Seattle, Washington homeowners seem to have more outdoor teak furniture on their patio and deck areas then any place I have visited so far. My wife and I were house shopping in the Madison, Madrona, Denny, Washington and surrounding areas this weekend and I discovered most of the homes we visited that had decks also had some type of teak furniture. Some homes had several pieces including large outdoor teak dining tables, teak dining chairs, teak loungers and more. Others had a two person teak breakfast dining set or a set of teak steamer loungers or perhaps a couple of basic teak reclining chairs.
From what I understand, these areas are not the only homes in Seattle with beautiful decks furnished with outdoor teak furniture. Home owners up and down Seattle’s sliver of real estate will appreciate the weatherproof properties of teak patio furniture. Seattle’s punishing, year-round rains makes it is easy to see why homeowners choose outdoor teak patio furniture over metal or other lesser wood furniture types.
If you are new to teak furniture, you will learn that teak furniture contains special natural oils that help preserve the wood keeping it intact far longer than most other natural resources. In certain climates, like Seattle, Washington, outdoor teak patio furniture is a better solution than metal which can rust, corrode or bond with other elements in the rain to permanently tarnish your furniture.
Teak Furniture is Best for Seattle Weather
As I mentioned earlier, teak has those special, unique, magical qualities that makes it the ideal material for outdoor use. In Seattle, Washington, it is easy to see why homeowners are using it on their back patios. From what I could tell from the homes I visited, the homeowners’ teak furniture was heavily worn, but still looking great. While daily rains wreaked havoc on railings and other non-teak products, the teak furniture, though grayed, look absolutely rich and elegant. Personally, if I lived in Seattle, I wouldn’t bother to clean the teak up either. I would simply leave it as is and preserve the natural look which looks so much more in line with the Seattle landscape. The gray patina of teak is probably highly appreciated in Seattle. They love gray!
The one thing I think people of Seattle would really benefit from would be outdoor teak tiles which would really create the finishing touch of elegance. Perhaps, outdoor teak tiles are too new and homeowners have not yet discovered them. If that is the case, then I would expect to see them become more popular in places like Seattle.
Another thing that is really wonderful about people in Seattle is that they seem to be drawn to a more natural way of living. This is easy to see when you go to their supermarkets. These stores are stocked full of natural and healthy materials. For those looking to move away from petroleum based products like plastic and vinyl outdoor furniture, teak patio furniture becomes an obvious contender.
Selecting The Right Outdoor Teak Furniture
When purchasing teak furniture, you should pay close attention to the region and quality the teak furniture originated from. While certain regions are better than others, you should always look to buy from a teak furniture company that cares about sustainability. Most reputable dealers will display some wording to support this, but the companies that do not, require your deeper investigation.
Furthermore, because teak wood is a natural resource, like most natural resources, you should understand that even the companies that seek suppliers that claim to be earth friendly may be in the process of improving harvesting practices and not be on the most critical lists. While the industry continues to mature and come in contact with a socially conscious society, you should expect to see more influence in the direction of better sustainability across the board. In the end, companies that show awareness and are subsequent rewarded with your business, will help to push the
June 4th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
That’s a great point! The long-lasting nature of teak furniture makes it even more environmentally friendly. While other outdoor patio furniture only lasts a few years before being thrown to the landfills, quality teak outdoor furniture is built to last a long time, 50 years or more! With less material in our landfills and less manufacturing processes taking place to create duplicate product, teak furniture has a tiny carbon footprint when compared to other outdoor patio furniture.
June 5th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
Thanks for the input Nate! I justed returned from Seattle, Washington after a long five hour plane flight and I am bushed. Still, my body thinks I am on Seattle time and so I am just tying up some loose ends. Also, I went online to see how we ranked for outdoor teak furniture in Seattle Washington and I found that we ranked number one for “seattle teak patio” which I thought was pretty interested since I just posted my remark a few days ago. Hopefully, people in Seattle will visit Dragonflyteak.com to learn more about our outdoor teak furniture and pair that up with free shipping and great service and start placing their orders for when the weather clears up.
It was cold and rainy in Seattle this visit. I have to admit though, after living in Florida for so long, Seattle’s cooler climate and dimmer light was a nice escape. My wife went on a crusade to ask how people liked Seattle and most people talked about how they loved everything, but the weather. I talked to other local Seattle residents and a couple of them said it wasn’t so bad.
One thing I have to say about the brunt of the people we came across in our visit to Seattle, is that on the whole the citizens of Seattle are really nice people. They don’t shy away from you if you have a question. If you look lost, people will approach you unsolicited and ask if they can help you. There seems to be a kind of camaraderie and sense of community there that you don’t easily find in other cities.
Another thing that really impressed me about Seattle was how people seemed to have given up on umbrellas. One person told my wife that you could always pick out the tourists because they were the ones with the umbrellas. And you know what? They were right! I had an umbrella and so did she!
There was a metal sculpture of an umbrella being blown insider out by the wind, and I suspect that is what happened to each and every person who moved to Seattle. They went through two or three umbrella’s in a weeks time, because the wind just blew them apart and finally they gave up and stop repurchasing them. That’s what I suspect anyhow.
Seattle is so remarkable. It has twists and turns and character and is split up into some many different neighborhoods and subsections, by water, throughway’s, bridges, hills, and town centers. Every car ride or stroll is a new adventure. We included a GPS in our Seattle car rental and it was a good thing, but even the GPS had a hard time keeping track. There were so many turns that we were forever recalculating routes from missed right’s or left’s. The GPS also got several one-way streets backwards, but each time I noticed before making a perilous turn.
All in all, I have to say that I think Seattle is now one of my favorite destinations. Anytime a customer from Seattle calls up to ask about our teak furniture, I will take a real pleasure in helping them out. After all, Seattle people helped us out so I have to make sure to return the favor.