Thornby Compact Corner Lounge Set in Brown Rattan

Will this fit a smaller patio without taking over?

Yes, usually. The 'Compact' in the name refers to the footprint, not the seating. The L-shape sits in less ground than a full-size 8-seater corner set, which typically needs around 3m by 3m and leaves nowhere to walk past on a standard new-build patio. Compact corner sets like this one give you the extra room on each side, which is usually the difference between a set that works day to day and one that blocks the route to the lawn.

For exact footprint measurements on this Thornby range, call our Leicestershire showroom on 01455 274748 and our team can plan the dimensions against the patio you have. In the meantime, mark a rough L on your slabs with masking tape, then walk the route you would take past it with a washing basket or to a back-door swing. Five minutes of tape settles whether the set fits the patio.

Will the brown rattan suit my garden?

Yes, if your garden leans traditional rather than contemporary. The brown weave is a warm tone against weathered sandstone, red brick, timber decking, or mature planting. Where grey would be a cool contrast against the same backdrop, the brown shares the same warm notes. Buyers with brick walls or established planting tell us this is the variant that suits what they already have. The colour is the choice for buyers whose garden already has warm-tone hard landscaping rather than the modern grey palette.

The honest tradeoff with a coloured weave is that fading shows more clearly on brown than on grey if the rattan is not UV-treated. The whole Thornby range uses UV-stabilised synthetic rattan, so this set doesn't fade through the years a cheaper untreated weave would not survive. Our customers tell us the brown still looks the same in year five as it did the day it arrived.

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. The weave on top is hand-woven and UV-stabilised, which means it will not fade, rot or go brittle when left outside year-round.

This means the structure is fully weatherproof and doesn't need a cover or storage, so it saves you the hassle and the £50 to £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 compact corner sets at this price?

Cheaper compact corner sets at this size use steel frames that rust within a couple of winters and PVC weave that goes brittle in the sun. You would be replacing the set sooner and dealing with rust streaks on your paving in the meantime.

Considering a brand-name compact corner set at £2,000 or more? You would 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, similar build. We design our own ranges, all named after Leicestershire villages near our showroom, with the Thornby being our compact corner-lounge option, and sell it direct from our family-run Leicestershire showroom since 2001, without the excessive markup of big name brands.

How much assembly is required?

Only the table. The chairs arrive fully assembled. The table base is four panels that screw together with two screws per side, then four screws attach the tabletop. All screws are included, and a screwdriver is the only tool you should need.

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.