If you’re ready to start getting your outdoor patio prepped for spring and summer use, you might be considering getting some new outdoor furniture so that you can enjoy this space to the fullest. However, choosing furniture to use in an outdoor space is far different from choosing furniture that you’ll want to use inside of your home. Knowing this, you’ll want to vet your choices a little differently.

To help you in doing this, here are three tips for choosing furniture for your outdoor patio.

Choose Something Low Maintenance

One of the first things that you’ll want to consider when getting furniture that’s meant to be used outside is the amount of maintenance that will be required for you to use this furniture and keep it looking and feeling good.

Because outdoor furniture is going to be exposed to the elements, you’ll want to be sure that you choose materials that can withstand the type of weather that you get in your area. Whether this means heavy rain, humidity, high winds, storms, intense heat and sunshine, or anything else. And by choosing materials for your outdoor furniture that can hold up well under these types of conditions, like rattan, wicker, and teak, you won’t have to worry so much about the maintenance of your outdoor furniture as well as your indoor furniture.

Get The Proportions Right

Something else that you’ll want to think about when getting furniture for your outdoor patio is the proportions.

If you have plans for how you want to be using your outdoor space, especially if it’s for something that will require a lot of physical space to move around, you’re going to want to make sure that you choose furniture that won’t encroach too much on your space. To ensure this, you’ll want to make sure that you measure both your space and any piece of furniture that you want to bring into the space so that you can know that the proportions will be what you want.

Consider Storage Needs

For people who want to spend a lot of time enjoying their outdoor patio spaces, they’ll likely also have a lot of other items that they’ll want to keep within easy reach when they are outside. If this sounds like something you want from your outdoor space, something that can make this easier is having ample storage space close at hand.

To do this, try to find pieces that either double as storage or that are meant for storage but also look great with the other pieces of furniture that you have chosen for your space.

If you’re wanting to get more or new furniture for your outdoor patio space, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you in doing this successfully.