Wanting to enjoy your outdoor space with family and friends? From Kettler to rattan, corner sofas to day beds – these are the lush garden sofas you’ll all want to lounge on all summer long
Best garden sofas: daybeds, corner sofas, and outdoor sofa sets
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With spring in the air and summer just around the corner, now is the best time to think about sprucing up your patio or garden with an excellent garden sofa so you can lounge in the sun in total comfort.
We’ve searched a range of garden furniture stores to source a variety of garden sofas that will transform your outdoor life. While the focus is on outdoor sofas, you’d be amazed at the incarnations they’re currently available in: from garden sofa beds, to sofa dining sets, to rotating lounging pods (yes, really).
While of course we’ve covered off the traditional styles most popular in the garden sofa arena, we’ve also thrown in a few more off-piste options that will take outdoor lounging to a heretofore unknown decadent realm.
Best garden sofas UK 2022 at a glance:
- Best rattan garden sofa: Made.com Jonah Garden 3-seater Rattan Sofa, £725
- Best for entertaining: Alexandria 4 Seater Grey Rattan Garden Corner Sofa Set, £345
- Best for versatility: Oxborough Day Bed, £1299
- Best for lounging and dining: Kettler Palma 7-Seater Mini Dining Set, £2099
- Best corner sofa for those who hate rattan: Elements 7-Seater Slatted Wood Corner Sofa Set, £799
- Best for high-end al fresco chilling: Farmer’s Cottage Rotating Sphere 8-Seater Garden Pod, £10938
- Best for couples: Costway Outdoor Sofa Bed, £268
- Best for classy comfort: John Lewis & Partners Chunky Weave 5-Seater Garden Corner Sofa Set, £1399
- Best for a sociable garden: Ithaca Garden Sofa Set, Grey, £1575
- Best aluminium garden sofa: Kochi Garden 3 Seater Sofa, £775
What’s the best garden sofa for me?
Outdoor sofas come in a surprising variety of shapes and configurations.
The most popular material is rattan, since it is known to be very weather resistant and less likely to rot after a couple years use. However, quite a few manufacturers also provide sofas with frames made out of weather-resistant wood like acacia and teak.
Outdoor sofas can accommodate up to 12 people at a time and are the perfect solution for entertaining guests comfort. Most outdoor sofas are of the corner variety so they will fit very nicely along the edges of patios and verandas. Some models also come with a coffee-style table.
Perhaps the most decadent type outdoor furniture is the day bed. As the name suggests, day beds allow you to relax outdoors on a flat cushioned surface that makes outdoor snoozing a breeze.
However, day beds are not the most practical since they usually take up a lot of space and you can’t use them for entertaining – unless your guests don’t mind snuggling up. Your best bet in this instance is a day bed than can be transformed into a sofa, like the Oxborough Day Bed and Costway Outdoor Sofa Bed we review below.
Finally, if you prefer to entertain around a table but would also like the option to be able to relax on a sofa or bed-like structure when not serving guests, your best bet is a padded rattan dining combo like the Kettler Palma below.
When the guests have gone, simply move the table a bit further away, remove the sofa pillows and stretch out on the sofa pad. You’ll be off to sleep before you can count one, two, thr…
Our favourite garden sofas for 2022
Made.com Jonah Garden 3-seater Rattan Sofa
KEY SPECS Type: 3-seater sofa; Material: polyrattan; Seats: 3; Full width: 197cm; Colours: Dark grey, natural; Also available as a two-seater
Good-looking; Durable; Comfortable; Generously sized; Weather proof; Elegant
You have to put the legs on.
Made.com’s Jonah 3-seater rattan garden sofa is a constant best-seller and it’s obvious why. This is what luxuriating in your garden is all about.
A contemporary design, it’s gorgeous to look at, as at home in a minimalist conservatory as it would be in a verdant garden.
While it’s theoretically a 3-seater, we love lying out on it in the sunshine with a decent book – there have been more than one occasion when we’ve fallen asleep that way, which speaks to the comfort levels (thank you, single seat cushion!).
There’s a pleasing heft to the look and feel of the design, though it only weighs 36 kilos, making it ideal for shifting around your outdoor space as the sun changes.
We’re smitten. Simply, the ideal garden sofa.
Alexandria 4 Seater Grey Rattan Garden Corner Sofa Set
KEY SPECS Type: Corner sofa; Material: Rattan effect plastic; Seats: 4; Full width: 211cm; Colours: Dark grey
Great price; Comfortable; Weatherproof; Includes table
There’s a lot of plastic; Cushions should be stored when not in use
Comprised of two upright sofa seats and a 1.4-metre chaise longue-style lounger, this is a great-value four-seater sofa set for outdoor relaxation.
Combined with the chaise longue section, the Alexandria measures 2.11 metres in width and is constructed out of a rattan-effect woven plastic of sorts for outdoor durability.
Its rectangular two-seat module, meanwhile, can be positioned in a left or right configuration for added convenience. It also comes with a low glass-topped table (D45 x W45 x H31cm) for your G&T, olives and bowl of San Nicasio crisps.
The Alexandria’s grey-coloured cushions provide great outdoor comfort and they’re weather, and to some degree, bird dropping resistant, too, though we would advise storing them in the dry during inclement weather and especially over winter.
If you’re a little strapped for cash but are desperate to get out of the house and into the sunshine, then this excellent-value three-piece four-seater will do the trick and do it nicely.
