How we pick our products
Welcome to our large garden sofa test 2023. Here we present all the garden sofas that we have tested in detail. We have compiled detailed background information and added a summary of customer reviews on the internet.
We would like to make your purchase decision easier and help you find the best garden sofa for you.
You will also find answers to frequently asked questions in our guide. If available, we also offer interesting test videos. Furthermore, you will also find some important information on this page that you should definitely pay attention to if you want to buy a garden sofa.
Summary
- A garden sofa is the right thing for you if you are looking for garden furniture that is more for relaxation. The garden sofa combines the advantages of a garden chair and a garden lounger and thus offers you a place of peace and quiet, combined with the possibility of being able to sit.
- Due to the wide range of garden sofas, you can choose from different shapes, colours and materials to find the right model for you. Basically, there are garden sofas made of polyrattan, wood and textile garden benches.
- Garden sofas offer you a high level of comfort and are suitable for both the garden and the balcony. Due to the large range of products, there is a large selection from small to large budgets.
The Best Garden Sofa: Our Picks
Guide: Questions you should ask yourself before buying a garden sofa
Who is a garden sofa suitable for?
It is particularly suitable for you if you are looking for garden furniture that is intended not only for sitting on but also for relaxing. This is because it combines the function of a garden lounger with that of a garden chair. A garden sofa is also ideal as balcony furniture, as small sofas are also available.
What size garden sofa should I buy?
So you first have to be clear about how much space you actually have available. For a smaller balcony, however, a two- or three-seater with a small table is usually suitable. It’s a good place to relax, and if you have guests coming over, you can also sit on it comfortably.
If you have more space, you can choose a larger garden sofa or even a set of several garden sofas, e.g. a two-seater and a three-seater
So first look at your space and set yourself a personal budget and then the compliance of offers can also start.
What does a garden sofa cost?
The material in particular influences the price.
You can choose from a variety of different materials. In the following table you will find a rough overview of the individual price differences between the garden sofa variants.
| Variant | Price |
|---|---|
| Garden sofa made of polyrattan | from 110 euros |
| Garden sofa made of wood | from 160 euros |
| Textile garden sofa | from 500 euros |
What are the alternatives to a garden sofa?
Garden chairs also offer adjustable backrests so that you can set your personal favourite sitting position. The big disadvantage of this furniture, however, is comfort. A garden chair is not made for lying down and therefore it is not as comfortable to relax on as a garden sofa.
Another alternative is a garden lounger. Like a garden sofa, this is ideal for lying down, relaxing and doing nothing. The garden loungers often have adjustable backrests so that you can set your personal favourite reclining position.
In addition, most garden loungers often also have a folding function so that they can be stored away to save space during the winter months. The big disadvantage of this garden furniture is that it is only used as reclining furniture. It is rather difficult to sit on and you cannot bring several people together.
Decision: What types of garden sofas are there and which is the right one for you?
Basically, we distinguish between these types of garden sofas:
- Rattan garden sofa
- textile garden sofa
- solid wood sofa
In the following, we explain the different types and their respective advantages and disadvantages. In this way, we want to help you find the most suitable garden sofa for you.
What distinguishes a rattan garden sofa and what are its advantages and disadvantages?
A garden sofa made of rattan is primarily characterised by its resistant material. The often used polyrattan is weatherproof and can be left in the garden or on the balcony even during a summer storm or bad weather without any problems.
Furthermore, rattan offers a very high level of comfort. Due to its woven structure, it is very soft, pleasant and comfortable despite the plastic.
Polyrattan is also very easy to care for, only needing to be wiped down from time to time and thus requiring very little work. This gives you more time to relax.
A garden sofa made of polyrattan usually requires more space than a wooden garden sofa because of its rather large dimensions. So if you have a rather small balcony, this type of garden furniture is rather unsuitable for you.
What distinguishes a textile garden sofa and what are its advantages and disadvantages?
A textile garden sofa turns your garden into a living room, because the available textile garden sofas hardly differ visually from their brothers or sisters from the living room. This means that the familiar comfort can be completely brought into the garden or onto the balcony.
The textile garden sofas are usually covered with a material called olefin. This combines the elegance of fabric with the outdoor properties of durability, easy care and weather resistance.
Due to the new and innovative material, textile garden sofas also cost significantly more than the other garden sofa variants. Therefore, they are more suitable for you if you have a larger budget.
What distinguishes a solid wooden sofa and what are its advantages and disadvantages?
A wooden garden sofa looks very elegant, graceful and enhances your garden or balcony. As a natural product, wood blends in well with the surroundings of your garden or balcony.
Wood as a material is very resistant by nature. Teak, spruce or fir wood is often used for this purpose. This is why you will enjoy a wooden garden sofa for a long time.
However, as a natural product, wood also requires more care than plastic and must therefore be treated depending on the degree of wear. This includes renewing the glaze and repairing wood damage. Of course, this effort also costs more time.
Buying criteria: You can use these factors to compare and evaluate garden sofas
In the following, we will show you which criteria you can use to compare and evaluate garden sofas. This will make it easier for you to get an overview and decide on a suitable garden sofa.
