. Consider storage space in your choice — forty chairs take up space.

Economics over time

The purchase price says little about the true cost of the furniture. Instead, consider three items:

1. Purchase — one-time cost 2. Annual maintenance — for untreated teak: cleaning, nothing more 3. Replacement interval — how often the furniture needs to be replaced

A cheaper piece of furniture replaced every three years becomes more expensive than a more expensive piece that lasts longer. Teak's strength lies in the third item.

We deliberately do not state a guaranteed number of years — the lifespan depends on how the furniture is used, stored, and cared for. But construction is crucial: joints and fittings hold or give way long before the material.

Frequently Asked Questions

What materials are most durable for outdoor furniture in public spaces? Teak is the most durable choice for furniture that is outdoors year-round, thanks to the wood's natural oils which make it rot-resistant without treatment. Pine and oak require regular surface treatment. Aluminum and synthetic rattan withstand weather but lack teak's long-term strength.

How many seats can a 200 cm table accommodate? Six people with three per long side, or eight if the end seats are used. Allow 60–70 cm width per person.

Does the furniture need to be oiled? No. Oiling affects the appearance, not the durability. Untreated teak grays to a silver tone and maintains its construction.

Can teak furniture stay outdoors in winter? Yes. Dry and frost-free storage is best, but teak can withstand being outdoors year-round.

What weight should the furniture have if it is brought in every evening? Keep it under 15 kg per unit. A 10 kg deck chair can be carried two at a time.

Do you deliver to businesses? Yes. We work with hotels, restaurants, bathing facilities, and housing cooperatives — including Sturebadet, Centralbadet, Hernö Gin Hotell, Planetstaden Hotel in Lund, and Kivikshotell. Contact us via the company page for quotes, lead times, and terms.