Bar Height Patio Furniture Sets

For example, if you live in a windy climate, select a heavy material like wrought iron, so it's less likely to blow away. Or, if you believe you'll be moving the furniture around frequently, select pieces with wicker inserts so it will be easier to lift.

You can select from bar height patio furniture sets made from aluminum, wrought iron, steel, recycled plastic, teak, and natural wood. Each has their pros and cons depending on the look you desire, as well as your local weather conditions.

You'll find that, in addition to materials having different requirements based on climates and locations, materials also vary in strength and weight. Therefore, it's essential that you consider how and where you'll be placing these pieces of furniture before selecting materials.

Would you like a standard dining table? Are you looking for a bistro table? Do you plan on entertaining a large group, or have intimate dinners? Do you prefer a round or square table? Answering these questions, as well as assessing the size of your outdoor space will help you determine the type of table you should choose.

When selecting bar height patio furniture sets, you're going to be doing much more than picking out what will work best for your outdoor space. You'll be selecting comfortable seating for around the table, as well. For example, do you want cushions for the seats? Are you okay with sitting directly on the wooden, metal, or plastic surface? How many seats do you need? Remember, if you plan to sit on the chairs for a lengthy period, you may also want to select ones that have backs as well, instead of a barstool.

The average height of a bar stool is between twenty-nine and thirty-two inches, and bar height tables are between forty-one and forty-three inches high. These are the preliminary measurements you’ll need to help you move forward with your decisions.

These dining sets are created to complement the laid-back environment and the welcoming comfort of your patio. Of what use is your investment on your favorite unwinding space if your bar-height dining set does not offer matching ease and comfort? Browse through these trending styles and zero in on the one that is made for your patio.

Organic Wicker/Rattan

Patio bar dining sets made from wicker and rattan make a great match with the natural surroundings. Their intricate weaving patterns add to their organic charm. And their ochre, brown, grey, or pale-yellow shades complement the other outdoor elements.

For these and many other reasons, wicker and rattan bar-height dining sets are quintessential to numerous patio settings. To add to the comfort and elegance of these dining sets, you can arrange cushions and backrests in plain colors or natural texture prints.

Some trending styles are:

• Minimalist - A long table-top with four legs and central support, and high, square stools with footrests. Preferably grey wicker/rattan - it too is a minimalist shade.

• Functional - A tabletop of gentle rectangular shape with 2X2 and 1X1 sitting arrangement. Chairs will have a seat and backrest but no armrests. And straight-leg height with footrest. Wicker or rattan can be ochre.

• Dual-color - This style is trending because it creates an interesting horizontal pattern of dark-light wicker or rattan weaving. Some designs have pattern variations in three or 4 shades. Tabletop and chair styling could be of your choice.

Metal

Styles to check out are cast iron, cast aluminum, wrought iron, and mixed aluminum-iron patio bar dining sets. They are in vogue because:

• Graceful and light designs with floral, geometric, or asymmetrical patterns
• Natural finish and looks typical of patio furniture
• Royal oriental looks
• Functional features -No climatic effects, lightweight, easily portable, and easy on torso and back

No matter which style and material you choose in this category, avoid adding cushions. Why? Because they conceal the intricate grace of seat and backrest designs, and they are a huge deterrent to the essentially single-color elegance of metal patio furniture. Imagine a bright red cushion on a dull brown or oxidized wrought iron chair!

Instead, you could tie wool tassels or other hand-crafted danglers to the chair and table legs and keep changing them each month for variety. This is just one of the many ideas with which you can enhance the beauty of metal patio bar dining sets.

Wood

Wood and furniture are synonymous with each other for many reasons that we all know too well. From umpteen number of wood textures to finishes, the list is long.

For bar-height patio dining tables, the in-style wood varieties include:

• Angular with planked seat and backrest. Angles are in, tapered curves are out. Their sharpness makes the furniture look neatly modern. The planked seat and backrest add to this chic. This style is amiable with many outdoor settings, and patio is one of them. We recommend natural wood finish for this style; it enhances the "sharpness" of this style.

