Although we don’t like to admit it, we’re all guilty of trying to keep up with the Joneses. It’s the natural cycle of adult life—you begin as a free-spirited young adult, progress to owning your own piece of suburbia, and before you know it, your days of punk rock and free love have turned into day trips to IKEA, two-car driveways, and an obsession to outdo your neighbors.
Even if you haven’t gone full-Stepford just yet, you’re probably still desperate to show off to your neighbors. Maybe they have an amazing garden and yours looks poor by comparison; maybe you’re just committed to making your neighborhood a better place.
Regardless of the reason, we all want to impress our neighbors, and that’s where the following furniture ideas can help.
LED Umbrellas
An umbrella is a must-have for your backyard furniture set. It’ll keep the sun and even the rain at bay, allowing you to spend more time in your garden. There’s nothing impressive about an umbrella, but there’s definitely something impressive about an LED umbrella.
As the name suggests, these umbrellas have LED lights fitted underneath. They provide a dual purpose as they will light the table and your guests while also impressing any nosey neighbors peeking through the curtains.
Although it sounds like a tacky addition to a common furniture accessory, most LED umbrellas are very tasteful. The lights are only on the underside of the umbrella, and they are placed alongside the ribs—it’s enough to provide some luminescence without turning your patio into a cheap casino.
Basic LED patio umbrellas are available for less than $100, as the lights are relatively cheap and everything else remains the same. But as with all outdoor umbrella purchases, you need to pay attention to both the size and the quality.
There is no point dropping $100 on a patio umbrella that doesn’t even cover your table and chairs. Cheap umbrellas can also be more hassle than they are worth, as you’ll constantly be cleaning them, fixing them, removing/replacing them, and apologizing to your neighbors as they turn into lethal weapons when the wind picks up.
Focus on the materials, look at the reviews, and double-check the dimensions. You may need to spend an extra $50 or $100 to get the right one, but it’ll save you a lot of hassle and future repair/replacement costs.
Fire Tables
There are few things more spectacular than a fire table. It is the ultimate garden centerpiece and something that will astound your guests and impress your neighbors.
Tables like the SummerSide Fire Table combine dining tables, bars, or counter tables with fire pits—two essential outdoor furniture components. Your guests can sit around the table and enjoy their drinks, snacks, and meals while a fire burns in the middle.
The flames burn in the middle of the table and are protected by a heatproof shield that ensures food, drinkware, and stray hands don’t get burned or singed.
If you only have room for a single table in your backyard or on your patio, make sure it’s a fire table. To complete the look, you’ll need a few chairs or stools. Make sure you pay attention to the height (Bar, Counter, or Dining) and buy chairs/stools that are the same height.
Weather-Resistant Furniture Sets
Nothing is more deflating and unimpressive than a garden that is bright, colorful, and beautiful in the summer but looks empty and bleak in the winter. If your outdoor furniture is so temperamental that you need to cover it in tarpaulin or hide it in sheds and basements, then you’re not going to impress anyone.
Outdoor furniture is supposed to get wet. It’s built to withstand wind, snow, rain, and whatever else the local climate can throw at it. Sure, you still need to remove umbrellas when they are not in use, give everything a bi-weekly clean, and look out for rust and mold, but the best furniture can be left outside 365 days a year.
The furniture that we sell at Seven Summers is made from high-quality poly lumber. It’s a unique material manufactured from old milk cartons and detergent bottles. Materials that would otherwise be sent to landfills are recycled into something that looks like wood but is more comfortable, more environmentally friendly, and much more hard-wearing.
It won’t crack or split like wood. You don’t need to treat it every couple of years and it’s very easy to clean. It can hold strong through all kinds of bad weather and the fact that it’s easy to clean means it won’t harbor bacteria or attract fungus and mildew.
Brick Fire Pits
A fire pit is a must-have accessory for all backyards. It’s the hearth—or TV—of the patio in that all the furniture is placed around it, making it the focal point of your patio/yard design.
Many fire pits serve only a practical purpose and don’t add much to the aesthetic. If you have a small patio or yard, a simple metal fire pit is ideal and will still heat your guests and provide a little light. But if you have a large space and lots of chairs, that fire pit is going to be dwarfed and will look out of place.
That’s where brick fire pits come in. Typically circular in design, these fire pits are made from brick and are fitted with an inner metal ring. They are much bigger and more impressive than standard metal fire pits and if you have the materials and the know-how, you can make them yourself.
There are countless YouTube videos showing you how to make your own brick fire pit, including this square one from a UK DIY store. You can also buy kits to make the process easier, as seen in this video.
You will need to dig, lay a foundation, and then build. Once the pit begins to take form, simply slip the fire ring into place, and finish the job.
When your neighbors peer over the fence to admire your new addition, you have the honor of telling them that you made it yourself!
A Swimming Pool
A swimming pool is the ultimate luxury. It’s the feature that no rich person would be seen without, and if you’re able to build or buy a swimming pool for your back garden, you’ll be the talk of the neighborhood.
It might seem a little out of reach, but swimming pools are much more accessible than you might think.
Your first option is to buy an above-ground pool. These pools begin at around $100 and, at their most affordable, are basically just simple plastic-framed structures or inflatables. It might not scream “I’ve made it”, but it’s a swimming pool that multiple people can use, and you’ll be thankful for it in mid-July when it feels like you’re being slow-roasted by the sun.
Rigid above-ground pools made using steel frames and durable materials can cost up to $1,000 and beyond that, you’ll need to start digging. An inground pool is not cheap and unless you have a lot of time and materials, it’s not something you can easily do yourself.
The average cost for an inground pool is between $20,000 and $40,000, but it depends on the size and the materials used.
A Fishpond
If a pool is too pricey but you still have your heart set on a water feature, consider a fishpond instead.
As with a swimming pool, you have a couple of options here. An above-ground pond will set you back between $300 and $600 at the lower end while the average cost for digging a pond is around $3,500.
You’ll need to think about equipment as well, not to mention the actual fish that will go in the pond. All things considered, it’s a lot cheaper than installing a swimming pool and it still makes for a very impressive backyard feature, but it won’t cool you down in the height of summer and your neighbors won’t be stripping to their swimwear and paying you a visit.
A Hot Tub
A hot tub is the perfect winter accessory, and it will have your neighbors beating down your door and begging to join you during those cold fall and winter nights. And just like a swimming pool and fishpond, hot tubs are often much more affordable than people realize.
If you want the best of the best, you’ll be looking at nearly 5-figures—the same amount could be used to completely renovate your bathroom or even buy an above-ground swimming pool and an inground fishpond. But if you keep it simple, you can get change on $1000.
In fact, inflatable hot tubs are even cheaper, and you can find a tub big enough for 4 people for less than $500. It won’t be “ski resort” quality, but it’ll still do the job and once you’re immersed in the water with the bubbles soothing your aches and pains, you won’t care if it’s plastic, wood, or kryptonite!