By Susan Carmody

Click to enlarge. This set from Lloyd/Flanders is perfect for relaxing on a lazy afternoon.

Start dreaming of sun-drenched days and relaxing in the privacy of your own back yard because even though winter may still be nipping at your toes, now is the time to order outdoor furniture if you want it by the time the weather actually warms up. Outdoor furniture tends to have long lead times with deliveries taking from four to eight weeks and sometimes even longer, according to industry sources.

But what should you buy?

There are traditionally five types to choose from: aluminum (including cast aluminum), iron, wood, wicker or rattan, and resin. A hot trend is "mixed media": wood partnered with aluminum, says Jackie Hirschhaut, vice president of the American Furniture Manufacturers Association (AFMA) in High Point, N.C. It's sleek, contemporary and the wood adds a touch of warmth.

Click to enlarge. The Primero Collection from Kettler combines Java Teak and wrought iron for a modern effect.

Depending on where you live and how you live, certain materials will work better for you. If you reside near the ocean, wrought iron, which tends to rust easily, is probably not for you. If you want wood but don't favor a "weathered" look or caring for your pieces, you may want to reconsider - a sealer must be applied periodically to restore its original shade and retard the "aging process."

And if you're choosing pieces for poolside, how are cushions going to hold up to frequent splashings of chlorinated water? These are things to consider but, of course, you'll also want to look at style. After all, this is furniture even if it's going outside.

Zero in on what you're using your furniture for, what look you want or feeling you'd like to evoke, and how much time and effort you're willing to put into maintaining your pieces. With these things in mind, you can discover your outdoor furniture "profile." See if you can find yourself below.

Style Devotee: Your home's interior is exquisitely decorated, perfectly suiting its architecture and/or location, and you want your outdoor furnishings to complement its exterior and garden. You'd like comfort but are willing to skimp a little in that department for a particular look; you're willing to take a time to care for your furniture, if need be, and to pay a little more - for the best.

Fine, handcrafted teak pieces in contemporary as well as traditional styles are becoming popular choices for the style-savvy with expendable income, says Clay Kingsley, co-owner of Kingsley-Bate, a Virginia-based manufacturer of high-quality outdoor teak furnishings. The lone teak bench set in an English-style perennial garden is still a popular look, but teak use has expanded to the patio and deck, in contemporary dining sets and clean-lined chaise lounges, made comfy with stylish, weather-resistant cushions. Teak is a little pricey, he adds, but "it's virtually a one-time purchase and will last a lifetime, turning a rich, silver-gray as it ages."
Click here to view patio furniture in this style.

Click to enlarge. TKingsley Bate's Catalina teak set is easy to clean and maintain.

Easy Care Aficionado: You want comfort and easy care. You use your outdoor dining set for nightly summer barbeques, your chaise lounge almost every warm-weather weekend for catnaps and leisure reading. Cushioned chaises and dining sets are by far the most comfortable compared to sitting or reclining on bare sling or strap styles, but they require more maintenance and are more expensive. If you opt for comfort along with durability, cushions made of Sunbrella® fabric are a good choice, says Kingsley. They're water-repellent, non-mildewing and fade-resistant. And for optimal comfort, choose deep-seated models.
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Trendy Entertainer: You entertain a lot, and when warm weather reigns, you move your indoor soires outside and want friends and perhaps business associates to be comfortable and impressed by your well-selected, trend-setting, open-air furnishings. Easy care is not a top priority, style is. The newer mixed-media pieces are real attention-getters and provide the best of both worlds for this consumer, says Mike Echolds, CEO of Tropitone, a Los Angeles-based manufacturer of fine outdoor/patio furnishings. Teak combined with aluminum-framed seating (an offering from Tropitone's Parkway line) strikes a better balance of design and comfort than solid teak styles, he says.
Click here to view patio furniture in this style.

Budget-Savvy Parents: You use your outdoor furniture fairly often - and so do your children - so you have to keep durability in mind. You're also safety-conscious, looking for pieces that won't tilt easily or pinch little fingers. You don't have a lot of time for maintenance and you're on a budget. The key here is to look for clean-lined, solid pieces - the less intricate cutwork, the better. A good, solid aluminum frame with strap seating is durable and easy to clean, says Dudley Flanders, president of Lloyd/Flanders, a Michigan and Arkansas-based high-end outdoor furniture manufacturer. It's also less expensive than wood and cushioned pieces. Flanders recommends staying away from "motion" pieces, which swing or rock, if you have small children. A fun piece from Lloyd/Flanders is a wire-reinforced, all-weather wicker chaise lounge "built for two." A mother, or father, and child can recline side by side, read a book together or merely stay within each other's reach poolside.
Click here to view patio furniture in this style.

Click to enlarge. Tropitone's Bouquet chair is a classic example of garden furniture.

Garden Artist: Your garden is a work of art. You love to work in it, play in it and know how to enjoy it to its fullest. You want pieces that complement your landscape, you're willing to take style over comfort and you don't mind a little maintenance. This buyer's choice is often a teak or cast-iron bench artfully placed to define a special area or provide a resting spot from which to view a coveted landscape. Summer Classics, an Alabama-based manufacturer of fine garden furnishings, offers an extensive selection of these traditional pieces, including wrought-iron furniture specially sealed to prevent rust. The company also produces No-Rust Wrought Aluminum pieces designed in traditional wrought-iron styles.
Click here to view patio furniture in this style.

Poolside Lounger: You have a back yard pool and enjoy reclining poolside. You want ultra-comfy lounge chairs to sink into and will also hold up to the elements - namely pool water. You're no stranger to maintenance - you own a pool - but would rather not work too hard maintaining your outdoor furnishings. Dacron cushions, which allow water to go through them, are a good, easy-care poolside choice, says Mike Echolds at Tropitone. Instead of pooling on top, water filters through, allowing them to dry faster.
Click here to view patio furniture in this style.

Porch Dweller: You love your outdoor "room" and want to furnish it with pieces denoting your home's architecture and location. You seek comfort, but style and creating a particular feeling are also important. You don't expect your pieces to require much care; you'll store them during the winter months.

Wicker is often the choice for this consumer - although, lakeside residents may opt for a well-crafted Adirondack chair or handcrafted willow-branch seat. But wicker shoppers can find the "wicker look" in something much more durable these days, a material that can stay put during the winter months - an "all-weather" wicker. Summer Classics carries Four Seasons Wicker, which is actually UV-resistant vinyl woven over a solid aluminum frame. The manufacturer claims it's 100-percent weatherproof and easy to clean.
Click here to view Tropitone's furniture in this style.

Choosing the right outdoor furniture for you and your lifestyle is important not only for your optimal enjoyment but because, like your interior furnishings, it's an investment. So start thinking about blue skies and barbecues - and where you're going to sit to enjoy them.

Susan Carmody is a Northern California-based writer covering interior design trends and gardenscaping for several San Francisco Bay Area newspapers.