Best sofa dining sets for long lunches and relaxed evenings

The best outdoor sofa dining sets make a refreshing change from more formal dining table and chair sets, and we're seeing a huge trend for combining the comfort and laidback vibes such garden furniture brings. From a chilled Sunday brunch to firing up the trusty BBQ with friends, these versatile sets make al fresco meals a far more relaxed and enjoyable affair.

Sofa dining sets allow you to eat in comfort and style, and they also come in a wide range of different materials, including trusty all-weather rattan, smooth aluminium teamed with tactile synthetic rope, or rich wood, along with fully upholstered designs. Each have their own distinct characteristics and charm, but they also have differing lifespans and maintenance needs.

Best sofa dining sets at a glance:

• Best rattan sofa dining set overall: Habitat Malta 6 Seater Rattan Effect Garden Corner Sofa Set - Buy now at Argos
• Best sofa set for comfort: Matara Rattan Effect Corner Sofa Set - Buy now at Homebase
• Best value sofa dining set: COZYBRITE Garden Corner Sofa Rattan Furniture Set - Buy now on Amazon UK

Offering a more social experience than outdoor chairs, ‘L’ shape or corner sofas are the most popular design this season. They’re great for squeezing in loads of friends or for lazing around and putting your feet up. Styled to push back close to a wall and tuck into a corner (although make sure you leave enough space for recliners), they’ll make the most of compact patio space.

If you're looking for a sofa dining set to add to your garden this spring and summer, we've rounded up the best on the market. There's loads to choose from, including the more traditional two and three-seater sofas to those that feature a high-low table.

Best sofa dining sets for your garden

How we chose the best sofa dining sets

All of these sofa dining sets have been hand-selected by our team of Modern Gardens shopping experts. We carefully considered the style, seating capacity, and dining functionality in our selection of the best. Our team has spent hours investigating and researching sofa dining sets to make it easier for you to find the very best, and we'd never recommend a product we don't believe in.

Where possible, we also test and share the latest and best products you should know about. And with help from Modern Gardens Magazine, Garden News and Garden Answers, we share expert gardening knowledge to help you get the most from your product.

FAQs

Things to look out for when buying a sofa dining set

Find your dream set

These lounge dining sets range from fixed and modular corner sofas to more traditional two- and three-seater sofas, so you can find the best layout to make the most of your available space. ‘L’ shape or corner sofas are the most popular design this season. They’re great for squeezing in loads of friends or for lazing around and putting your feet up. Styled to push back close to a wall and tuck into a corner (although make sure you leave enough space for recliners), they’ll make the most of compact patio space.

If you want a more flexible arrangement, then a sofa with two outdoor armchairs might suit you better. Many sofa dining sets come with co-ordinating benches and individual stools too, which are perfect for accommodating extra guests.

What are high-low tables?

Some sofa dining sets feature a high-low table, where you can adjust the height from a low-level coffee table to a more formal dining height. They’re a real bonus if you only have room in your garden for one sofa set and you want to use your new settee for everyday lounging as well as al fresco eating.

These nifty tables work in one of two ways. The most popular designs must be lifted up and out of their base and moved to one side before being reslotted in at the higher level. It’s pretty basic and requires two people, but it only takes a few seconds, and there’s no built-in tech to go wrong. It can be tricky if the table is already laid with drinks and nibbles though! To be stable, this type of table tends to be block-shaped, so it’s not always the most elegant option.

Some tables have gas-lift risers and these effortlessly glide from coffee to dining height at the push or twist of a lever. There’s no need to remove items from the surface, enlist the help of a friend or even get up from your seat, as the simple gas-filled struts do all the work for you.

Table profiles and styling are usually slimmer too, enabling a much wider choice of materials including aluminium, but they do cost more than the simple lift-and-shift variety.

What material is best?

All-weather rattan products vary in quality, cost and performance, and this is usually down to the manufacturing processes used. For a long-lasting product, look for seating with a rigid steel or aluminium frame with minimal joints and screws. Look also for mono-extrusion processes where the dye is present throughout the entire rattan strand rather than just the coating, making any scratches much less visible. It’s easy to keep all-weather rattan dirt-free with a soft bristle brush and non-foaming cleaner.

Aluminium designs tend to be slender with clean lines. Light to move – ideal if you like a change of scene – the surface is smooth and can be powder-coated for extra toughness, often in matt black or other eye-catching colours. Thanks to its contemporary good looks, it is often paired with tactile details such as panels of woven synthetic rope or hardwoods such as responsibly sourced teak, which contain natural waterproofing oils and need little upkeep.

Fully tailored fabric sofas are this season’s outdoor A-listers. Thanks to advances in fabric technology, water- and stain-repellent fabrics have come down in cost and improved in performance. UV-stable and soft to the touch, they can be left out in sudden downpours and are pretty quick to air-dry. Look for solution-dyed acrylic products for a super hardwearing fabric, and check product details to see how easy they are to clean – some materials can even be jet-washed and refinished with a home clean kit to keep them in tip-top condition.

What about the cushions?

Although most sofas are designed to be left outside in all seasons, cushions can differ so do check the small print. Some must be brought inside at the slightest glimpse of a shower, but we’re seeing more and more that can be left in place in all but the heaviest rain. Often referred to as all-weather or shower-resistant cushions, these relatively new products have fibre-filled inners that allow any water to drain straight through. They’re more expensive than traditional seat pads but well worth it.

Neutral shades such as stone, dove grey, and charcoal are all on-trend this season. Most are UV fade-resistant, machine washable, and quick to dry, but do check if you want your outdoor cushions to look just as gorgeous next summer.

What to read next:

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Best fire pit tables for a cosy and contemporary garden

The best Lay-Z-Spa hot tubs that will change the way you relax

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Jill Morgan writes regularly for Modern Gardens, and loves everything to do with gardens, plants and outdoor living. Her long thin, town garden is the setting for many family and creative projects from bird feeding and veggie growing to den building and mini-pond dipping.