Great Furniture Pieces That Work Indoors and Out
Look to garden chairs, nesting tables, kitchen carts and more to serve double duty inside and outside your home year-round
If you live in a climate with a harsh winter season, summertime can be a blessing and curse: You want to soak up all the sun you can, but it can be hard to justify investing in a set of furnishings you’ll use only one-half to one-third (or even less) of the year. Fear not. There are many great outdoor options that you can snap up at any time and put to work right away. Read on for some great outdoor-appropriate options that will serve justly indoors, too — and get ready now to enjoy summer from day one.
Bertoia Chair
Open metal mesh seats like the classic Bertoia chair are a smart addition to tighter spaces, or where the look is already busy enough. The barely-there chair adds a hint of modernity and can blend with a richly patterned rug, intricate wallpaper or a busy backyard landscape without stealing focus.
Open metal mesh seats like the classic Bertoia chair are a smart addition to tighter spaces, or where the look is already busy enough. The barely-there chair adds a hint of modernity and can blend with a richly patterned rug, intricate wallpaper or a busy backyard landscape without stealing focus.
Garden Chairs
For a more dramatic statement, a lace-like metal garden chair works well indoors with a clean modern console to create a writing nook in your bedroom or living space. Move it back outdoors when spring is in bloom and it’ll be right at home among the winding foliage.
For a more dramatic statement, a lace-like metal garden chair works well indoors with a clean modern console to create a writing nook in your bedroom or living space. Move it back outdoors when spring is in bloom and it’ll be right at home among the winding foliage.
An airy garden seat also works beautifully in a rustic-inspired bedroom tucked near a wide nightstand as a place to toss your reading materials just before you nod off.
A white plastic side chair is a versatile option for moving indoors or out as needed, especially if your existing dining chairs are also rendered in white (whether they’re plastic, painted wood or fabric) but even as a modern complement to more traditional styles.
I bet you didn’t even notice that two of these chairs don’t match the others. The look works for a big dinner inside and can be moved right outside when the party does.
I bet you didn’t even notice that two of these chairs don’t match the others. The look works for a big dinner inside and can be moved right outside when the party does.
Instead of a white chair, consider a crisp white garden stool as an extra end seat for casual dining that adds bohemian flair.
A pair of metallic chairs makes a charming (and surprising) cap to the foot of the bed, giving you a place to tie your shoe or toss your coat — and offers more flexibility than a single bench.
Chinese Garden Stool
A garden stool or two (or four!) can be clustered to make a smart alternative to a coffee table, moving where needed to serve a few guests or a whole party. Once it’s time to migrate to the patio, you can easily put one or two stools on outdoor duty without leaving your living room sofa totally deserted.
A garden stool or two (or four!) can be clustered to make a smart alternative to a coffee table, moving where needed to serve a few guests or a whole party. Once it’s time to migrate to the patio, you can easily put one or two stools on outdoor duty without leaving your living room sofa totally deserted.
A ceramic stool also adds color and interest to a bathroom, giving you a place to rest a book, robe, towel or drink — and would be handy in virtually any other room of the house too.
See more on Chinese garden stools
See more on Chinese garden stools
Lanterns
Even if your home is already well lit, a few decorative lanterns can add a charming ambience that will make you happy to spend a little extra time indoors during the colder months. Come warmer months, these fixtures work wonders on patios and walkways and hanging in trees.
Tip: To avoid any fire risks from using candles indoors, use automated flameless candles. The extra perk is you won’t even have to manually turn them all on or off.
Even if your home is already well lit, a few decorative lanterns can add a charming ambience that will make you happy to spend a little extra time indoors during the colder months. Come warmer months, these fixtures work wonders on patios and walkways and hanging in trees.
Tip: To avoid any fire risks from using candles indoors, use automated flameless candles. The extra perk is you won’t even have to manually turn them all on or off.
Don’t have a wide, expansive hallway to grace with a dozen lanterns? They also make a surprising twist in a bathroom, adding a little extra glow at the vanity or by the tub for a relaxing soak. Try a Moroccan-inspired style for some exotic appeal; it will look beautiful even without a candle lit.
Nesting Tables
The space-saving stackability of nesting tables makes them a handy tool for year-round entertaining. They can be spread out when you need to lay out a few snacks and tucked away at other times.
The space-saving stackability of nesting tables makes them a handy tool for year-round entertaining. They can be spread out when you need to lay out a few snacks and tucked away at other times.
Kitchen Cart
Simple, functional kitchen carts can be a beautifully stylish accessory or a strictly functional work surface (or both) when added to your kitchen plan, not to mention serving as side tables, bathroom carts or even bedside tables. However, this work surface becomes almost indispensable in the summer when you want to move as much of the cooking process outdoors as possible.
Simple, functional kitchen carts can be a beautifully stylish accessory or a strictly functional work surface (or both) when added to your kitchen plan, not to mention serving as side tables, bathroom carts or even bedside tables. However, this work surface becomes almost indispensable in the summer when you want to move as much of the cooking process outdoors as possible.
Likewise, a rugged garden cart can have a lot of practical use indoors when the planters and soil have all been stowed. Use them to hold messy art materials or muddy boots, or to pile up unused clothing and goods to be donated to charity at the end of the season.
Lights
Beautiful strings of lantern lights don’t have to be restricted to patio weather. Skip the holiday lights and choose a string with beautiful (or covered) bulbs. It’ll be totally appropriate for a fun indoor party, a romantic dinner or any occasion when you want an enchanting touch.
More: How to Shop for Furniture
Beautiful strings of lantern lights don’t have to be restricted to patio weather. Skip the holiday lights and choose a string with beautiful (or covered) bulbs. It’ll be totally appropriate for a fun indoor party, a romantic dinner or any occasion when you want an enchanting touch.
More: How to Shop for Furniture
Powder-coated metal seats are an excellent way to add high-saturation color indoors during the gray winter. In fact, you might not ever want to put them back outside. But whenever you do need a few more seats for a barbecue, they’ll be ready and waiting.
Tip: Throwing on a sheepskin is an excellent way to soften a hard seat for indoor lounging.