A porch sits between the house and the street, and its furniture has one job: keep you out there a little longer. A porch furniture set can skip the sofa and the dining table. Two good armchairs, a low table and, if the beams allow it, a swing seat cover most porches in the country.
Read the porch first
Measure the depth from the house wall to the edge. A porch of five or six feet takes a row of chairs along the wall, facing out. Seven or eight feet takes a small group with a low table in the middle. Past eight feet you have room for a swing that moves without hitting anyone.
A swing seat hangs from the ceiling, so the beam has to carry it. Ask a builder to check the beam and the fixing before you order. The swing also needs clear air in front and behind so it can rock.
four steps to a porch set
- 01Depth a deep porch takes a group, a narrow one takes a row
- 02Beam a swing needs a sound beam and a builder's check
- 03Anchor chair one strong armchair sets the style
- 04Low table within reach of every seat
One strong chair: Kettal Basket
The Danish designers Nanna and Jorgen Ditzel drew the Basket chair in the 1950s: a woven body carried by a wooden frame. Kettal makes it again in two versions. The original keeps oak and hand braided wicker and belongs indoors. The outdoor Basket armchair uses woven synthetic fiber on a yellow balau hardwood frame and can stand on an open porch. See the Basket collection.
Basket works where one chair sets the tone. A pair of them facing the street is a complete porch. The hardwood turns gray outside unless you oil it, which suits the quiet look of the chair. If the room behind the porch door should match, you can order the indoor original too.
A swing and its chairs: Kettal Maia
Patricia Urquiola designed Kettal Maia as a family of braided seats. Craftspeople braid a UV resistant fiber by hand over frames of aluminum or teak. The range covers a garden chair on a sled base, a chair with armrests, an armchair, a stool and a single swing seat. See the Maia collection.
The swing seat anchors a deep porch. Hang it at one end, set two Maia chairs beside it in the same braid, and the group reads as one set. The sled base pieces sit on continuous runners, which spread their weight on porch boards and slide when you move them. The stool doubles as a small table.
porch sets by depth
-
01
About 5 to 6 feet
- Layout
- A row along the wall
- Pieces
- Two armchairs, one side table
- Kettal pieces to look at
- Two Basket armchairs
-
02
About 7 to 8 feet
- Layout
- A small group
- Pieces
- Two armchairs, a low table, a stool
- Kettal pieces to look at
- Basket armchairs, Maia stool
-
03
Porch depth: 8 feet and more
- Layout
- A group and a swing
- Pieces
- Swing seat, two armchairs, a low table
- Kettal pieces to look at
- Maia swing seat, Maia or Basket chairs
Mixing the two
Basket and Maia share a woven look and differ in shape. Basket is round and deep, Maia is lighter and more open. A Maia swing with two Basket armchairs works on a porch that wants some weight at the chairs and some air at the swing. Keep the cushion fabric the same across both to tie them together.
Send us the depth of your porch and a photo of the ceiling where a swing might hang. You get back a Maia or Basket set that fits, a fabric card, and a price per item.