• Glass table-top and cushioned stools. This is a prominent functional style currently "in." The table stands on solid supports on the edges, not on four legs. The stools are covered and of straight-leg height, with cushions. The dining set is painted with complementary colors - for example, blue-orange chairs and tables.  And a couple of flower vases or other décor objects invariably sit on the tabletop.

• Multi-piece dining set. This is the avant-garde in patio bar dining sets. Instead of a single table, it has two or more smaller dining and serving units.

The design approach to this style is that for small gatherings, multiple smaller tabletops are better than a single, large table. These units have cabinets to store cutlery and other dining accessories.

The biggest advantage of this style of patio bar dining tables is their movability and modularity. Depending on the number of guests, you can move the units to a cozy corner or a larger area, and also add or remove units as needed.

Plastic

These are the affordable dining units made from ABS or PVC plastic. Like the other plastic furniture, they offer the benefits of lightweight and modularity. They are also maintenance-free, eco-friendly, water and stain-proof, and they come in wonderful surface textures. Some of them mimic natural wood so well that you can't make out the difference. 

On the flip side, they corrode over time and their colors fade due to UV effect. Also, they look "synthetic" when compared with the rest of the patio's ambient elements.

Plastic patio bar dining tables' styling is characterized by:

• Curved corners and joints
• Bright colors
• Wood-like textures
• Foldable designs

Often, plastic patio bar dining tables come as composite units - table, chairs, storage cabinets, and serving stools.

You can opt for them if you prefer a periodic change in patio furniture and don't want to make a heavy one-time investment. Also, count on them if you want a single harmonious dining unit without having to buy storage units separately.

Cushions have functional as well as aesthetic relevance to the selection of patio bar dining sets. Here is a short breakdown.

Functional

The bar-height sitting position requires specific torso support. This becomes even more important, considering that many of these chair and stool designs don't have a backrest and back support. Thus, the torso has to take most of the body weight. A cushion absorbs the impact of this weight and distributes it evenly across the lower body. It also provides relief to the spine in the absence of a backrest.

As for the filling of these cushions, memory foam is the best, followed by natural fibers such as cotton or coir. Make an astute choice as below, depending on various factors:

• Climate - whether cold or moderate. Choose cotton for cold regions and memory foam for moderate climates.

• Sunlight - whether shaded or direct. Cotton for shaded patios, since it expands under direct sunlight; not advisable even for sunbrella-shaded spaces. Memory foam for sunlight-exposed spaces.

• Ambient temperature - either memory foam or natural fiber cushions will work effectively.

• Landscape - If a large part of it is a lawn, opt for the more temperature-friendly cotton cushions. A lawn is basically cut grass. It releases a lot of moisture in the air, which quickly gets converted in vapor in sunlit, open-to-sky patios. This phenomenon increases the ambient temperature significantly.

Aesthetics

Cushion coverings often "make or break" the elegance of patio bar dining sets. If you choose a set with cushions, keep these types of coverings and their characteristics in mind:

• Leather. It is synonymous with premium patio bar dining sets. Being very durable and comfortable to sit on, adds functional benefits to its exclusive richness. You can select from full-grain, embossed-grain, or split-suede varieties.

• Faux or artificial leather. It isn't as expensive as genuine leather, and it offers a a wide choice of finishes such as plain colors, leather textures, wood, and other natural textures, and umpteen designs and patterns.

• Polyurethane (PU) and polyvinyl chloride (vinyl). These are synthetic plastic materials more affordable than leather. Durability, waterproof, stain-proof, maintenance-friendly, and climatic stability are their noted benefits.

• Natural fabrics. Cotton, the coolest fabric on earth, is also unmatched for its infinite designs and colors. Cushion covers with cotton fabrics are so versatile, they can transform the entire outlook of your patio bar dining set or merge it seamlessly with the overall backyard ambiance. Linen comes next, with its natural, soft feeling and subtle plain colors. Or, go for canvas or denim for that robust, countryside look for your patio bar dining set if it matches your entire backyard setting.

When you invest so much on creating an idyllic patio, your patio bar dining table should add to its ambiance. This article will help you do just that!