You always want your outdoor furniture to be attractive, but in a climate like Maine’s, you want it to hold up to the elements.

The Ipe wood Laguna Collection from Jensen Outdoors includes lounge and dining options. Seat cushions are made with Sunbrella® fabrics.

IPE. Ipe wood, commonly known as Brazilian walnut, is two-times stronger than teak. It is not only bug and rot resistant, it is also less likely to scuff, crack or warp over the years. Ipe can be left to weather and turn a silvery gray, or it can be protected or re-finished to its warm original hues. Jensen Outdoor, a trusted luxury brand, exclusively uses Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) certified timber in their products.

TEAK. Because of its abilities to withstand an adverse climate while weathering with grace, teak is now one of the most commonly used hardwoods for outdoor furniture, but it didn’t come into widespread use for leisure until the 18th-century, when British craftsmen began reclaiming teak from de-commissioned ships. Kingsley Bate is a leading American manufacturer of teak furniture and the first American company to source their teak from Indonesia, where they have been working with the government since 1983 to ensure sustainable harvests. Pictured here is their teak, Wainscott dining table with stacking chairs from the St.Tropez collection.

Modern wicker techniques make furniture that defy its old faking, breaking stereotype. The Vision collection from Lloyd Flanders and comes in 20 custom colors.

WICKER. Lloyd Flanders is a legacy furniture brand founded in 1906 in Wisconsin. Its founder developed a patented process for weaving a wicker fabric as opposed to wrapping cane around a frame. With added technologies, the company now produces a continuous strand that will not burr, crack, or peel, resulting in a consistently smooth weave. They then add a Durium® polyester finish, which comes in a variety of colors, for durability and flexibility.

Seaside Casual’s MADirondack chairs in sage. This modern Adirondack design is made of recycled HDPE polymer.

HPDE POLYMER. Non-porous polymer woods are essentially maintenance-free—resistant to moisture, fading, insects, and warping. Plus, unlike other types of resin and polymers, HDPE does not gener-ate emissions during manufacturing or recycling. Seaside Casual makes outdoor furniture from their patented Envirowood. They use UV stabilized pigments, so if you like bright colors, you do not have to worry about fading. Their products are designed to last for decades (avoid leaving them in direct sunlight), and when they are finally ready to be replaced, they can be recycled again.