Does age matter when it comes to patio furniture? You bet it does!

Not the age of the furniture, necessarily. This beautiful Chadwick dining set will look great for years. Let it get a weathered look, or apply teak oil each season to keep the original color. Either way, it’ll look great.

No, it’s the ages of the people who will use the patio furniture that make the big difference.

If you have toddlers, go with rounded corners to avoid having kids bump their heads on the edges of the furniture.

If you have teens, you’ll need lots of seating, the loungier the better. The average teen will lounge whether the furniture is designed for it or not, so you might as well save them the trouble of draping their arms and legs over the sides of straight chairs.

Older adults will appreciate higher seats in chairs so they can more easily get up out of the chairs. A cushy, comfy, low slung chair seems like a great idea till they have to struggle out of it.

If you like to get the whole family together, choose several types of chairs in similar styles for maximum comfort for everyone.

There are so many styles of patio furniture available now that it’s easy to find any look you prefer — even when you’re being practical about the people who will use it.

Unless your patio is small enough that you really have no choice about where to put the furniture, it’s important to give some serious thought to the layout of your patio furniture.

One great time to think about this is before you buy patio furniture, or before you buy new pieces for upcoming parties.

Do yourself a favor and measure your space. Once you get into a showroom, it’s hard to keep a clear idea of how much space you have. When you shop online to get great deals, it can be even more difficult. You’re having to visualize the size of the furniture while also visualizing the size of your patio, and most of us aren’t that accurate.

Instead, get our your measuring tape and measure your space.

Use an online tool like the Room Layout Tool or draw the space out on paper. Use the same scale to measure out the sizes of the patio furniture you’re considering. You can do this very roughly. For example, our International Steel Patio umbrella stand takes up 28 square inches of floor space, so you can cut out a 3″ inch square to represent it. Do the same for each of the pieces you own and each of the new pieces you’re thinking of buying.

Now comes the fun part! Play around with the new pieces to see how they’ll fit together. Some tips to help find the best arrangement:

• Every room, indoors or out, needs a focal point. Yours might be an outdoor fireplace or a piece of sculpture.
• Group furniture according to the activities that will be taking place. You probably will want a conversation grouping, where people can sit comfortably and talk to one another. You might also want a grouping that includes a grill and a dining set. You’ll need to make sure that there’s room for the chef to move around the grill and that the chairs can be maneuvered without running into trees.
• Vary sizes of the furnishings for interest, but make sure that they are compatible and comfortable.

Have an imaginary walk through your plan in a common situation: an afternoon with the family watching the game and grilling up some burgers and brats, or an evening with friends enjoying a cup of coffee around the fire pit after a movie.

Taking this step before purchasing lets you buy your patio furniture with confidence. Massi Decor patio furniture has all the size information you’ll need.

Top designers are already talking about the home decor trends for next spring, but we’re still getting ready to decorate for the holidays. If you’re planning to buy home fashions this holiday season, you might as well look at some options that will look great now and still be in style come spring.

That’s especially true for patio furniture. This is the perfect time to take advantage of sales on outdoor furniture, and it makes a terrific holiday gift, but you’ll be using it more when the weather warms up.

So here’s a heads up on the trends that will be showing up in stores and decorating magazines next season.

Color goes bright for 2012. Red orange, like the covers on this Oxford Garden Chaise Set, is one of the most popular colors for the coming season. See it paired with deep blue, or in citrus combinations reminiscent of a bowl of tangerines, lemons, and limes.

Bright colors in general are an important trend, as in the Polywood Long Island Chairs shown at right.Tangerine, shocking pink, aqua, and saturated blues are all trendy colors for 2012.

At the same time, we’re seeing a lot of neutral backgrounds. White painted fences and poured concrete or natural stone tiles make gardens and bright tropical colored patio furniture pop.

Shapes At the same time that we’re seeing the bright colors, shapes are simple or retro — sometimes both. Simple lines and organic shapes are popular, but so are the homey effects of wicker and wrought iron. Mix them up for a fresh look.

