Our Rattan Day Bed by Rattan Direct

During the spring and summer, I gave my tiny patio a lot of love and attention. First, I got rid of all the rubbish that had accumulated in there after our loft conversion, to reclaim our outdoor space.

Fantastic Services did a wonderful job of taking it all away. They even managed to fit my ancient leather sofas in their van, leaving me with a blank canvas in the ‘garden’ as well as the living room.

When the lovely people at Rattan Direct contacted me asking whether I’d be interested in reviewing conservatory or garden furniture, the children and I had just finished doing a bit of weeding and planting seeds. I’d also organised for a thorough clean of the patio. Our neglected, discoloured decking would also be painted the following week.

That offer could literally not have come at a better time and I started growing through the huge range on the Rattan Direct website. I spent hours and hours deciding what I wanted for my newly refurbished outdoor ‘room’ and I eventually fell in love with the Venice Rattan Day Bed in Black and Vanilla.

Although I’ve always thought there was something really harmonious about a round, circular bed, I would never be bold enough to switch from the traditional rectangle to a round one. An outdoor day bed would be the perfect compromise!

After I told Rattan Services which piece of furniture I was keen to review, things happened really quickly. I was asked when would be best for it to be delivered, and I was given a time slot, so I didn’t have to wait at home all day for my day bed to arrive. Just like that, my shiny new piece of furniture arrived.

It was raining that day and I asked the delivery men to leave it in my empty living room. They did not bat an eyelid when I asked them to keep the huge cardboard box the day bed came in. It saved me a trip to the recycling centre!

Here are the main features of our day bed: 

•Separation feature with a hidden table

•Hood valve mechanism

•outdoor cover.

•4 scatter cushions.

•Cushion covers are showerproof, removable and machine washable

•High quality resin-weave that is UV-resistant, anti-fade.

•Strong powder-coated aluminium frame for full rust resistance.

•5 year structural warranty.

•W148 – D148 – H83cm

This is what Rattan Direct were promising for our day bed: superior foams, in-house design, easy clean, lightweight, aluminium rust-free frame, fully assembled, weatherproof and a free outdoor cover. Well, I have to say they delivered with all of the above. As soon as our day bed was in the living room, there was nothing for us to do other than sit on it! I might even have fallen asleep on our new ‘sofa’ as I was watching a film with the children. It was so comfy!

A couple of weeks later, we had Wriggly’s birthday party at home and it was a really sunny day, so I moved the day bed from the living room to the patio. As I was taking it out bit by bit from the front door to the back gate, my neighbours were giving me funny looks.

The day bed looks really sturdy and it is incredibly well made, but it is also so light I didn’t need any help for the moving process. The day bed comes with a 5-year structural warranty, and that gives me reassurance about the general quality of the product, really. If the manufacturers are prepared to give me a 5-year warranty, they are pretty confident about the quality of the furniture they’re selling.

The minute it was outside, it was obvious this piece of furniture had transformed our garden into a new’ room’ in our house, a contemporary family area to relax in. The day bed is really amazing and I received lots of compliments from the friends who came over for the party. When ‘opening’ it into two parts, we could sit 6 people on it comfortably, which was perfect for a catch up in the sun. Everyone commented on how comfy the cushions were.

A party with lots of children (and party food) meant the white fabric ended up with a few stains, but they all can off with wet wipes (phew!). The cushion covers are removable, washable, showerproof and anti-fade. Since then, I’ve washed the covers on ‘delicate mode’ in the washing machine, and they came out perfectly. You just have to make sure you turn them inside out when they’re drying.

I know it’s all weatherproof and safe to keep outside, but since we don’t currently have a sofa in our front room, I’ve just been taking the day bed in and out. On warm, sunny days, it goes outside, but recently, it’s been in the living room, and I removed the hood to make it look a bit more indoorsy.

If there was just one thing I could change about it, I would add a couple of hooks to keep the two parts of the day bed together so it doesn’t come apart when I’m falling asleep on it, he he!

The day bed is currently reduced at £599, and it is really worth every penny! Rattan Direct have a huge range, the delivery was quick and easy to organise and the furniture is beautifully made.

Disclosure: We were sent the Venice Rattan Day Bed in Black and Vanilla for the purpose of this review. As always, all photos and opinions are my own.