patio furniture covers
and the air under them

A patio furniture cover keeps pollen and leaves off a frame, and it can also trap water in a cushion for a week. This guide sorts out which Tribù pieces want a cover and which want air.

Patio furniture covers look like the safe choice. Throw one over a sofa and the rain stays off. The trouble starts under the cover, where a damp cushion sealed in plastic stays damp. Tribù, a Belgian house that has made outdoor furniture since 1966, builds its cushions to breathe. Its care note for the Pure collection puts the risk in one line: a cushion left flat under a tarp all week traps more water than the rain did.

Know what a cover protects

A cover does three jobs well. It keeps pollen, leaves and dust off a frame. It shades the fabric on the weeks you are away. It keeps birds off a pale cushion. Water is the weak spot, because rain finds its way under the hem and then has no way out.

Split the pieces in two, then. Frames and woven shells can stand in the rain and dry in the breeze. Cushions dry fast only with air around them.

Pure: frames that stay, cushions that come in

Andrei Munteanu drew Pure with Studio Segers and Tribù Studio: square in plan, sculptural in profile. The family has a 1-seat sofa, a 2-seat sofa, a larger sofa, a lounger with wheels at one end and a cabana that brings its own roof. See the Pure collection.

Pure's care notes set the routine. Take the cushions inside for the winter. Stand them on edge to dry after rain. Keep the gap under each seat platform clear of leaves, or you get a wet line across the seat. Let the cabana canopy dry before you pack it away, and drop or stow it before a storm, since the canopy catches wind like a sail.

Elio: deep cushions inside a woven shell

Yabu Pushelberg drew Elio low and round, with ten pieces for sitting and lying down. A hand-woven shell wraps each rounded frame, and the cushions drop down inside it. Those deep cushions are the maintenance item. Quick-dry foam pushes water out through the base, and it clears faster if you stand each cushion on edge after a storm. Covers come off and wash at 30 °C, and the shell takes a soft brush and soapy water. See the Elio collection.

A cover over an Elio sofa earns its keep in pollen season. Pull the cushions first, then drape the cover over the shell so air moves under the hem.

Pick a cover that breathes

If you buy covers, look for a breathable fabric and a loose fit. A cover cinched tight to the deck holds condensation against the frame. Leave a gap at the hem, or prop the cover on something that lifts it off wet stone. Take covers off after a wet spell and give the furniture an afternoon in the sun.

Skip covers on bare teak you plan to let go grey. The wood carries its own oils and needs no cover, and the teak legs on Elio lounge chairs weather to silver in the open with no harm to the wood.

Store the cushions, cover the rest

The winter order runs like this. Cushions go indoors, to a garage shelf, a closet or a pool house. Frames and shells stay out, clean and dry, under a loose cover if trees drop sap or leaves on them. The Pure lounger rolls on its wheels, so move it out of any spot where water stands after rain.

Send us a photo of your terrace and a note on your winters through the form below. We reply with the Pure or Elio pieces that suit, the fabric options and a price for each. Tribù builds to order in Belgium, and the quote carries the lead time.