How should you choose the Right Garden Bench?

Summary

• Material matters – Softwood benches are inexpensive but short-lived, while hardwoods like teak are far more durable, low-maintenance, and able to withstand wet and cold climates.

• Size and seating capacity – The right bench depends on both the scale of your garden and how many people you’d like it to seat comfortably.

• Longevity and quality – Chic Teak’s benches, crafted from premium teak, come with a 10-year guarantee, reflecting their strength, resilience, and enduring elegance.

A garden bench is an ideal addition to any garden, no matter what size or shape you’re working with. For its versatility alone, the garden bench is the most popular choice when it comes to garden furniture but given the large range of options available on the market, selecting the right bench for your home can be difficult. We’ve put together this guide to walk you through the factors you may need to consider.

Adding casual seating to your garden will make the space more integrated with your day-to-day lifestyle. By adding a comfortable place to perch, you’ll spend more time outside unwinding in your garden.

How to choose the right material?

1. Softwood
   Softwoods are ideal for those who prefer natural materials, however, they are relatively cheap and have a limited lifespan. It’s advisable to keep softwood benches indoors during winter as they may not survive wet and cold climates.
   
   
2. Hardwood
   Hardwood benches such as teak come from slow-growing trees, resulting in a dense and robust composition. They require minimal maintenance and are more suitable for cold and wet seasons than softwood benches.

At Chic Teak we have a range of teak wood garden benches, all of which come with a 10-year guarantee.

How to choose the right size bench? 

Choosing the right sized garden bench comes down to two main factors:

1. The size of your garden, and
2. The number of people you would like it to accommodate.

If you buy a bench that is too large for the space, it can make your garden appear smaller. Alternatively, you don’t want to buy a bench that is too small to seat all of your household or guests.

Our 2-seater Salisbury Teak bench is perfect for smaller spaces.

If you have more room to play with, our large Salisbury Teak Bench can seat up to 6 people comfortably.

Curved benches are an intelligent space-saving option as they can be placed around trees, and take up less space than a linear bench. For example, our Circular Teak Tree Bench, which also comes in a quarter, and semi-circle formulation.

Corner benches offer another great option for using your space intelligently, such as our Salisbury Corner Teak Bench; an elegant, traditional teak bench with a wide horizontal crest rail, curved slatted back and curved seat.

How to choose the right bench style? 

Choosing the style of your bench comes down to personal taste, but there are some factors you may want to consider. 

If you prefer a minimalist look then our Backless Teak Bench fits the bill, as long as you and your guests are happy to sit without a backrest. These are popular on tennis courts. For added comfort, many of our teak garden benches come with the option of outdoor cushions which you can opt for when placing your order. Available in a range of colours: Ecru, Graphite, Light Grey, Taupe and Green.

For a more modern aesthetic, our Mayfair Teak Bench is a very popular option.

A relaxed and informal option you may want to consider is the Gloucester teak bench, also known as the banana bench or peanut bench; a curved bench with an extra thick 12 cm rolled crest rail, flat seat and slatted back.

If comfort is your main priority, a sympathetically shaped back and seat will mould seamlessly to you and support your posture, for example, our Guildford Teak Bench which is one of our most comfortable teak garden benches.

You can browse the rest of our range here where we have many more styles and shapes for you to peruse.

How to maintain your bench?

Purchasing a hardwood bench of exceptional quality is a wise investment because it will last for decades. There is no need to oil or varnish our teak wood garden benches, as they are naturally waterproof. You can learn more about maintaining your teak garden furniture in our Teak Care Guide. If you are nervous about the harsh winter climates, read our advice on Protecting your Teak furniture over the Winter

We hope you feel more confident about choosing the perfect garden bench for your home. 

If you have any questions or would like further information on any of our Teak Garden benches, please give us a call on 01256 398008 and one of the team will be happy to help.

Author Bio 
Robert Bowden, founder of Chic Teak, specialising in high end, luxury teak garden furniture. Guided by Robert’s vision, Chic Teak supplies Grade A teak furniture that blends enduring beauty with genuine sustainability and excellent customer service.