We considered getting rattan or dark wicker for vacation house we bought in FL recently. The chairs we sat on--expensive at Haverty's and some local FL stores and less like at World Market or Pier 1 were frankly very uncomfortable... the Tigris model at Crate and Barrel I liked because they have an upright back (I favor that vs slanted) But we also though would have needed cushions on seats to make them sittable for more than 15 min or so-- not what we wanted in dining chair I would suggest that the less definition on the weave, the more comfortable the chair ultimately...most newer styles show strong, heavy weave... they can also creak when the strands rub together... Maybe others have different response... We also want something with lower back/height---and most of those rattan chairs are tall/Parson style... good luck

oh i definitely have to do long distance....i have to admit it is unsettling to purchase furniture without being able to sit in it though....just looking at them however i cannot imagine they would be uncomfortable (as your experience bears out)....i took a look at the link that nosoccermom posted the prices are great (thanks nosoccermom!) but i don't quite see the color combination i am looking for....i have a friend who is a restaurant owner, and i *might* be able to get a bit of discount if he can order them for me...you did a fantastic job with the color and pattern....just love it...my table is a very dark cherry/brownish color (purchased at arhaus) and i really like the fact that you can pick so many color combinations

With kids in the house, comfort and function comes first. The wicker will not hold up to the test of time with an active family using it every day. And, it does look like it belongs on a sun porch. The rattan would not be too bad as long as it is comfortable. The pillow are loose and they will lood awful after a while. Unless they are hard and stiff, which you probably would not want. Why not a couch with semi attached cushions? The key is really good quality fabric. We have chairs and sofa from Ethan Allen. Each chair cost almost as much as the couch. But fifteen years later, they still look great. The couch is showing signs of wear. But I can't complain after fifteen years! Lots of people use leather for young families. I personally do not like leather. But that is a matter of tast. A thread was psoted about bedbugs. Beware CL for upholstered furniture! Some even feel you really need to even sterilize wood pieces.

I still have the aluminum patio furniture that I bought 17 yrs ago and it's held up extremely well. During strong winds the chairs are light enough to blow around the patio but they've never lifted off into orbit! When I know there's going to be a wind storm sometimes I'll push them over into a corner where they will be more protected, just so they don't bang into other things. Usually those types of storms are in the winter so if you are really worried about individual chairs moving just buy a patio cover that is large enough for the table and all the chairs around it. Last year I bought a pair of wrought iron chairs from Smith & Hawkins, they've got a black finish on them to protect the iron. S&H sells a protective cream for this type of furniture, it's expensive but if it keeps the chairs from rusting it will be worth it. As you know we get our rain in the winter and ours is a dry climate so I doubt wrought iron chairs are going to rust like they might in a more humid climate. I use Koveroos covers for all my outdoor furniture and when I know rain is coming I just throw it over them and remove when the sun is shining again. I haven't had these chairs long enough to know if they're going to rust or not but with these precautions I'm taking I'm pretty confident they'll hold up for many years. And if they do rust, well there are products to stop that from spreading. This may sound like a lot of maintenance but they're still a lot easier to keep clean than the white vinyl on my aluminum chairs. My neighbor bought a complete set of patio furniture from OSH a couple years ago, including a gazebo-like tent for overhead. I couldn't believe all that cost her only a couple hundred dollars. The problem with buying patio furniture from discount stores or hardware stores is the cushions. Better to find a set that doesn't require cushions because that's what desintegrates first. The original cushions that came with my set all faded very badly. To replace them would have cost a fortune but I know how to sew so I ordered a bolt of Sunbrella fabric from Calico Corners and made new ones. Unless the fabric says "Sunbrella" you're going to end up with faded fabric. Furniture sold by K-Mart,etc is not going to have Sunbrella fabric on it. In that case, chose a cushion that is light in color and definitely no prints. It's one thing to sew new cushions it's another when you have an unbrella that is also fading. Even though all the red & green color on our expensive Brown&Jordan unbrella had faded to a disgusting yellow I had no idea how to replace it so that one we pitched and I bought a new unbrella, this time in a solid color and using Sunbrella fabric.