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The style of the typical home has
changed over the years. Large old farmhouses had huge front porches where the
owners would hang out trying to fan themselves in the oppressive heat, which
were an extension of the family living room, which was no cooler than the rest
of the hot house. The porches were extremely large so more people could fit out
on them, for it was better than being inside where it was so incredibly hot.
Therefore, a lot of outdoor furniture was required for all these pompous porch
dwellers. However, in those days before your patio furniture defined who you
were and what your class in society was, most of the furniture used was merely
brought from inside. One piece of furniture was a fixture of most families
outdoor furniture; the old rocking chair. In the 18th century, the rocking chair
was known as the chair of the Americas. The wooden rocker was also a lot more
comfortable than the wrought iron furniture of those old, hot, oppressive days.
You do not see nearly as many rocking chairs now as you did back then when it
was so hot and miserable. In the South, many large homes had Verandas. The porch
was larger to support the Veranda and all the people who were burning up inside.
These porches had a lot of large over sized furniture such as wicker chairs made
of bamboo or teak or cotton upholstered porch thrones. Unfortunately, the
weather in the South was not indicative to keeping cotton, upholstered furniture
outside because of the neverending wave of searing heat which kept the people in
a constant state of misery and despair. Wrought iron furniture was a popular
choice in this era as well because the first minute or two people would sit in
the chairs the metal was cool against their skin. In the 1930’s, casual outdoor
furniture began to appear. Handcrafted wrought iron, cast and tubular aluminum
became popular years later. However, comfortable outdoor furniture was desirable
to the few people who could afford food and patio furnishings as well. Lawn
chairs became the fad along with straight back chairs as urban centers became
more populated and places to sit outdoors were much smaller in the city. As the
suburbs became a popular place for families, more outdoor patio furniture was
required for all the people wanting to sit. This was where the real need for
outdoor patio furniture began. People wanted to extend their entertaining
parties thrown to try and forget about the heat outdoors and the need for
outdoor furniture grew tremendously fast. This trend continues to grow today
exponentially. Soon every man, woman, and child will own a patio set. More
high-tech materials are developed for the construction of outdoor patio
furniture, as people want durability, ease of care and strength from their patio
furniture. People are spending more and more time outdoors and extending their
homes through the concept of outdoor kitchens and rooms. Entertaining at home
has made it necessary to have a variety of types of outdoor furniture available.
People own garden gazebos, swimming canals and many more outdoor toys like nerf
balls or a lawn dart set, which require specific outdoor furniture. As the
people demand it, outdoor furniture will continue to evolve into stylish pieces
they can use everyday for all kinds of crazy things. |