The word 'luxury' gets attached to almost anything with a high price tag, which makes it a poor guide when you're actually choosing garden furniture. What separates the genuine article from the label is rarely visible in a photograph: the grade of the timber, the way the joints are cut, the thickness of a table top and whether it arrives ready to use.
Every Chic Teak piece is cut from the centre of a mature teak tree. It's the densest, closest-grained part of the timber and the only part that holds teak's full natural oil and silica content. Those oils repel water, deter insects and stop rot from within, so our furniture stands outside through decades of British winters without oil, sealant or varnish. Our own team delivers it fully assembled, ready to use from the moment it arrives.
Key Luxury Indicators
Here is what to actually look at, whoever you end up buying from.
It helps to know that 'Grade A' isn't an officially regulated classification, so the label alone isn't a guarantee. What matters is whether the wood was actually cut from the heartwood, the dense core of the tree, and how tightly a supplier controls for defects even within that grade.
| What to look for | What indicates otherwise | |
|---|---|---|
| Timber | Grade A heartwood: knot-free, with a close, curved grain and even colour | Knots, wide colour variation or sapwood from the outer tree |
| Tree age | Cut from trees 30 to 50 years old | Faster-grown, less dense timber |
| Joinery | Machine-cut mortice and tenon joints, neat and close-fitting | Joints that look handmade or sit loose |
| Table tops | Substantial solid teak, 4cm thick on most designs | Thin tops and slim legs to cut cost |
| Moisture | Kiln-dried to 10 to 15% for the UK climate | Dried for a warmer climate, so it shrinks here |
| Fittings | Brass or stainless steel | Fittings that will corrode |
| Delivery | Fully assembled and positioned | Flat-packed and left on the driveway |
| Guarantee | Ten years | One or two years, or none at all |
One more test, and it's the bluntest. If the price looks too good to be true, it will not be Grade A teak. Properly grown teak is expensive because the tree takes at least 50 years to mature, and some importers stain inferior timber with acid or other chemicals to pass it off as Grade A. That's worth knowing before you compare two similar-looking benches on price alone.
Our teak buying guide sets all of this out in full, including what to ask a retailer before you commit.
Made to Your Specification
If you have something specific in mind, or a space that nothing standard quite fits, we make bespoke pieces. Share the idea and we'll work through it with you, starting with our bespoke furniture design page or a call to the team.
For hotels, restaurants, estates and specifiers, our commercial and trade enquiries page covers what we can do at volume.
Sustainably Grown, Properly Certified
Luxury and sustainability are often claimed together and rarely evidenced. Ours can be checked. All our teak grows on Indonesian government-managed plantations, where felling is licensed and every tree removed is replaced.
Our timber carries SVLK certification, Indonesia's mandatory legality standard, and is also covered by the FLEGT licensing agreement between Indonesia and the European Union.
There is more detail on how we source our teak.
One Material Over Half a Century
Our chairman, Robert Bowden, bought his first teak bench over half a century ago. It is still in loyal service outside our Basingstoke showroom, and it has never seen a drop of furniture oil.
Everything we make grew out of that bench, and we have worked in teak, and only teak, ever since. That makes us a narrower business than most of the brands you will compare us against, and it is the reason we know the material as well as we do.
Read our story.
See It Before You Buy
Photographs cannot tell you how a chair sits or how a table top feels under your hand, and this is furniture you will live with for decades. Our Basingstoke showroom is open by appointment, and nothing replaces sitting in a chair before you buy it.
Book a showroom appointment or call us. Delivery is free on orders over £250 to UK mainland postcodes, and our ten-year guarantee applies once your furniture is fully assembled and positioned by our own team.
Luxury Garden Furniture: FAQs
What should you look for in luxury garden furniture?
Materials, joinery and construction rather than styling. Look for Grade A heartwood timber cut from mature trees, machine-cut mortice and tenon joints, substantial solid tops, brass or stainless steel fittings, correct kiln drying for the climate and a long guarantee.
Is teak the best material for luxury garden furniture?
For outdoor use, teak is the most durable timber available. Its high natural oil and silica content resists water, insects and rot without any oil, sealant or varnish, which is why Grade A heartwood teak lasts decades where most materials last only a few years.
Why is Grade A teak more expensive?
Because the tree takes at least 50 years to reach full maturity, and Grade A comes only from the heartwood at the centre of trees usually 30 to 50 years old. Each tree yields less of it, and nobody can grow it any faster. Our teak buying guide covers this in more detail.
Can you make something bespoke?
Yes. If you have a space that nothing standard fits, or a specific design in mind, share it with us and we will work through it together. Call 01256 398008 or start from our bespoke design page.
Do you supply hotels and commercial projects?
Yes, and we have supplied Lord's, the National Trust, Four Seasons and Battersea Park. Please note that our ten-year guarantee applies to domestic use and does not extend to commercial or public settings.