Palma Alloro 9 Piece Dining Setting

A wise person once said “you get what you pay for”. Buying Italian furniture will always come with a higher price tag than cheaper alternatives manufactured in countries with little to no regulation & or quality assurance. What do you get for the extra $$?

Positive:

- The outdoor chairs are very comfortable, stylish and deliver on the European look & feel. I tend to enjoy chairs that have a little bit of give, allowing you to sit up straight in an ergonomic fashion while not feeling rigid or forced. The Palma Outdoor Chair accomplishes this superbly. I would have no problem sitting on these outside for hours over the Christmas day BBQ with the family.
- The build quality of the setting overall is incredible. It feels sturdy & solid. We have a setting made by the same Italian manufacturer (Nardi Garden) at home on the patio area which has been there, sitting outside since 2012. When I compare the colours and feel to that of the same exact brand new setting in the warehouse, I can't notice any colour fading or anything (this is eyeballing at work and eyeballing at home - if I placed a brand new chair next to our old chairs, I'd expect to see a difference). The resin has held up exceedingly well, if there's any weathered brittleness I can't tell (again, comparing brand new vs our old model that's been out in the sun for 4 years), as you would get with cheaper articles you’d find in hardware stores, large furniture companies that don’t properly do their due diligence, or the big red building that shall remain nameless…
- Another HUGE positive is the regular maintenance (or lack thereof). With our previous wooden set up, a restaining every year before the summer would have been common practice. Sanding back before a restain would have been preferable, but we’d only get that done once every couple of years. Colour fading, Mold and Mildew are now problems of the past. It takes a grand total of about 5 minutes to wipe down and clean these settings that are made of Polypropylene & Fiberglass resin.

I love the two tone Taupe & White colour and the faux wood grain of the slats. I feel like this colour combination would probably complement outdoor patio areas that are soft colour heavy – your whites, beiges, differing shades of grey, sandstone like colours, and of course the green of the garden.

Negative: No umbrella hole. Minimalism has been upcoming and on trend for at least a decade in outdoor furniture, but this could be a deal breaker for some. This is a non-issue for those with overhanging umbrellas, an awning of some description, natural garden shade or those who just plain like to sit in the sun (I’d place myself in that category).

Pictured: Our outdoor setting in our garden that was manufactured by Nardi. Second image is our Sun Loungers, same manufacturer - the white polypropylene fiberglass frame is still perfect, and the synthetic fabric for the bed is also still in excellent condition (you may have seen these on the most popular cruise liners that leave out of NZ). The setting & the sun loungers have been outside in all weather since 2012. Pictures taken 30/06/2016 on a wet, winter's day.