Part of Our Summer Splash 

& Outdoor Living Feature

As soon as we had our first warm day of the spring season here in North Carolina, my heart began to dance.  After the danger of frost had disappeared, I was out in my garden, pulling out weeds and caring for tender new plantings. I couldn't wait to start my mornings off by sitting out on my front porch, with a hot cup of coffee. I love my front porch. It's actually a prerequisite for any of my future homes. This Jersey girl has fallen in love with elements of Southern charm, and nothing says Southern charm like a well dressed front porch.

My porch isn't glamorous or grand. It's just an old, wide porch attached to our craftsman style bungalow, which I have tried to make look nice by adding simple additions of planters and furnishings. As I began preparing our porch for enjoyment during the spring, summer and early months of fall, I knew that it needed a makeover, and some new furniture pieces would be a great place to start.

Not wanting to adorn our porch with just anything, my husband actually encouraged me to find some teak furnishings. He is a huge fan of wooden furniture, and teak happens to be number one in his book, because it's beautiful and quite durable. As I began my search, I found Arthur Lauer, a company who has been devoted to creating and crafting gorgeous teak furniture since 1983 (the year yours truly was born!). Arthur Lauer operates on a few simple, outstanding principals: they keep their customers informed, treat their employees as invaluable and their products as incomparable. In doing this Arthur Lauer has become the premier teak garden furniture company in the US, and unlike so many of their competitors, they use the highest grade materials available and manufacture their designs, themselves.

I was very excited to connect and form a working relationship with Arthur Lauer. I expressed interest in their unbelievably beautiful outdoor teak furniture pieces, and was offered the opportunity to review their Sedgwick Coffee Table for my front porch. Needless to say, I was giddy, and couldn't wait to see such a beautiful showpiece gracing my porch.


A big, big box, and a little boy with wide, curious eyes...

When our delivery arrived from Arthur Lauer, it was the highlight of our day. The table was delivered on a day where Balian, Sacha and I were all home sick. We felt pretty terrible, and had been slugs on the couch most of the day, but when the table arrived, we all perked right up, and hurried to the dining room, to open up the box.


My hubby Sacha, carefully opening the box from Arthur Lauer, and asking Balian to stay away until he removed the large staples.



The table was underneath this very cool packing material, which hugged every piece of the table!


Our beautiful Sedgwick Coffee Table arrived in kit form, which meant that it would need to be put together. As my husband began to lift the solid teak pieces of the table from its box, I noticed him running his fingers along the table legs, admiring the actual wood. He was in love! Our kit also included all of the hardware we needed, along with instructions and wood glue.


Beautiful coffee table, in pieces... look at the smooth wood!

The Sedgwick Coffee Table went together like a dream. My husband quickly told me that the instructions were clear and concise, and probably the easiest he's ever followed for putting together a piece of furniture. The pieces of the table just locked together, for easy base-building. After my husband got the frame together, to get a rough idea of how the table looked when put together, he carried it outside, so he could use the glue, and put the screws in with his drill.


A preview of the table sort of put together...



Floating top element- an Arthur Lauer Exclusive!

We had gorgeous weather the day the table arrived, so it was wonderful to be able to go out on the porch for a bit of fresh air as the table was being put together. Sacha took the legs off of the table, and then side by side, he began to use a little bit of the wood glue at the grooves. Sach is pretty experienced in wood-working and using wood glue, but if you've never used it before, it's not a huge deal. I would just recommend having a wet paper towel or cloth on hand to wipe off any access glue that might start to drip or run.



Gluing the sides, so the table legs can be put on...

After a side was glued, and the table leg was put into place, Sacha just drilled the screws right in. It was a quick and easy task, and one that I probably could have done without my husband's help. It was good that we were both home, though, because Balian was very eager to help his daddy, and mommy had to keep a super watchful eye on him while the drill was out.



Just a quick drill, and the screws went in...



Daddy's helper with his very own little hammer...



There's that damp paper towel I mentioned- a good idea, just in case!


It took less than thirty minutes for my sweet husband to get the table together. My job was easy- to keep Balian out of trouble, and hand over the screws. We let Balian help by handing daddy the tiny wooden screw caps, to fill the holes where we put the screws in. Sacha used his small rubber mallet to gently tap those into place, and they went in without a problem, giving the table a nice, clean finished look.



The caps are in, the table is together and we're ready to put it in place on our porch!


I knew that this gorgeous teak coffee table would look beautiful in front of our teak bench. I love sitting on the bench, but have often wished that I had a nice little table to place my coffee mug on, or a tray with goodies for our friends and family to enjoy when they visit. The table is just the right length for the bench, matching it almost exactly. It does sit a bit lower, but for a coffee table, that hardly matters. It's a great place to leave a tray with some summer reading materials for quiet mornings.



