Here are four different chairs I am considering. The photos in the middle are of a representative 3' teak table, and a chair from the set that I already own (it is a rocker and not the right height for a table, just shown since they will share a room as it were.

Thoughts?

For some reason, I have it stuck in my head that the pedestal table must have a tablecloth (since the floor, ceiling, railing, and all the furniture are basically brown. to add some interest. I want one to the floor, so it has to be ~90" minimum. And it must be wipeable but not vinyl, so coated cotton. The choices are slim, to wit..

Thoughts?

Laslty, I need a rug... after I figure out tablecloth fabric.

That metal chair looks very uncomfortable. Have you sat in any of them?

I have sat in very similar ones, I don't find them uncomfortable but do agree there are comfier options. I could do chair pads but not a big fan.

Oh, and no. I am rarely able to test furniture in person anymore. All are returnable.

Ahh, love that picture of the CT house. :)

I‘m always the outlier on these threads, but will answer anyway. I circled my choices.

I think any of the above tablecloths would be lovely; I circled my favorite.

.

This is exciting! Does the deck have a roof over it, or some other type of cover?

Of course I like the uncomfortable chair because of the color, next I like the striped bistro chairs but wonder if you could get them in the dotted looking weave rather than stripe—and I ask that because my fabric choices are the center two together. i’d use the gray background with birds as the tablecloth and do a two or three inch border along the bottom edge in the stripe (on the bias) next to it. That might be a lot with gray and white stripey chairs? Perfect with the metal one 😎 Maybe ypu could get two of those as extras?

I wouldn't do chair pads. One of the other 3 would be my choice.

A local restaurant has some of those metal chairs. They don't make for pleasant dining.

Thanks Jilly. Yes, it is covered. I will be stringing lights like you see in the first post. This fabric was not my first choice, but now that I mock it up, it's growing on me. Another thing, because of the color of the chairs, it is not awful w/o a table cloth, either...

Hmm, KSWL, I took the liberty of adding a sisal look rug. The fabrics are different vendors so not sure if that would be an issue...

To be fair, there must be a hundred extant iterations of that metal chair with as many variations in comfort as there are style tweaks.

I was dead set on DD having those metal chairs when I was helping her decorate her first apartment. Then I sat in one. It felt like I was going to slip off the seat the whole time. I love them to look at, but not to sit on.

They are popular in restaurants. I don't usually find them uncomfortable.

Our favorite hole in wall Mexican restaurant has the metal chairs. I don’t mind them at all. I even bought them for our lake house dining room. It’s not fancy at all, and the price was right. Of course we eat most of our meals outside, so….

Just a thought, but would the metal one get hot in the sun?

LOL, I was more worried it might be cold, BRR. We face Northeast and are covered. I have not been there yet in the summer, but I don't think so.

I have some metal chairs that are comfortable but it took a while to find them. I tried a few out at places like Home Goods and At Home and they were not very sturdy. I was able to find some with a 17" wide seat and 34.5" back height and they feel pretty solid.

Getting them was a nightmare so I don't feel comfortable recommending the company.

I love your existing furniture! That is the type I was looking for for our porch! I hoped to find some old beach house type furniture, but never did. I would still like to find a style like yours. Lovely.

If you need a round coated tablecloth (and I agree 90" is best), check out I Dream of France-they only have a few of the right size, although I do like the floral you show best.

90" round coated tablecloths

There is also this source:

couleur nature

Sue,The thing that concerns me about the first two is I don't want them to look like near-misses with the existing furniture, so I think I need a bit of a departure. I did look at some turquoise woven chairs but some of them are too green, and some look like an ice cream parlor. Maybe I can find the PB one in person. It's cute.

Cyn, Thanks! I have bought from the first source. I don't think the second source is coated.

I like the teak chair with the cushion. The curve on the arms works nicely with the curve of the arms on your existing outdoor furniture. But they aren’t so matchy with the table that they look like a set either.
For a tablecloth - I was also going to recommend idreamoffrance - or a trip to Provence. :)

I don't know about comfort but I like the first 2 Sue shared from PB. I understand the not wanting it to look like a close but not quite with what you already have, but if you keep the cushion cover different, it might look intentional and coordinating?