In fact, mixing it up is a trend of its own. Mixing and matching styles is a strong trend in decoration.

Texture With bright colors and simple shapes in play, how can you avoid a child like look? Well, if you want to have a youthful effect, this is the year for it. Playful effects punched up with geometric patterns are in vogue.

Some of us like a sophisticate effect, though, and that’s coming through in texture. Home decor and fashion designs alike are showing up in chunky knits and slubbed fabrics with the look of raw silk, while interior designers are loving the look of wood, stone, and metal in complicated combinations.

One example is this outdoor fireplace from Blue Rhino. The rough textured finish, the lattice work, the lava rocks and logs, and the ceramic bowl produce a mix of textures that looks elegant yet natural.

The three examples on this page can work together for the sassy, eclectic look designers are showing for the new season, or any one of them can update the patio furniture you already have.

Browse Massi Decor for new looks and old favorites. Free shipping, great selection, and affordable prices always make Massi your best source for patio furniture.

The weather is beautiful and the kids are running around, so why coop your family up in the house just because it’s Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving can feel just as traditional outdoors as inside. If you smoked your turkey in your Primo smoker and fixed grilled vegetables the way we told you, then your guests may have been drawn outside by the succulent smells anyway.

Give your patio a Thanksgiving feel by adding a traditional tablecloth and centerpiece to your outdoor dining table. Bring pots of flowers to the edge of the patio and add cushions to your patio furniture. A handsome fire pit like the one in the picture makes a decorative statement for an evening meal. Arrange dishes around the perimeter for a perfect holiday buffet.

As long as it’s not going to rain, you can use the same decorations you like to use indoors. However, you may want to make some small changes. Fill glass vases halfway with dried beans or popcorn and nestle a fall colored candle into the seeds for a beautiful look — and your candle won’t be blown out by the wind every few minutes.

Do you have to use the good china? Frankly, it might be a relief to the chief cook and bottle washer in your household not to have to use the best china, all of which has to be washed by hand, for the biggest feast of the year. Talk about using casual dishes this Thanksgiving. If the good china is a must, you might choose to have appetizers and drinks outdoors and then to return to the dining room for the main event.

Serving pie and coffee outdoors is a great idea, though. The adults can relax and watch the kids play much better outdoors than in the dining room, and you might even be inspired to get a little game of football going. Outdoor TV lets you watch the game outside, too.

An al fresco Thanksgiving can be just as much fun, but quite a bit more relaxed, than the indoor celebrations you’ve been having.

There are so many choices of outdoor furniture now that you can be sure of finding exactly the look you want. There’s more to outdoor furniture than looks, though. How can you choose the material that best suits your lifestyle?

All-weather wicker gives you a cozy, traditional effect without the upkeep required of natural wicker. In the grouping at left, you can see that the new wicker has the same gracious lines as your grandma’s wicker. Steel frames keep it looking good. You might choose to cover it or to bring the cushions in for the winter, but you don’t have to.

Wood gives a classic, upscale look, though it requires a bit more care and may not last as long. Teak protective finish can help, or you can enjoy the weathered look of real wood outdoor furniture.

Resin is absolutely the definition of easy care. You might be surprised to see how versatile it is, too. The resin patio chair on the right has the traditional Mission look of Stickley’s craftsman furniture, but it can be left outdoors in all weather, regardless of the climate. It’s not affected by fresh or salt water, snow, sun, or chlorine, and it can be washed with soap and water.

Most of the resin furniture that we carry is Poly-Wood, and looks like wood, with a range of styles from traditional Adirondack to modern and Asian influenced styles, in a variety of finishes. Poly-Wood is an eco-friendly choice, too — their furniture is made from recycled milk jugs.

Metal patio furniture ranges from simple to ornate, and it’s lightweight and sturdy. The strength of cast aluminum makes it ideal for dining tables and other large pieces. Modern metal patio furniture has a very sturdy finish, but we’d give it some protection if you have extreme weather where you live.

Choosing the best material for your outdoor furniture comes down to your budget, the climate where you live, how much time and effort you want to put into caring for it, and the look you want.