For a hot summer’s day, the main wish is always the same: to stay cool. Literally, sure, but also aesthetically. And if there’s one furniture category that’s undergone a real transformation since the early 2020s, it’s outdoor furniture. What was once purely functional is now design-led, visually appealing, and central to creating a space that actually feels cool in every sense.
That's predominantly because outdoor furniture brands have finally shrugged off the obsession with rattan. Once the only option, now it's looking dated and tired. "Outdoor furniture was once always rattan, or sometimes wood," agrees interior designer Manuela Hamilford, founder of Hamilford Design. "And my gosh, that looks outdated now. Firstly, it tends not to weather very well, and secondly, outdoors are all about entertaining and having fun, so why would you want all your furniture to be a dull shade of brown?"