Ibex, that was my fave too but is not getting much traction here, LOL.

Salon, I have tried mixing wickers before and to me it is not a great look.

I do believe I have located every possible source of coated cotton tablecloth that comes in or can be made in a 90" round, and could work with the turquoise cushions. The problem is two fold:

1. The traditional Provencal colorways never have turquoise

2. A lot of the design use stripes. How would the very large stripe I like work on such a small table?

I was using the tablecloth as a way to relate that side of the deck to the other pieces. Given how difficult it has been to find coated fabric that I like, i am wondering about an alternate approach.

Nix the tablecloth. What if I get 2 lumbar pillows in an outdoor fabric for the chairs, and then repeat that with some throw pillows on the existing furniture? Then I have a lot more fabrics to choose from...

Outside furniture that easily invites bugs (as in wicker anything) with much detailing is a no for me. Cobwebs and creatures move in fast...and I am not going to spend most of my outside time unpacking covered furniture or cleaning the bugs off. Soft cushions are a never. For the reasons already stated and the idea that I need to keep them from getting wet--TOO MUCH TIME suckers. A carpent--outside=a haven for creepy crawlies to live under. ish ish ish. I live by the mantra its great to own stuff but when the STUFF owns you it's too much.

Hi, good morning, "Hu"!

I suppose it depends on where one lives, but I have never found my outdoor furniture to be infested. Sitting outside in comfort is so lovely. I hire cleaning people for outdoors just as I do for indoors, but even if I did it myself I 'd find it well worth the effort.

Gosh Hu, (Arcy) I don't know where you live but we don't have any of those problems with our patio furniture. I don't think we've ever had bugs in any outside furniture. Cobwebs are a given but easily cleaned up. We do cover our patio furniture, as we have soft cushions on some of the furniture. Easy, peasy to remove covers. No bugs under the rug either. You must live in the woods!! We spend lots of time outside and enjoy our outside living areas.

Mtn, we have a similar set-up on our patio. We also opted for a loveseat vs. sofa. With that we use a matching club chair with ottoman. We added two metal chairs that glide/rock. I have a garden stool between those chairs and one beside the club chair. I may or may not pull out our wrought iron table for two with chairs (it actually belonged to my grandparents - we had it repainted), although I am looking for a potting table for that spot. Our seating area is under a pergola with cover. I thought I could look up a pic of our rug, but can't . I've used blues and greens in the rug and pillows and flower pots. I love your plan. My only suggestion is adding a couple of pots. I use the glazed ceramic pots in various sizes. All ours are kind of a deep aqua green. Can't wait to see your finished design!

Your balcony is going to be so cozy .... a great place for a light meal or cocktails!

I really like the turquoise Sophie chair Sue shared if it is in the same tonal range of the cushions. I also like the metal chairs if you can find some that are comfy enough -- 3rd choice would be the teak.

My 2nd choice for tablecloth is the stripes-- which is very surprising because I typically go for a floral. I think the vibe of the florals arent playing well with the pattern on the seat cushions.

You didn't offer this as an option so maybe you have already excluded it-- but what about a Schumacher Lemon Garden tablecloth? NM has a 90" round ... didnt look on etsy but I imagine you could find one there too.

ETA: oh. It isn't coated. My mistake.

I guess if one were going to say un constructive and weird things that make you look bad, you would probably do it under an "alias." Weird how people choose to spend their time.

Thanks, Tina. I wish i had some vintage wrought iron! I am not sure about how any pots I will have since I really have to learn how things hold up in this environment. We will not be here for long stretches and I don't want to pay someone to like, water every other day! At one point it occurred to me I should ditch the window boxes, and just buy a big pot of whatever is at the grocery store and keep switching in new ones ... far cheaper! let the grocery store keep them alive when I am not there!

Oh sorry - I didn't think about you not being there. Duh!!!

I did not read carefully enough to realize you were only sourcing actual tablecloths and not fabrics with which to have them made. The big place that fabricates most of our stuff can actually treat the fabric before it is made into a tablecloth or cushion.

Of the ones you have shown I like the turquoise fabric with stylized birds. I’m not wild about florals generally; they look nice but in the end I never choose them.

