Deciding on patio furniture for your deck is not all that different from choosing furniture for inside your home, and the question of how much patio furniture you need is one we hear frequently at Williamsburg Wicker Patio & Home. To help you decide on the right amount of patio furniture for your deck, here are some helpful tips from our professional interior (and exterior) designers in Williamsburg, VA.
How to Determine How Much Deck Furniture You Need
Too much patio furniture can make your deck feel cramped and cluttered, but too little and it can feel unfinished and uninviting. Follow these steps to ensure you have just the right amount of furniture for your deck.
Measure Your Deck
Measure the length and width of your deck to calculate the square footage and determine your useable space. In general, 100-150 square feet of deck space can accommodate a single cluster of furniture, while 300 square feet can comfortably fit at least two useable areas that you can furnish for different purposes.
When choosing furniture, you’ll want to allow for at least two to three feet of walking space behind or between pieces, and four to five feet between usable areas with different purposes.
Consider Your Deck’s Purpose
Think about how you plan to use the space, whether for dining, relaxing, entertaining or some combination of the three. For small decks, we typically recommend a singular purpose and a central set, like a bar top table and chairs for dining, or L-shaped seating with a coffee table for relaxing and socializing. For entertaining on a small deck, consider bench seating around the perimeter with an outdoor rug in the center to open up the space for congregating, dancing and foot traffic.
If you have a larger deck of 300 square feet or more, your deck can serve multiple purposes and accommodate more furniture. Consider larger pieces that won’t feel dwarfed in the space, like a sectional sofa with end tables and a large ottoman, a 9-piece dining set, or multiple bar top tables for entertaining.
Factor in Budget
Just because you have an expansive three-tier deck with multiple usable spaces, doesn’t mean you have the budget for a full furniture set in every area. To make the most of your space on a tight budget, consider adding greenery and accessories, like a vertical wall garden, planters or a screen, to fill out the space. Alternatively, you can place furniture around the deck edges and railings and use a rug to tie the space together, instead of furnishing the middle of the deck.
Map it Out
It often helps to sketch your deck on quarter-inch graph paper to visualize how much seating the patio can accommodate and what furniture dimensions fit best. You can make simple scale cutouts of the furniture you’re planning to buy and place them on the graph paper, or use virtual planning tools available online. You can also use painter’s tape or chalk to map out furniture placement directly on your deck.
Get Help from a Designer
Determining how much furniture you need for your deck, is a challenging task that may be best left to the experts. If you’re struggling with how much furniture to include on your deck, the designers at Williamsburg Wicker Patio & Home can help.
We provide free in-store design consultations at our furniture showroom in Williamsburg, VA. Simply bring in your deck dimensions and photos, as well as any inspiration photos that capture your design-style and preferences, and we’ll help you create a to-scale model of your deck with layout recommendations and furniture suggestions. We also provide in-home design consultations for those seeking a premier interior design experience.
View our store hours and location, or contact us to schedule an in-home design consultation.
