I Finally Found the Outdoor Furniture That Transformed My Terrace — You’ll Want It Too

I’d love to say I had a laid-back approach to finding garden furniture. The kind where you pop out on a Saturday and come back with something that just works. But no such luck. I must have spent weeks trawling websites and Instagram, screenshotting anything even vaguely stylish. Because anyone who’s ever tried to find good garden furniture knows — it’s a minefield. Everything’s either too bulky, too try-hard, too rustic, or looks suspiciously cheap.

Sure, there are some seriously beautiful options out there, but last year, I’d just finished a full house renovation, and I needed something a little more savvy. Style-wise, I was after elevated yet easy. Timeless, good-looking, and made to last. Most important of all, it had to survive the winter uncovered. I didn’t want to spend half the year staring out from inside at black plastic covers.

The best outdoor furniture for my space? As it turns out, it was the Sudbury Collection from Rowen & Wren.

The Sudbury Collection from Rowen & Wren

I've admired Rowen & Wren for a while. I like their photography for a start (Emma Lee has worked with us editorially in the past, and there is a beautiful softness to her shots), but mostly I am drawn to the fact that there is a considered elegance to all the brand’s pieces.

They feel soft but assured: not shouty, not trend-led but like they've always belonged. It makes sense when you know that Rowen & Wren was born out of a cottage in Hampshire and founded by a couple who live and breathe the aesthetic — one a textile graduate, the other a retail expert, both clearly obsessed with detail.

The Sudbury range is exactly what you’d expect from people who design with real life in mind. It’s pared-back in the best way: simple lines, slim silhouettes, and with jolly removable cushions that give it just enough character. The steel frames are sculptural with and without pads, so they look good all year and literally do not wear. No rust, no fading, no signs of fatigue… I haven’t even needed to jet wash them down to get my garden ready for this year.

I went for two armchairs for my home's terrace, and the table and chairs for my courtyard dining zone. Cushion-wise, I chose the green awning stripe for my dining chairs and the red stripes for my arm chairs — a bit French café, a bit countryside picnic.

Aside from being just really lovely looking and hardwearing, the other reason I chose the Sudbury set was that it was actually available in stock. Not “lead time: 14–16 weeks.”

I picked a delivery slot, a van turned up, and I was hosting lunch the next day. That sort of seamlessness sums up the Rowen & Wren experience in general — it’s not flashy, it’s not overpackaged. Just beautifully made, intentionally designed furniture that slots into your home like it’s always been there.

My only caveat? The pieces are incredibly heavy (no surprise given they’re galvanised steel) – so make sure that you know where you want them to go before the team shows up, as you’re not going to be moving them again (yourself) very easily.

Shop the Collection

If you’ve been trawling through garden furniture options and finding everything either too rustic, too slick, or just wildly priced, the Sudbury set might strike the right balance. It’s thoughtfully made, quietly stylish and built to last (and look at!). It certainly ticked the right boxes for me.