Oxborough Day Bed
KEY SPECS: Type: 3-seater sofa-cum-chaise; Material: Rattan effect; Seats: 3; Full width: 211cm; Colours: Dark grey
Super versatile; Transforms from sofa to bed; Good quality materials; Comfortable
Cushions should be stored
Is it a day bed? Is is a sofa? The Oxborough is a clever piece of outdoor cosiness because it transforms from a double day bed (151cm in length and 201cm in width) into a 201cm x 86cm sofa in a thrice.
Since it comprises three pieces (sofa and two-piece ottoman), you simply remove a shelf in the larger ottoman section, reposition its cushion pad and slide the whole thing under the right-hand side of the sofa.
This leaves a spare square section which can stay in place to form a chaise on one side or removed entirely to serve as a separate stool. Simple.
There’s no literature regarding the grey fabric used but while it’s clearly showerproof, we wouldn’t leave it out in a rain storm. The sofa and ottoman’s UV-protected weave is of excellent quality and weather resistant, too.
Although this is ostensibly a three-seater package, it would arguably be more comfortable for two. Either way, this is an attractive chaise that is both extremely versatile and undeniably comfortable for seeing out long days in the sunshine.
Kettler Palma 7-Seater Mini Dining Set
KEY SPECS Type: Dining set; Material: Rattan wicker; Seats: 7; Full width: 200cm and 120cm; Colours: Grey and stone
Keep outside all year round; Comfortable cushions; Perfect for dining and lounging
Not cheap; Cushions should be stored away; Will take up a fair amount of space
The only thing better than a corner sofa is a corner sofa dining set.
Whether you’re relaxing with your feet up during the day or have the extended family round for a barbecue in the evening, this day-to-evening seven-seat rattan-effect corner set will ensure sunbathing times and meal times are well and truly sorted.
Available in both whitewash/grey taupe and oyster/stone, this stylish weatherproof dining set is part of a wider range of Palma furniture that includes larger dining sets, armchairs, sofas, foot stools and loungers.
Granted, Kettler products aren’t cheap but they’re well built and hardy enough to survive outdoor life without falling apart at the seams.
That said, it’s always advisable to remove seat cushions and cover outdoor furniture during the winter months because even the best materials will struggle against months of rain and snow.
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Farmer’s Cottage Rotating Sphere 8-Seater Garden Pod
KEY SPECS Type: Garden pod; Material: Spruce and stainless steel; Seats: 8; Full width: 240cm; Colours: Natural
It revolves 360˚; Seats eight in comfort; Can be turned into a bedroom
Very, very pricy; Requires professional installation
Why have a standard summer house built in the garden when you can lounge outdoors, undercover in a high-tech rotating space pod?
Constructed from laminated spruce timber and stainless steel, and with an interior 2.4 metres wide and about two metres tall, this stunning lounge pod is the last word in garden luxury.
The Farmer’s Cottage comes with a circular waterproof vinyl bench pad with room for up to eight guests, plus a centre table that can be lowered so you can add a centre cushion pad to turn it into a bed for proper daytime or night-time relaxation (interior lighting is an option for those who wish to chill under moonlight).
However, the very best thing about this – albeit massively expensive – pod is that it slowly revolves 360˚, so no matter which way the sun is shining or the wind is blowing, you’ll always be in the comfort zone. Haughty but nice.
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John Lewis & Partners Chunky Weave 5-Seater Garden Corner Sofa Set
KEY SPECS Type: 5-seater corner sofa set; Material: Aluminium and rope; Seats: 5; Full width: 220cm; Colours: Dark grey
Excellent quality; Attractive rope design; Supremely comfortable
Cushions are only shower proof
If you’re in the market for a high-quality five-seater sofa that screams style, step right this way.
Designed in-house by John Lewis Partners, the Chunky Weave sofa comprises a lightweight aluminium frame and yards of exceedingly attractive heavy-duty roping that gives the sofa a unique look while adding extra rigidity for long-term durability.
The squidgy seat pads and nine scatter cushions, meanwhile, are covered in shower resistant polyester which you’re advised to store in the dry when not in use.
With its full width of 2.2 metres, this sofa is the last word in classy outdoor comfort.
Build quality is exemplary throughout, the seats are soft and supportive and it’s surprisingly light given its size. Compliment this sofa set with the Chunky Weave Round Garden Coffee Table and you’ll be the envy of the neighbourhood.
Kochi Garden 3 Seater Sofa
Key Specs: Material: Aluminium, Polyester Size: Height (cm) 77 x Width (cm) 225 x Depth (cm) 78
Pros: Hard wearing frame; Contemporary look
Cons: Minimal style not to everyone’s taste
Garden designers will often suggest your outdoor space should be seen as an extension to your home and will treat it as an extra ‘room’ for relaxing and entertaining. If you’ve got the space then a good quality sofa will certainly lure you out of the house more often.
Aluminium is an ideal material for sofa construction, being able to stand up to the rigours of both the weather and multiple bodies sitting and lying on them.
They can also look every bit as stylish as your interior furniture, as exemplified by this contemporary 3-seater sofa. The sleek black frames have contrasting taupe cushions made from hard wearing, textured polyester.
Although weather proof it’s best to protect the cushions from winter rain to maintain their good looks, but that aluminium frame should keep on repelling whatever weather comes its way.
