Resin furniture comes in a wide variety of styles. In fact, it comes in many of the same styles as wood or metal furniture. If you don't know the characteristics of the style, the descriptions may not mean much to you. Although categorizing furniture isn't an exact science, you can get a feel for the categories by reading descriptions and looking at pictures of furniture. Read on for descriptions of a few popular styles of outdoor resin furniture, such as Adirondack, Mission, and Nautical.



Adirondack furniture takes it name from a style of architecture that sprang up in the Adirondack Mountains of New York during the early 1900s. Today, Adirondack chairs usually have several slats that form the backrest. These slats, together, form a rounded edge. They often incorporate wide armrests, as well. Sometimes the slats at the back run straight up and down. Sometimes they form an angled back by their shaping. In this case, the slats start narrower at the bottom and become wider near the top. Angled backs may resemble the lines of a seashell. Because Adirondack is such a popular style for outdoor furniture, you can find numerous Adirondack products when you shop for resin furniture.

Mission furniture began to emerge in the late 1800s from the early Spanish missions in California. It is a simple style, characterized by straight, upright lines and no adornment. A typical Mission bench or chair may have straight, vertical slats in the back that connect to both a top and bottom piece. You usually will not find Mission-style resin furniture with curves or bows in the design. It is sometimes also labeled as “Arts and Crafts Era” furniture. You may also find it divided into sub-classes, such as Revival Mission, Spanish Colonial, or Prairie School. Regardless of the name, simple and straight is the key to Mission furniture.

Resin furniture also comes in the Nautical style. Nautical furniture may feature a flat seat which meets the backrest at a 90-degree angle. The back has vertical slats, but they contain a slight curve, so that the top of the backrest curves behind the line where the seat and backrest meet. Other Nautical chairs may not incorporate curved backs, but they may share a simple rectangular cutout (but with rounded edges instead of square) in the top horizontal slat of the backrest. This top slat may be wider than the slats underneath it. Nautical tabletops may incorporate slats into their design, as well.

Adirondack, Mission, Nautical—these categories constitute only a portion of the styles available to you. Resin furniture has become a popular choice for outdoor furniture today. This type of furniture holds up well to weather. You can clean it easily, and it requires little maintenance. Despite the lack of maintenance, the furniture lasts for years. It doesn't rot, rust, or chip like some other materials do. Just as it comes in many design styles, resin furniture comes in a wide range of colors, too. It looks similar to painted wood, but it functions like plastic.