Furniture trends today are global, with influences from all around the world. Furniture today has an international language, from Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa, and America. The international trends express sophistication to tropical luxury. This extensive influence brings with it both flexibility and simplicity resulting in the modern and contemporary designs. Contemporary is now a commonly used word to convey simplicity of form. The new contemporary furniture designs are modern, minimal, smooth lines, uncluttered, un-fussy, light, and clean.

For patio or garden there are plenty of materials used but teak has always been related with patio furniture because of its unique qualities. Most of the garden or park furniture found in England is made of teak. Teak furniture has been the preferred choice as garden furniture since decades because of the unique characteristics of the teak wood. Teak garden furniture blends the style and design of your patio or garden with the practical durability and resistance to the harsh weather conditions and nicely constructed teak furniture lasts for generations. The designs offered by teak furniture manufacturers were mostly English designs most often called classical designs. These classic designs somehow do not fit in modern contemporary homes. More and more people were getting bored with the teak patio furniture mostly because of its designs. This made teak furniture makers to follow the new demand and adjust itself to the changing trends in the market place.

The good news for teak furniture manufacturers was that there are no hard and fast rules that must be adhered to when it comes to the latest furniture styles. Modern teak furniture should have the ultimate expression of form and function. This made teak furniture makers to manufacture products, which are simple in form yet functional. These new products of teak furniture were welcomed warmly by almost all teak lovers who wanted to have modern designs, which fits with their other home furniture. This gave rise to huge demand for modern contemporary patio furniture.

The most recent trend is to use a diverse blend of designs, with a strong international influence of ideas and options sourced from all over the globe. One of these trends is products made of stainless steel and teak. Stainless steel like teakwood is a long-term investment, as it takes less upkeep and lasts longer. It is fairly lightweight for the amount of strength it provides and is very easy to clean. It is available in a number of shades and styles, making it an aesthetically pleasing option. And, because it is corrosion and rust resistant, it has a much longer lifespan. In addition, stainless steel is 100% recyclable. 50% of new stainless steel is made from recycled stainless steel. This makes it a very environmentally friendly material. It can also be resold as scrap metal, adding that benefit to the investment.

Other outdoor materials like wrought iron, aluminum, synthetic wicker, sling fabrics, marble and stone are also blended with teak. These products have given ultra contemporary look to the teak patio furniture. However the sleek, simple and contemporary designs out of solid teak are still preferred by lot of teak lovers.

It is very important to study carefully before purchasing any of these products because of the difference in materials used. There are hundreds of synthetic wicker producers but only few reliable, proven brands. The stainless steel should be of specific grade for outdoor use and always look for Grade 304 or 316. The anodized or power coated aluminum is the right option for outdoor and one should pay close attention to materials used in any of these products.