A new and growing trend in contemporary furnishing is the use of furniture traditionally used indoors for outdoor settings. Originally this just meant furniture like chairs and couches doing double duty as patio furniture, but now you'll find outdoor fireplaces and even full outdoor kitchens.
No matter your climate, you will need to take extra precautions to maintain this outdoor furniture. In this article I will describe some critical steps necessary to maintain the beauty and comfort of your outdoor furniture.

Choose the Right Materials
Depending on the purpose of the piece, you may need to utilize different materials. For chairs and sofas, resin wicker makes for a durable, flexible and attractive furniture. You obviously want to use concrete, brick or stone for your fireplace. More difficult choices are involved when you select material for an outdoor kitchen.
Marbles and slate make durable and attractive surface tops, but outdoor kitchen cabinets usually require some form of wood. I encourage you to use a well-sealed hardwood. The ideal, although expensive, would be teak. Teak features natural oils which prevent wear and insect infestation.

Inhibit Mold and Mildew
Another step in most climates will be to prevent the growth of mold or mildew. You will find quality sprays for handling this preventative maintenance, but it is still important that you closely examine the insides and undersides of your furniture to prevent outbreaks of mold or mildew.
Please note that it is much easier to be persistent in preventing mold than it is to combat it once it gets a foothold of growth started on your furniture.

Keep the Bugs Away
Even beyond termites, various bugs and insects can slowly deteriorate the quality and beauty of your outdoor furniture. Take precautions to not spray areas where food may be stored or handled, but try to keep most exterior surfaces protected with some kind of insect repellent.

I also encourage you to keep creases and crevices tight and sealed whenever possible - anything you can do to keep bugs from infiltrating the insides of a piece of outdoor furniture.

Keep It All Clean
Both bug prevention and mildew resistance come into play when it comes to appreciating the need to keep things clean. Ironically, you may need to be a little more vigilant about keeping some of your outdoor furniture clean than you do with your indoor furniture.
For example, outdoor kitchen cabinets really need to be kept clean to prevent bugs and mildew. This means thoroughly wiping them down after each use (including the outside of each cabinet door and cabinet side).
Some of this may sound like a lot of work, but once you get it down to a routine, it really isn't too bad. And the benefits are great: you will enjoy the comfort and beauty of rugged outdoor furniture for many years.