No, I looked both at tablecloths and at coated fabric. I have no experience with after market coating; have you?

I do believe I have located every possible source of coated cotton tablecloth that comes in or can be made in a 90" round

I really like the turquoise Sophie chair Sue shared if it is in the same tonal range of the cushions. I also like the metal chairs if you can find some that are comfy enough -- 3rd choice would be the teak.

Well I asked DH and he says he wants arms on the chairs, so that nixes a few. Looking again.

I love the Schumacher fabric.... to wit ...

No I have no personal experience with aftermarket treatments. I’ve always gotten sunbrella or other performance fabric for outdoor furniture and haven’t had any issues as long as the chair design allowed the cushions to drain and dry with a lot of air circulation. That said I have never left a tablecloth on an outdoor table for longer than a weekend (bird poop, lizard poop, acorns from trees, a gust of wind that blows it off…).

<< same! Bird poop, acorns, general stuff that blows around ... and sun damage. /fading -- even under a roof!

Mtn, it will be a lovely space when you've finished, that's a given. But please consider chairs with arms for your table. Too many times recently I've been in circumstances where guests might have trouble rising gracefully from armless chairs - and I know you'll want your choices to accommodate any and everyone. Many will think of that when buying for inside spaces like living rooms then are overtaken with the casual of outside seating.

Morz,

Did you call my DH? Troublemaker!🤣

Well I asked DH and he says he wants arms on the chairs, so that nixes a few. Looking again.

Outside furniture that easily invites bugs (as in wicker anything) with much detailing is a no for me. Cobwebs and creatures move in fast...and I am not going to spend most of my outside time unpacking covered furniture or cleaning the bugs off. Soft cushions are a never. For the reasons already stated and the idea that I need to keep them from getting wet--TOO MUCH TIME suckers. A carpent--outside=a haven for creepy crawlies to live under. ish ish ish. I live by the mantra its great to own stuff but when the STUFF owns you it's too much.

I heard you have rats. That's a lot worse than bugs.

yikes

Now that they have to be armchairs, we are going to a few places this w/e to look in person.

I also tried some mockups with pillows. They were harder to find that I thought they'd be.

Predictable but works

Love these (turquoise piping, too) but not sure they work. Maybe if I paired it with a solid and used it on the loveseat?

Bueller?

Sorry, Mtn but I am no help. I think they all look great, and the last 2 if I have to pick, I say yes. :)

I love the pineapple and birds -- they look great on the dining chairs and just ok with the chair cushions. I think you are on the right track-- if you pair them with solids on the loveseat, i suspect they will work much better. Also, we're looking at just the chair/cushion-- sometimes it's the overall view that is important vs. any two elements side-by-side.

Their web site is dull, but IRL this store is great for outdoor furniture and accessories.

https://www.seasonsfour.com

Thanks!

Love those bird/pineapple pillows but you would need to be mindful not to place them upside down...:)

ETA: Ran across this Etsy shop looking for something else but they have some interesting outdoor pillow options: Tarragonia

Oh what a great source, Rubyclaire! It is inspiring to me to cleanup my patio and do a refresh!

Ooohhhh... those are beautiful pillows, Rubyclaire!

Mtn, you can't go wrong with the stripe, but I do like the pineapple/bird. I think it picks up the warm tones in the furniture better.

Ruby, I saw the monkey one from them but the colors don't seem to work. They are some of the loveliest outdoor pillows around! Might get some for the outdoor deck of our MBR In Maine. The ones I have there are fading. As for this project, the turquoise color on my furnishings is proving tougher than I'd have thought. Also, so many pillows have delicate patterns that I don't think pair in mood with the suzani.

The girls liked the pineapple/bird ones too. I ordered two lumbar for the dining chairs, with the turquoise piping, Having them might be enough to tie things together without repeating it on the other furniture. We shall see. Found a 36" round table yesterday, still looking for chairs. Now they have to have a solid back as well so the pillows don't fall out. I am going to a few more places in person today to look around.

Ruby, I love the monkey with umbrella ones! I am going back to look past the first page. So much fun! Thanks for sharing the link.