The Chairs That Start It All
My two top picks for getting your patio ready for summer — and why the right chair changes everything about how you use your outdoor space.
Every great outdoor space starts with a chair. Not the rug, not the planters, not the string lights — although all of those matter — but the chair. Because the moment you have a seat worth sitting in, you actually start using your outdoor space. You linger. You bring your coffee outside. You stay for the whole sunset instead of just walking through.
This spring I was asked to share my picks for the best patio chairs as part of a story in New York Magazine's Strategist, and I found myself thinking hard about what really makes an outdoor chair earn its spot. It is not just looks. It is the question of whether a chair can hold up to real life — to rain and sun and kids and time — while still looking beautiful doing it. These two chairs passed every test.
The right outdoor chair is the one you actually sit in. Beautiful chairs that get ignored because they are uncomfortable or fragile are just very expensive lawn ornaments.
My Two Picks This Season
French textile design is in a category all its own. There is a depth of craft, a richness of history, and a fearlessness with color and pattern that I find endlessly inspiring. These are the houses I always come back to.
Pick One · The Elevated Everyday
Pasadena Outdoor Club Chair
Threshold designed with Studio McGee · Target
Why I love it
Let me be honest with you about something: I think there is a lot of outdoor furniture out there that looks like outdoor furniture. You can immediately tell it lives outside — and not in a good way. The Pasadena club chair by Threshold and Studio McGee does not have that problem. The gray woven exterior, the clean square silhouette, the light wood-finish legs — it reads as a piece of real furniture that just happens to live on your patio.
The off-white cushions are generous and comfortable and the steel frame means this chair is not going anywhere in a storm. What I appreciate most is that it works in so many contexts. A small city terrace, a suburban deck, a backyard entertaining area. It does not demand a particular setting the way some outdoor pieces do.
And at Target pricing, you can afford to get two, which is always the right answer. A single chair on a patio always looks a little lonely.
Pick Two · The Forever Chair
Vineyard Curveback Adirondack
POLYWOOD · Starting at $289
Why I love it
The Adirondack chair is one of those shapes that has endured for a reason. It is deeply comfortable in a way that feels almost accidental — wide armrests, a reclined back, a low seat that invites you to fully exhale. The POLYWOOD Vineyard Curveback takes that silhouette and makes it virtually indestructible.
POLYWOOD lumber is made from recycled high-density polyethylene, which means it will not splinter, rot, crack, chip or fade. It can live through every season, in every climate, without so much as a coat of paint or a waterproofing treatment. There is a reason POLYWOOD backs this chair with a 20-year warranty. I have seen these chairs on coastal properties battered by salt air year after year and they look exactly the same. That is remarkable.
The curveback design is my preference over the classic flat Adirondack because of the gentle contouring — it cradles your back rather than fighting against it. Available in a beautiful range of colors, I tend to recommend a classic white, sage green or navy for most homes, but there are options for every palette. This is the chair you buy once and never replace.
Getting Your Patio Ready for Summer
Now that you have the chairs sorted, here is how I think about preparing an outdoor space to actually get used this season. The goal is always the same: make it as easy and inviting as possible to be outside.
01
Edit Before You Add
Before you buy anything new, remove everything that does not belong. Old cushions, forgotten planters, things you meant to deal with last fall. A clean slate always reveals more potential than you expect.
02
Anchor With a Rug
An outdoor rug is the single fastest way to make a patio feel like a room. It defines the seating area and pulls everything together. Look for something durable and easy to hose down.
03
Add a Surface
Every seating arrangement needs somewhere to put a drink. A small side table, a garden stool, even a stack of books works. Without a surface, you are always getting up and that breaks the spell of outdoor relaxation entirely.
04
Think About Shade
Aspace you cannot use in the afternoon is a space you barely use. Whether it is a quality umbrella, a pergola with shade cloth or a few well-placed trees, addressing the sun situation transforms how often you actually go outside.
05
Layer the Light
String lights, lanterns, a good exterior sconce. Outdoor lighting after dark is the most underrated investment you can make in your outdoor space. It is what turns a patio into a destination once the sun goes down.
06
Bring in Something Living
Potted plants, window boxes, an olive tree in a terracotta pot. Greenery adds softness, life and movement to an outdoor space in a way nothing else does. Start with one beautiful planter and see what it does.
The Indoor-Outdoor Conversation
The most beautiful homes blur the line between inside and out. When you can see your outdoor space from your living room the two should feel visually connected — not identical, but in conversation. The same palette, similar materials, a thread of continuity. A linen sofa inside, a linen-cushioned club chair outside. Warm wood floors inside, teak furniture outside.
This is also the year I encourage everyone to stop treating their outdoor spaces as afterthoughts. Your patio deserves the same intention and care as any room in your home. It is square footage you are either using or ignoring, and summer is far too short to ignore it.
Start with the chairs. Everything else follows.
