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Rebecca Kabaya Home and Garden Writer
As temperatures start rising, people are looking for trending garden chairs, day beds and loungers which are perfect for relaxed summer afternoons, with many styles ideal for all year round. This is everyone’s chance to relax in their garden and make the most of the balmy weather.

The best way to do it is by advancing garden furniture that’s not only stylish, but also invitingly comfortable. Many try to enhance their gardens just like everything else, they upgrade their garden furniture from time to time.

Everyone’s dream is to have a house that has got a modern garden where they can simply kick back, relax and recline. These gardens are usually placed at the back of the house.

This is where local outdoor furniture stores like Zimbrella come in to provide beautiful garden furniture, chairs and sumptuous garden beds for those who have their gardens at heart to guard and to protect.

Blooming flowers, green and well-maintained lawns welcome you from the gate as you enter Zimbrella which is located in one of the city suburbs, Borrowdale. All the fashionable garden gear from round topped with glass, four cornered tables which can accommodate a number of people are available.

Plastic woven and aluminium chairs, in various bright colours and minimalist, this modern design of chairs filled the garden, as well as hard-wearing and lightweight. Ideal for creating an outdoor haven everywhere and anywhere.

Wide garden centre pole umbrellas in different sizes and colours were placed right over the launch seats so as to provide shade. Moveable cantilevers and garden hammock chairs filled the outdoor space and a pool with clean blue water made one feel the calm fresh atmosphere which surrounded the place.

The various colours and shapes of the equipment were so appealing to the eyes that no one could doubt if this was indeed a perfect, maintained garden should look like.

In an interview with the sales manager at Zimbrealla Garden Furniture and umbrellas she said they have been in this business for a long time, trends change with time and now people opt for the modern less heavy and easy to clean furniture’s.

“The wood is no longer fashionable people now favour aluminium they can even stay outside all the time because they are rain resistant, easy to move. We have tables from four to six seat. These days’ people love sun lounges because they put them round the pools or even on their veranda just to relax and read,” she said.

Aluminium is topping the streets because it does not need more upkeep whereas with wood is difficult to maintain from termites, breaking and rotting and it needs to be polished from every now and then.

“We also have umbrellas like the cantilever which are very popular for their numerous advantages for example when the shade is moving you can rotate them to where the shade is going and they come in various sizes as well.

“As a company we offer after service, we repair umbrellas only those bought from us because some people buy in South Africa.

“Lounge seats are designed to be all weather resistant however we recommend people to put them on verandas so that they last longer. Lounge seats can be covered with cushions which can be removed in any case of bad weather,” she said.

She added that their customers usually buy swinging chairs for their children some even say they put them in their children’s rooms. These chairs require to be hanged properly for safety reasons.

Judy said they are a company that caters for the whole community.

“Our customers come from all angles and these include local hotels, companies just for their workers to seat out at lunch time and when they go outside for breaks and home owners or individuals who buy for their own leisure. We have worked with big companies like Coca-Cola,” she said.

She said the company has been in the garden business for over 28 years. They offer free delivery to the customers within the city of Harare.

“Most of our furniture is imported from China and because of the unstable economy most industries have gone out of business that’s why we only have wrought iron metal steel which is locally made,” she said.

Judy encouraged people to grow their own greenery or just a personal space to relax in. Picking furniture that is the right size for one’s space is important, be sure to measure it up properly before buying anything, she added.

There is need to put some thoughts into the type of material the chairs will be made out of. Durability is an important consideration

“If space is limited, light aluminium chairs are a great option as they can be easily stashed away. If you entertain regularly, benches are a great seating option to get more people round the table and are far more social.

“Modular outdoor furniture works in any size or style of outdoor space, as you can mix and match individual pieces to create something that fits perfectly,” she said.

Meanwhile, for those living in the city, where there is often less space to work with, she recommended the small round woven table and chairs. They are a great choice for balconies and terraces just add a colourful scatter cushion, and then sit back and enjoy the sun.