Aluminium is the most balanced choice: it does not rust, it is light enough to move on your own and it takes sun and rain with no maintenance. It is what we sell most for terraces and roof terraces.

Teak is a hardwood: the warmest to look at and the one that ages best, but it wants oiling once or twice a year if you want to keep the honey tone; leave it and it turns silver grey (that is a look, not a fault).

Good quality resin or synthetic fibre (woven over an aluminium frame) is the most comfortable for lounge areas and the easiest to clean. A word of warning: cheap resin goes brittle in the sun within two summers, which is why we only work with UV-protected fibres.

On the front line the enemy is not the sun, it is the salt. What works best is aluminium with a baked-on finish, AISI 316 stainless steel (304 pits), resin woven over aluminium, and teak. Avoid iron, ordinary galvanised steel and cheap fixings: the screws are the first thing to rust and stain.

A tip from years of deliveries along the coast: rinse the furniture with fresh water now and again (a hose, nothing more) and you double its life. If your terrace catches the sea breeze head on, add covers for the months you are not using it.

Allow 60 cm of width per person and about 80 cm of depth so plates and serving dishes fit. For 6 people that means roughly 180 × 90 cm for a rectangular table, or 130 to 150 cm across if it is round.

And leave 70-80 cm clear all round the table so you can pull a chair out and walk behind it. That is the most common mistake: the table fits, and then nobody can get up.

For an outdoor sofa that is genuinely comfortable, look for 85-95 cm of total depth and a 60-70 cm seat with cushions at least 12-15 cm thick. Below that it feels like a wide chair.

When you plan the corner, leave 40-45 cm between the sofa and the coffee table and about 75 cm to walk past. A 3-seater plus chaise needs around 3 × 2.5 m in practice to breathe.

Our cushions use outdoor fabrics (solution-dyed acrylics of the Sunbrella type and quick-draining foam) and cope perfectly well with a season outdoors: sun, damp and the odd downpour.

What no cushion copes with is a whole winter soaking wet. The real advice: use them all season without worrying and, when you close the terrace down, put them away in a garden storage box. You gain years of colour and avoid that musty smell.

In the wind, forget a centre-pole parasol on a light base. Go for a cantilever parasol with a properly weighted base (60-80 kg minimum for a 3×3 m) or, better still, a base bolted to the ground or filled with water.

Look too for a vent at the top and fibreglass ribs: they give with the gust instead of snapping. And the rule that saves parasols: close it every time you finish, not when it starts to blow.

Less than people fear. Aluminium and resin: water and a mild soap two or three times a year. Teak: a gentle clean and oil once or twice a year if you want the honey tone. Stainless steel: fresh water and the occasional polish.

What makes everything last longer is not the cleaning product, it is a cover during the months you do not use it and never letting water sit on seats and lids.

Gas if you cook every day or on weeknights: it lights in 5 minutes, you control the temperature and cleaning is quick. Charcoal if you are after the flavour and do not mind the 25-30 minutes it takes to get the embers right. Pellet or wood-fired if you enjoy slow cooking, smoking, and baking bread and pizza too.

On shared terraces and roof terraces, check the building rules: many only allow gas or electric. If you are unsure about your case, give us a call and we will look at it with you before you buy.