In summary, these are the following points:
- Size
- Material
- Functions
- Weather resistance
In the following, you can read about the respective criteria and find out why it makes sense for you to purchase a garden sofa based on the criteria or not.
Size
The size of your garden sofa depends first and foremost on your own needs. Garden sofas come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Custom-made sofas are also possible. The only limit here is your personal budget, because custom work will cost you correspondingly more.
Garden sofas can be divided into two basic types. On the one hand, there is the classic garden sofa. This has a simple rectangular basic shape and is well suited for seating several people.
However, usually only one person can lie down comfortably there. It does not require as much space and can also be placed on a balcony without any problems.
On the other hand, there is a garden sofa with a récamiere. This usually consists of the classic basic form and a kind of reclining part. The garden sofa then has an L-shape. This gives you enough space for several people and you can also relax.
However, the garden sofa with a récamiere requires correspondingly more space. Because of the L-shape, the positioning options are also somewhat more limited.
Answer the following questions to find the right size for you:
- How much space do I have available?
- Which shape (classic garden sofa or garden sofa with récamiere) is suitable for me or which do I prefer?
Material
You can find garden sofas made of 3 different materials. We will briefly introduce these to you below.
| Material variant | Feature |
|---|---|
| Garden sofa made of polyrattan | particularly weatherproof and easy to care for |
| Garden sofa made of wood | hard-wearing and natural |
| Textile garden sofa | looks elegant and is very hard-wearing |
Plastic
Plastic garden sofas are usually made of polyrattan. This is more suitable for you if you are looking for a light, but nevertheless resistant garden sofa.
In addition to its light weight, this material has the great advantage of being very robust against wind and weather. In addition, you don’t have to worry much about maintenance. The disadvantage is that a polyrattan garden sofa requires more space.
Textile
With a textile garden sofa, you bring the living room into your garden. Thanks to the new olefin fabric, you can take your usual fabric sofa into the garden.
This combines the positive properties of a conventional fabric with the positive properties of plastic. It is therefore resistant, weatherproof, easy to clean and still offers pleasant comfort.
The frame of textile garden sofas is usually made of metal. You should make sure that stainless steel is used, as this is the most resistant to external influences.
Wood
A wooden garden sofa looks very natural and blends in perfectly with the natural surroundings of the garden. As a natural material, wood is very resistant. Most wooden garden sofas are pre-treated with a protective varnish or glaze and are thus additionally protected from wind and weather.
The disadvantage of this is that it requires more maintenance, as this protection has to be renewed annually depending on the degree of wear.
Functions
A garden sofa can also have different functions. There are different functions, such as:
- adjustable backrests
- adjustable recliners
- Sleeping function
We would like to briefly introduce you to these in the following.
adjustable backrests
Textile and wooden garden furniture in particular has adjustable backrests. This allows you to increase the seating or reclining area, in some cases considerably, and thus create even more comfort.
The backrests can usually be adjusted to different fixed heights, and in the case of high quality garden sofas, the adjustment is even infinitely variable. This function is very practical for you if you prefer different lying and sitting positions.
adjustable reclining surfaces
Garden sofas made of polyrattan usually have static backrests and armrests, which means that the adjustable backrest is not possible. However, they do offer the possibility of adjusting the reclining surface. For example, you can slightly tilt or lower one side to determine your favourite reclining position.
Sleeping function
Most polyrattan garden sofas also have a sleep function. This is made possible by an additional pull-out seat or reclining surface hidden under the seat. The principle is similar to a drawer and is easy to assemble.
In this way, you can quickly create a larger sitting or lying surface. As soon as you no longer need it, you can simply put it back together again.
Weather resistance
All the materials presented to you are fundamentally weather-resistant. There are subtle differences in the strength of the weather resistance. In the following table, we have summarised the weather resistance of the individual materials.
| Material variant | Strength of weather resistance |
|---|---|
| Garden sofa made of polyrattan | high weather resistance |
| Garden sofa made of wood | medium weather resistance |
| Textile garden sofa | low weather resistance |
High weather resistance means that the material can be left in the garden in all weathers without hesitation. A medium weather resistance means that the material can remain in the garden in bad weather without any problems, but cannot permanently do without protection.
Low weather resistance means that the material can remain in the garden without protection even when it rains, but should not be permanently exposed to the weather.
Facts worth knowing about garden sofas
How do I care for my garden sofa properly?
Every piece of garden furniture, no matter what material it is made of, should be cleaned of dust and dirt with a damp cloth from time to time. In addition, all garden furniture should not be exposed to moisture for too long and should be kept as dry as possible.
Otherwise, especially with wooden garden sofas, you should make sure that the wood preservative is always undamaged and renewed when necessary. This way you will be able to enjoy your garden sofa for a long time.
Are protective covers for my garden sofa useful?
A protective cover is always useful. Even though most materials have quite good weather resistance, it is better to be safe than sorry. The market for protective covers is very extensive.
There are simple rectangular protective covers and even suitable protective covers for L-shaped garden sofas. Of course, the prices for protective covers also vary greatly. Often, simple protective covers made of plastic are sufficient.
Picture source: 123rf.com / 43065749
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