Sling, bistro, occasional, Adirondack, banana lounge — outdoor furniture shopping comes with its own dialect, and nobody hands you the dictionary. If you have ever kept six tabs open trying to decode a product name, this guide is for you. It is a plain-English glossary of the main types of outdoor chairs sold in Australia — what each name means, and where each style earns its place at home.
We start at the portable end with beach and folding chairs, move through dining chairs and the low resort-style seats, then finish with the loungers, stools and benches that round out a backyard. Every style here lives somewhere in our outdoor chairs and benches collection, so once you know the name, you know exactly what to search for.
The main types of outdoor chairs at a glance
Here is the whole family in one table. The sections below unpack each branch, with a real example where it helps.
| Type | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Dining chair | Meals at a standard-height table | Armrests that will not tuck under the table |
| Folding chair | Spare seats stored flat between gatherings | Flimsy hinges; store them somewhere dry |
| Beach chair | Low, portable seating for sand and grass | Too low to pull up to a table |
| Adirondack chair | Relaxed lounging in the garden or by the pool | The deep recline is hard to climb out of |
| Occasional chair | A quiet corner with a side table | Bulkier than it looks; measure first |
| Pod or hanging chair | A feature seat everyone fights over | Needs clearance to swing |
| Bar stool | Bar-height tables and balcony benches | Seat height must match the table |
| Sun lounge | Reading and lying flat by the pool | Needs a decent run of deck space |
Beach chairs and folding chairs: the portable end
A beach chair sits low to the ground on a light folding frame with a fabric sling, made to be carried and to sit steady on soft or uneven ground. The Lesands Beach Chair ($69.95) is the classic shape: a non-rust aluminium frame, a striped sling and an attached carry strap, so it goes over a shoulder on the walk to the water. Beach chairs also moonlight as sideline seats at junior sport and spill-over seating on the lawn.
A folding chair is the full-height version of the same idea — a proper seat that collapses flat so several can live behind a door or in the shed. The Teak Folding Chair ($149) is hand made from FSC-certified plantation teak, and like all teak it slowly silvers to grey unless you oil it. Folding chairs are the honest answer to the big-lunch problem: real seats when the numbers grow, and no footprint the rest of the year.
Dining chairs: side chairs, armchairs and stackables
A dining chair is any outdoor chair with a seat at roughly 45 cm, sized to a standard-height table. Within the type, a side chair has no arms, an armchair (sometimes called a carver) has them, and a stackable chair nests on its twins for storage. The seat is usually one of three constructions — a taut fabric sling, a rope or wicker weave, or a cushioned pad — and that choice shapes comfort and upkeep more than anything else. You can browse the whole spread in the outdoor dining chairs collection.
The Charlotte Chair ($283) shows how the terms combine in one product. It is a lightweight, stackable sling chair with a padded, washable textaline and olefin sling, sold individually so you can add seats to a table you already own. This glossary only names the styles — for how sling, rope and cushioned seats compare across a three-hour dinner, our guide to choosing outdoor dining chairs goes deep on this branch of the family.
Adirondack, occasional and pod chairs: the relaxed end
An Adirondack chair is the low, reclined seat with the high back and wide flat arms, a North American lake-house classic that has settled happily into Australian gardens. The originals were timber; most sold here now are moulded, UV-resistant plastic that shrugs off weather. The Italia Chair ($155) is a replica Adirondack in exactly that mould — sturdy stackable plastic, made in Italy, in white, Aegean blue or olive green.
An occasional chair (or accent chair) is a stand-alone armchair that belongs to no set — the piece you drop into a corner to make a reading spot. A pod chair wraps that idea in a cocoon: an egg-shaped shell, often hanging from a stand, with a deep cushion inside. Pod and hanging egg chairs are the feature seats of the family, and whoever reaches one first tends to stay put.
Loungers, benches, stools and the rest of the family
Some outdoor seats are not strictly chairs but turn up in the same search. A sun lounge is a full-length reclining bed on legs, and its lighter, curved, folding cousin is the banana lounge. A day bed is wider again, closer to an outdoor single bed on a frame. A garden bench seats two or three people on one continuous seat, and a bar stool is the tall seat of the group, made for bar-height tables where seat and table height must match. Bean bags and ottomans fill the gaps as shapeless, portable seating for kids, teens and overflow guests.
Matching chair types to Australian conditions
Climate should trim the shortlist before style does. On the coast, salt air punishes steel, so aluminium frames, moulded plastics and dense hardwoods such as teak are the safe end of the glossary. Full-sun positions in Queensland and northern NSW reward UV-resistant materials, because everything fades eventually in Australian light. On windy balconies and exposed decks, very light chairs can take off in a southerly change, so weight — or the ability to fold them away fast — matters. If you rent or live under a body corporate, stackable and folding types make balcony rules and moving day far easier.
Outdoor chair types: frequently asked questions
What are the main types of outdoor chairs?
The main types of outdoor chairs are dining chairs, folding chairs, beach chairs, Adirondack chairs, occasional chairs, pod or hanging chairs, and bar stools. Sun lounges, garden benches and bean bags round out the wider outdoor seating family.
What is the difference between a beach chair and a folding chair?
A beach chair sits low to the ground for soft or uneven surfaces, while a folding chair is a full-height seat you can pull up to a table. Both fold flat for storage; only the folding chair works for dining.
What are the low chairs with wide flat arms called?
Those are Adirondack chairs, named after the mountain region of New York State where the design first appeared. In Australia they are commonly sold in moulded, UV-resistant plastic, which copes with sun and rain better than untreated timber.
Which types of outdoor chairs can stay outside all year?
Chairs with aluminium or UV-resistant plastic frames and quick-drying sling seats handle year-round exposure best. Cushioned chairs and natural timber last longer with a cover or a dry spot over winter, so match the type to the care you are willing to give.
Shop the range
Once you know the names, the catalogue stops being a puzzle. Start with the chairs and benches linked above, cross to the dining chairs when you are shopping for the table, and visit the sun lounges collection for the poolside end of the family. Everything comes with Australia-wide delivery — free over $100 — and most orders are dispatched in 3-10 business days.
