Patio chairs and tables

For anything to do with the garden and pool
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CarolineH
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Patio chairs and tables

Post by CarolineH »

Advice please, people ....

I have five gites which are in a courtyard around my house - the patios are all visible to everyone - so I need matching patio furniture. I currently have hardwood tables and chairs (hard, being the word for the chairs!) with a parasol in a hole in the middle of the table. I have had these tables for 7 years and have maticulously taken them in each winter and sanded and oiled them - yes that's 5 tables and 30 chairs !!!

They are now tired and need changing for next year (or even this one!) I have been looking around and was in Ikea yesterday who have an offer on table/chair sets (tables at 130€ reduced to 69€ if you buy chairs with it) offer ends 26 June. Great! The range is AMMERO and is an aluminium frame with frosted glass top - hygenic, easy-clean, no sanding and oiling required!

The only problem is that there is no hole in the middle - this may be a blessing as LV told me that the glass in one of her tables broke when a guest left a parasol up on a windy day. But does mean that I will have to buy 5 parasols where the pole sits away from the table and arches across the table where the parasol hangs down - works with a windup handle - Ikea sell these at 70€.

Parasols are my PITA - they are always blowing away, or ripping and currently I have CASA ones at 25€ each, fine for replacing, but what about ones that are nearly 3 times dearer?

What does the panel think?
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Tizfata
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Post by Tizfata »

My situation is very close to yours, Caroline, about the apartments and about the wind!
At the beginning I worried A LOT about the parasols, bought A LOT of them, worried A LOT about the bald patch that the thing holding the parasol left on the ground.
Then I met TULLERÖ and my life changed forever! :D
Cheap, easy to maintain... No hole for parasol? I have some trees in the garden!
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CarolineH
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Post by CarolineH »

Tizfata wrote: Then I met TULLERÖ and my life changed forever! :D
They're not really big enough for me - they need to be able to seat 6 people comfortably - and there is a LOT of sun here (well that's what I advertise, anyway :wink: ) Actually the courtyard is southfacing, so some sun protection for my little families is a must.
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Tizfata
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Post by Tizfata »

CarolineH wrote:They're not really big enough for me - they need to be able to seat 6 people comfortably
I bought more TULLERÖs than necessary, to have spare chairs so you can accommodate up to 6 and have a quick replacement when I find on a busy Saturday morning that one of the chairs has one of the slats is broken...
CarolineH wrote:there is a LOT of sun here
We (Tuscany) are possibly sunnier than Brittany. So sunny that the sun is too strong to sit outdoor :shock: at midday
:D
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KathyG
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Post by KathyG »

What about sun sails Caroline, would that work in your situation?
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CarolineH
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Post by CarolineH »

Tizfata wrote: We (Tuscany) are possibly sunnier than Brittany. So sunny that the sun is too strong to sit outdoor :shock: at midday
:D
I was only joking - we've had more rain over the last two months than I've ever seen - so the parasols act more like umbrellas !
KathyG wrote:What about sun sails Caroline, would that work in your situation?
I looked at these, Kathy, but I would need to put up at least two poles to suspend them from per table and I'm sure people wouldn't take them down when it was windy, so they would end up ripped.
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

I looked at the tables in Ikea when I was there last week and can't understand why there are no holes in the tables. The arc parasols which need to be anchored on the ground are real wind traps. I had one and it didn't last long :(
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CarolineH
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Post by CarolineH »

la vache! wrote:I looked at the tables in Ikea when I was there last week and can't understand why there are no holes in the tables. The arc parasols which need to be anchored on the ground are real wind traps. I had one and it didn't last long :(
Oh dear, that's what I was concerned about - now I am considering GARPEN table which says that it has a béton, peinture laque tabletop - maybe I could drill a hole in it and fit one of those plastic hole things that you get for passing cables through on a desk ????
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CarolineH
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Post by CarolineH »

What do you reckon to this - good price and with a hole in it.

I'm a bit nervous about the glass top though - currently I don't have stands for the parasols - they just sit on the ground and are supported by the hole in the table and a hole lower down in the frame (a bit like this one, only lower down towards the floor) I guess I would need to buy a solid stand to stop the parasol wiggling around and cracking the table?
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Moliere
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Post by Moliere »

I imagine you've already considered it, but could you not get away with big parasols, with locking hinged stems in heavy bases?

I only need one for my house, but they can be moved around easily and in the right place mine would certainly shade a table for 6; the bases are eternal and the parasols cost about 30 to 40 Euros (every year or so, more often if you're unlucky!)

Mols
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CarolineH
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Post by CarolineH »

Moliere wrote:I imagine you've already considered it, but could you not get away with big parasols, with locking hinged stems in heavy bases?
Mols
Do you mean something like this, Mols? I haven't considered it because I was thinking that the parasol needed to be over the table ... but might be an option.
ccazes
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Post by ccazes »

I like the Delamaison table and it has good reviews....

I also buy my parasols in Casa as they are cheap and cheerful and I bought a heavy base on wheels there too for about 30 euros. When I use the villa I like to be able to move it about the terrace.
Wouldn't work on gravel or grassy surfaces though!
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wallypott
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Post by wallypott »

In the delamaison ones on the 'noir' photo, the look very low to the ground. Just a thought. The thought of being 6 lots of them is a bit awe inspiring price wise.

Don't forget the sales will be with us in a couple of weeks.

I've just bought the fake wood grey table http://www.ikea.com/fr/fr/catalog/products/00205214/ and I'm pleased with it, and grey metal chairs in Ikea http://www.ikea.com/fr/fr/catalog/products/00193206/, and they seem to be ok. But same problem as you with the parasol - i.e. no hole. I think I am going to go to Casa and see if I can get some parasols!
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CarolineH
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Post by CarolineH »

Delamaison has no stock left :cry: on either colour table.

I hate shopping - even the online type.

So I've been surfing trying to find something similar and it seems that the latest trend is tables with no holes - bah, humbug!
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Moliere
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Post by Moliere »

CarolineH wrote:
Moliere wrote:I imagine you've already considered it, but could you not get away with big parasols, with locking hinged stems in heavy bases?
Mols
Do you mean something like this, Mols? I haven't considered it because I was thinking that the parasol needed to be over the table ... but might be an option.
Yes that's the sort of thing I was suggesting. I've got something similar, which works very well because it can be moved around the table to suit the solar situation and has the additional advantage that at non-meal times it can be moved again to provide a little oasis of shade, ideal for (eg) keeping your face out of the sun whilst tanning the rest, or for those who don't like too much sun to socialise with those who do.


Mols
Jumping is just dressage with speed-bumps.
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