With the weather warming up and flowers blossoming from coast to coast, it’s time to take to the great outdoors for alfresco dinners and afternoons spent sipping iced tea and working in the sun. But what do you do if you have a small space or one that can’t accommodate multiple arrangements of large outdoor furniture? You need pieces that can multitask, serving as seating one day and a table the next. Garden stools are an easy way to add outdoor seating to you patio while multitasking as eye-catching outdoor decor on your backyard patio.

How to Use Garden Stools Outdoors

In a small outdoor space, you may want both a dining area to dine outdoors and a lounge area to relax, but you’re short on the square footage necessary to make it all happen. By incorporating garden stools, you’ll get an inch-by-inch bang for your buck. These multitasking and space-saving stools are the do-it-all outdoor furniture items you’ll use daily for seating, side or end tables, and even ottomans. Plus, they’re one of the most budget-friendly pieces of outdoor furniture you can add to your patio.

Outdoor Seating

Open up your outdoor space by bypassing traditional chairs or sofas and instead opting for garden stools instead. For a dining table, look for a garden stool approximately 17ʺ – 18ʺ high to mimic the same height you’d expect from an outdoor chair, and pull it up to the table just as you would a normal chair. It allows you to dine on your patio without taking up too much space. There’s even an added small-space bonus: You can tuck the stools completely under the table when not in use, freeing up valuable floor space. Add decorative cushions to the stool to make your outdoor seating area more comfortable.

Already have a dining table and chairs, but looking for a way to incorporate overflow seating? Garden stools are ideal to have on hand for those occasions when you have a few extra guests show up. They can serve as eye-catching patio decor. When you need to use it, remove any outdoor decor (like planters), add an outdoor cushion, and pull up a seat when you need it. Plus, they make for versatile conversation seating arrangements – sit the stool next to your best friend for a few, then scoot it over to the kids table to say hi.

Kick Back and Relax

There’s nothing better than relaxing outside on a gorgeous spring day, right? You lean back in your lounge chair, chilled beverage and favorite book in hand, listening to the birds and kick up your feet on, yep, you guessed it: a garden stool. Using a garden stool as an ottoman is a great way to allow you to kick back and relax, take in your backyard scenery, and enjoy the outdoor scenery.

Use as a Portable Side Table

Garden stools, while great for outdoor seating, also serve as side or end tables, perfect for a cup of coffee and a book while you’re relaxing outside on your patio. But the best part is how easily portable they are – they’re the ultimate multitasking furniture. The garden stool that lives at your outdoor dining table as seating most of the time can be pulled over to a lounge chair for an extra side table when you have multiple beverages, want to bring out a snack, or have a reading stack that keeps getting bigger. If you have a fire pit in the backyard, move the stool from your patio to the backyard to use as an outdoor table to display your s'more making essentials.

Check the Specs

All garden stools are not created equal. Some are perfect for an indoor accent, providing a styled surface for a book and a decorative object. But just because a stool has the word “garden” in the name doesn’t mean it’s fair game to take outside to your patio. Make sure to check the specs to see whether it’s suitable for outdoor use before using as outdoor seating.

Additionally, if you plan on using the stool for seating, confirm the weight limit for that particular item. While many stools can hold 200 pounds and up, there are also many stools that are simply decorative and not intended to hold the weight of an adult.

Tip!

Even if they’re designed for outdoor use, you may want to pull ceramic garden stools inside if temperatures drop far below freezing to avoid any unwanted cracks.

Heather Bien is a Washington, DC-based blogger, interior stylist, and design writer. She creates spaces that feel both intentional and approachable, and she's never one to shy away from a bold pattern. These days, you'll often find her perfecting the art of outdoor living and embracing her green thumb.