Sharnford Stacking Rattan Bistro Set in Grey

Will this fit a balcony or a small patio without taking it over?

Yes, usually. In use, allow roughly 1.5 metres by 1 metre for the two seats pulled out around the round table, plus a bit of room behind each seat for walking past. Once the chairs are stacked, you can tuck the column into a corner footprint about the size of one chair. Mark the in-use shape with masking tape on your slabs first if the space is tight, that's usually enough to confirm the fit before you order.

For a new-build balcony, a terraced-house courtyard, or a sun-trap edge of a larger garden, this works because the set doesn't have to stay set up all day. Bring the chairs out when you want them, and you have the floor space back as a walkway the rest of the time.

Do the chairs actually stack neatly?

Yes. Lift one chair onto the other and you've got the pair reduced to a single column you can carry. Lift, slot, walk. Set the column down wherever it makes sense for your space: by a low wall, in the alcove next to the back door, in a quiet corner of the balcony. The stacked column takes about the area of a chair.

Without that option, a permanent two-chair set on a tight balcony or in a narrow courtyard becomes the daily friction. Every time you want to water the pots, walk past with the laundry, or just have the patio back, two chairs and a table are in the way. This set lets you sit when you want, and reclaim the patio when you don't.

Is it really all-weather, no cover needed?

Yes. The frame is aluminium, which cannot rust, and we use a 0.2mm powder coating, two to three times thicker than what most aluminium garden furniture carries, so the coating doesn't break down through wet winters and freezing nights. We also use UV-stabilised synthetic rattan, which won't fade, rot, or go brittle when left outside year-round.

This means the structure is weatherproof on its own and doesn't need a cover or seasonal storage, so it saves you the hassle of wrestling a cover on and off and the GBP 50 to GBP 100 a cover would cost. In our experience, customers come back ten or fifteen years later saying their rattan is just as good as when they first bought it.

How does this compare to other bistro sets at this price?

Cheaper bistro sets at this size use steel frames that rust within a couple of winters and PVC rattan that goes brittle in the sun. You'd be replacing the set sooner and dealing with orange streaks on your paving in the meantime. The chairs on those sets rarely stack either, so even before the rust starts, the set sits in the way of every walkway on a balcony or in a courtyard.

Considering a brand-name bistro set at GBP 1,000 or more? You'd be paying mainly for the marketing and the polished website. The actual furniture is almost exactly the same as ours: aluminium frame, UV-stabilised rattan. We design our own ranges, with this Sharnford Stacking bistro being our compact 2-seater option, and sell it direct from our family-run Leicestershire showroom since 2001, without the excessive markup of big name brands.

Why does a 2-seater bistro set cost £424?

Because you're paying for materials that stop the common failure points. The aluminium frame cannot rust, so you avoid the usual steel-frame problem where joints and bolt holes start corroding from the inside out. In our experience, people who buy the cheapest sets end up replacing them after a couple of seasons, which costs more in the long run.

Can I leave the Sharnford stacking rattan bistro set outside all

The aluminium frame cannot rust - it's aluminium, not coated steel - so the structure stays outside through wet winters without needing a cover. The HDPE synthetic rattan is UV-stabilised for outdoor use. A cover is optional for keeping things cleaner, but it's not required to protect the frame or the weave.

Do the chairs actually stack neatly, or is it fiddly?

They stack. The whole point of this set is space-saving storage, so you can put the chairs together when you need the floor space back. We've seen plenty of small sets that still feel bulky in a corner of the patio; stacking is what makes this one easier to live with day to day.

What's the difference between this and cheaper stacking bistro s

The frame material is the big one. Unlike cheaper steel-frame sets, the Sharnford uses aluminium, which cannot rust - so you don't get corrosion starting inside the joints. The rattan is HDPE rather than PVC, meaning it won't crack or go brittle after a couple of summers. That's also why you can leave it outside all year round.

Do you have a showroom where I can see the Sharnford set before

Our showroom at Sapcote Garden Centre in Leicestershire has the furniture on display - you can sit on it before you decide. In our experience, that quick visit answers most questions straight away, especially with stacking chairs where you want to feel how they sit. Our helpful and knowledgeable team are here 7 days a week.

Will the grey rattan fade in the sun?

The HDPE rattan is UV-stabilised for outdoor use. What we find is that fading and brittleness usually show up on cheaper PVC-style rattan after a couple of summers. With a UV-stabilised HDPE rattan set like this, you're choosing a weave that's made to stay outside, not something that needs replacing after a short run.

How much assembly is required?

Only the table, and it is one step: the tabletop screws onto its base with the screws provided. Both chairs arrive fully assembled and stack when not in use.

Delivery is included in the price, 3-7 working days to mainland UK. Your furniture is delivered on pallets via our courier, and we'll email you a timed delivery window so you're not waiting around all day.

Worth knowing: our courier delivers to the kerbside or driveway, they won't take items around the back of the house, and the pallet and boxes are left with you. If you'd prefer a white-glove delivery with set-up and rubbish taken away, get in touch and we can usually help.

We dispatch from our Leicestershire garden centre. "In stock" means we have it here, ready to send, not drop-shipped from a third-party warehouse.

Returns: if you're not happy, let us know within 7 days and you can return it within 30 days for a refund (minus return delivery costs). The furniture must be in its original condition and packaging, and we'll arrange the collection with you.