At last! The beautiful Arthur Lauer Sedgwick Coffee Table...



Here's what the table looks like, sitting in front of our bench, which is also teak.
You can tell the difference between the weathered or aged bench and the fresh, unblemished teak in the coffee table!

We love the way that the Sedgwick Coffee Table is helping us transform our front porch. This side of the porch looked nice, but like it was missing something. The coffee table is not only functional for our personal use, but it has created an outdoor living space for our family. This is now a place where we can gather, sit and enjoy each other's company. By taking my empty flower pots away, adding a couple of new patio plants, and even by adding a little cactus to the table, we've created a little outdoor seating area. We have more furniture pieces that we hope to add this summer, as well as a few more accents and elements, to really give our porch the feel of an outdoor room.



Balian is checking out the table. Seems pretty perfect for playing blocks on it!



I love that just by adding this coffee table, we've created an area for living, rather than ignoring out beautiful outdoor space.

One of the other wonderful things about the height of the rectangular indoor/outdoor teak coffee table, is that Balian can scoot his favorite little green chair right up to the table, and be a part of the conversation. He often asks to have lunch out on the porch, now, and we can easily do that, with him sitting in his own chair, and being able to reach the table.



'This is so much fun, mommy!'

Perhaps my favorite part of this beautifully designed table, is the floating table top. The table is designed to look like the top is floating over the table, which is an Arthur Lauer exclusive. We have had lots of friends and several family members over to visit since we received our table, and each one of them has asked to see the table, and has commented on how truly beautiful it is, and how it really pulls this particular side of our front porch together, giving it the feel of an extension of our house- which is what an outdoor living space ought to be. My husband's business partner couldn't get over how stunningly beautiful the teak was, and how well the table was constructed. Arthur Lauer truly uses the highest grade materials available, and it shows through each and every one of their beautifully designed showpieces.

Caring for Your Teak Furniture...

There's an age old argument as to whether or not you should oil your teak furniture. Teak naturally 'greys' over time, as the natural oils evaporate from the wood, making that lovely honey color fade. Many recommend that you don't oil your teak furniture, unless you really want to, or unless it's going to be used indoors. If you oil your outdoor furniture, you will have to keep doing it, to maintain its appearance. Rather than oil your teak, you can simply clean it with mild soap, and use a gentle scrub brush. You can also use specialty teak cleaners, if you like. If you don't care for the fading of the honey color, you can use a light stain and then seal it, to lock it in and protect the coloring.

We've been proud owners of teak furniture for about three years, and haven't stained or sealed it. Though the color is definitely weathered, we sort of like it. We haven't seen one spot of mildew or anything like that on our teak bench- it's an incredibly resilient piece of furniture, and we know our Arthur Lauer Sedgwick Coffee Table is, too!

Arhus Lauer makes completely gorgeous furniture, and you'd better believe that I have a wish list of pieces I'd love to add to my teak collection.


TEAK CHAISE LOUNGE WITHOUT ARMS-BELLAMY



Deep Seating



Dining


Arthur Lauer Teak furniture is the perfect addition to any space- large or small. By adding a few beautiful pieces of finely crafted teak furniture, you can create a stunning oasis in your own backyard, porch or patio. If you've ever looked at a design magazine and dreamed of having an outdoor space to relax in, entertain in, or just enjoy with your family, you can make that dream a reality. Start with one statement piece, and go from there. Choose a table or a love seat, and then build your space, piece by piece. You'll soon have a new favorite 'room' of the house!



Want It? Buy It!

You can browse all of Arthur Lauer's beautifully designed teak furniture by visiting the Arthur Lauer website. Furniture is available for purchase in kit form (meaning you put it together when it arrives), or assembled (for an additional fee). The website now features a newly implemented shopping cart, which is very user-friendly!  While visiting the Arthur Lauer site, take a little time to get to know more about Arthur Lauer, and how their furniture is made. Their dedication to bringing their customers the most beautiful teak furniture pieces is of utmost importance, and I truly believe you will be blown away by not only the designs, but by the overall mission of the company, and the friendly folks behind the scenes. Arthur Lauer is social, and would love to connect with you through Facebook.


Want It? Win It!

One super lucky reader will win their very own Sedgwick Side Table Kit from Arthur Lauer, valued at $242.00. Isn't it a beauty? Use it to add to a furniture grouping- indoors or out. This has the same 'floating top' design that the coffee table does, and it a beautiful addition to any space! Have the perfect spot for this gorgeous piece of furniture? Enter away! This giveaway is open to US residents, 18 and older. Just use the Rafflecopter entry form below to enter for your chance to win!

Hmm... where will you put this, if you win?



Special thanks to Arthur Lauer for allowing us to experience the beauty and functionality of their gorgeous Sedgwick Coffee Table, and for offering this wonderfully generous giveaway for our readers!

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway