New backyard furniture

In January I broke the glass top of our backyard dining table. For a while I way toying with the idea of crafting a mosaic top but lethargy got the better of me. As spring rolled on, it became clear we needed a replacement—sooner rather than later. Initially, I looked at various stores specializing in outdoor furniture but I quickly realized that they are modern-day highway robbers. There was no way I way paying more for outdoor furniture than what we have inside!

So instead of getting a fancy $2000 dining set, we decided to go the cheap route: IKEA and Costco. IKEA actually had a table that was perfect for us, and in typical IKEA fashion, it has a name with multiple umlauts: ÄPPLARÖ.

 

The ÄPPLARÖ table has two drop leaves, which allows us to save space when it’s just the four us. Yet with the leaves extended, we have room for eight.

 

It’s made of acacia wood, which is presumably more eco-friendly than teak, and it was $139. Hard to beat!

 

The chairs came from Costco, our go-to store for just about anything. They are “commercial-grade” sling chairs featuring sun-resistant Sunbrella fabric. Presumably “commercial-grade” means they are made to withstand heavier buttock traffic than consumer-grade chairs?

 

I like the overall look a lot. It’s a bit modern and a bit rustic, and above all, it’s casual. It’s just like us.

 

IKEA even had the perfect pillow for our new hammock.

 

Now we’re definitely ready for summer! Margaritas, anyone?