Solid wood furniture, left out in the garden

Solid wood furniture has a hard time outdoors. Rain soaks in, sun dries it out, and frost opens the cracks. Teak is the wood people trust outside, and Dedon, the German company better known for its hand-woven fiber, builds two collections around it: Tibbo by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, and Solyd by Martin Hoss.

Teak and the weather

Teak holds natural oils and tannins. Dedon points to them as the reason the wood copes with rain, strong sun, frost and swings in temperature. A softwood table would need paint or a roof. A teak table can stand on the lawn.

The wood still changes. Left in the weather, teak goes from golden brown to a soft silver-gray, and at first the change can look patchy. Plenty of people like the gray. If you want the gold, plan on some care.

Tibbo: teak with a woven fiber

Dedon Tibbo was the first Dedon collection built in teak. Barber and Osgerby designed it for homes where the living room and the terrace run into each other. The frames follow strict proportions, and the cushions and a woven fiber in Vulcano matte soften them. Dedon developed that fiber for Tibbo, in a shade that works with new golden teak and with the gray it turns later.

The dining tables come in 199x103, 278x103 and 338x103 cm, plus a version with a hole for a parasol. You can seat the long sides with armchairs or with the Bench and the Bench L. Dedon sources the teak from sustainable plantations. See the Tibbo collection.

Solyd: one table

Dedon Solyd is a single teak dining table with a wide surface. Hoss designed it as the center of a gathering: a dinner table, a place to work outside, the spot where people end up after the meal. He says the design stands for longevity and storytelling.

The smooth grain plays against woven chairs, and Dedon suggests pairing Solyd with any of its woven dining chairs. See the Solyd collection.

Wood and weave together

A teak table with woven chairs gives you two textures, and each makes the other easier to see. Mbrace chairs stand on teak legs, so they pick up the wood of a Tibbo or Solyd top. Play or Roii chairs bring color and a lighter frame.

Placing a teak table

Teak copes with open sky, and it still ages best with some air around it. Set the table on paving or a deck with room for water to drain, since standing water in a lawn keeps the feet wet. Give it about three feet on each side so chairs can push back, and more at the ends if people walk past to the garden.

For the Tibbo table with a parasol hole, plan the shade at the same time as the table. The parasol then stands in the middle of the group and leaves the edges of the terrace free.

A care schedule for teak

To keep the golden tone, clean the wood with Dedon care products once or twice a year and apply Dedon Teak Color Protector at least twice a year. A light sanding now and then smooths grain that rises after rain. If you prefer the silver-gray, cleaning is all the wood asks for.

Use coasters on the table and wipe off wine, citrus juice and soda at once. Store the cushions of Tibbo seats in a dry place through the wet months.

Send us the number of seats and the length of your terrace through the form below. We reply within one business day with a Tibbo or Solyd plan, chair options and a price.