Heated outdoor furniture exists — and extends patio season to all year long
Outmore Living's heated furniture collection is incredibly unique. As far as I can tell in my research as a freelance writer specializing in home and outdoor products, they're the only brand offering furniture that incorporates heating pads inside outdoor furniture cushions that are powered by batteries, allowing users to place the sofas, chairs, or ottomans wherever they want on their patio or yard. Kevin Long and Alex Duncan co-founded the Austin-based company in 2022, two years after Long had the idea of heated outdoor furniture during Thanksgiving in 2020. The Austin-based company has come a long way from building a prototype in Duncan's living room to the sleek and comfortable outdoor furniture that makes it more desirable to spend more time outside in chilly weather.
With weather-resistant properties and five different heating levels, Outmore Living's heated furniture is giving people more opportunities to enjoy the outdoors for far less work than it takes to start a fire and less CO2 emissions than propane heaters emit. When I posted the furniture on my social media, quite a few friends reached out with interest. Those who lived in cooler places, like Alaska, commented how such furniture would make a huge difference in their lives. Among the best places to buy outdoor furniture, Outmore Living is one to watch.
Design
Outmore Living offers four battery-powered heated furniture pieces — a chair, a loveseat, a 3-seat sofa, and an ottoman. The furniture is stylish and contemporary. Each piece has an FSC-certified teak frame with curved arms, a high back, and square cushions that come in seven different colors. I tested the aloe color. The brand also offers side or coffee tables.
The cushions have five layers, consisting of weather- and stain-resistant Sunbrella fabric, a waterproof liner, a carbon fiber heating pad, Dacron fiber (polyester), and high-resiliency memory foam.
Outmore Living calls their heating design HeatTech. The back and bottom cushions are connected by locking connectors, which are linked to the power bar mount, located on the underside of the teak frame. Each seat has a port, which the power bar magnetically connects to. It also has a built-in USB-A and USB-C plug to charge your devices.. While the power bar is visible, it is not garishly so. You're able to set your furniture collection anywhere, no power outlet required.
As Outmore Living improves its design and technology, it is also committed to sustainability. Rather than needing to replace the furniture in its entirety, the teak frame is built for the long haul. As the company plans to enhance its offerings, you may find yourself considering upgraded HeatTech, replaceable cushions, and other accessories.
Outmore Living has also partnered with showrooms and retailers in several states to allow customers to see the furniture in person. It even lists the coffee shops and hotels where its products are utilized if you're nearby.
Delivery
Outmore Living's heated furniture is made to order and typically ships for free with a white glove delivery service within 2-3 weeks. Unfortunately, Outmore Living happened to be changing their shipping carrier right when I was scheduled to do this review, and because of that, my experience with delivery and set up was different than what most people will experience.
Prior to my furniture being delivered, the three batteries were shipped for free in the mail to my house. I did have an issue with one of the batteries not working. It just wouldn't turn on, but the company sent out another the next day with a return label so I could send back the battery for inspection. Having tested a lot of products in the last four years, I know better than most that sometimes batteries just don't work, so I wasn't upset by this at all. It can happen to any company, and Outmore Living was very prompt in its response to rectify the situation.
As for the furniture delivery, I was sent notifications by email to set up a delivery date and time. The shipping carrier also gave me a call, granting me the opportunity to choose an earlier date than what I was provided in the email.
On the delivery day, two men arrived with the Solerno loveseat and lounge chair. They placed the pre-assembled furniture on my back porch, connected the cushions, and took away all the packaging. The entire delivery lasted less than 20 minutes.
Comfort
The cushions on the Solerno lounge chair and loveseat are very comfortable. Made of memory foam and covered in Sunbrella fabric, the cushions are a delight to sit on. The fabric is smooth and comfortable on my skin, while the cushions have a medium firm feel, which means they're supportive without being hard or uncomfortable. I sink slightly in, but not too much to make me think the memory foam will break down quickly.
I like how wide the lounge chair is, making it a good option for people of various sizes. The 2-seat sofa and the lounge chair are deep with tall backs for ultimate support. Even though they're deep, I can still place my feet on the ground when my backside is set against the back cushion (I'm 5'5" for reference). Sometimes, I'll lie on the loveseat with my head leaning against one arm of the sofa and my feet hanging over the opposite side.
Heating
Although you can use Outmore Living's furniture year-round, its heating feature is what makes it unique. Its HeatTech system combines a battery heating pad within the cushions to create heated outdoor furniture. A power bar connects to the underside of the teak frame with magnets.
There are five heating levels (85°F to 120°F), adjusted via arrows on the power bar. The cushion grows warm within 15-60 seconds (though I usually felt the cushion grow warm within 15-20 seconds).
The heated pad does not stretch to every corner of the cushion, though it's quite large and centered along the back and bottom cushion. The highest heating level is toasty. I'd suggest it for deep winter and the fourth highest heating level for cool days in the fall or spring. Because I tested the furniture in May, I usually used the first, second, or third heating level in the early mornings or evenings when it was breezy but not cold. I know I'll find daily use of this sofa come fall and winter.
While the power bars are marketed to last up to 10 hours, I experienced a range. At the highest heat setting, the power bar lasted two hours and five minutes. Another time, just 50 minutes, which transparently is not the longest time, but it's enough to enjoy a coffee in the morning or maybe a whisky in the evening. This was after the battery had been charged days earlier and sat in my house fully charged until I was ready to test the heat again. There's little difference between the fourth and fifth heating levels, so to get some longer use out of the power bar, I'd suggest using the fourth heating level if it's particularly cold.
At the lowest heat setting, the battery lasted seven hours and 15 minutes one time and two hours and 45 minutes another time. I suspect you'll get the best use out of the battery if you charge the power bar and use it right away. Leave it sitting for a day or two, and it's likely that the charge goes down even if it reads as fully charged. To verify this theory, I charged a power bar and used it the next day, only for it to last six hours and 15 minutes on the lowest heating level.
Charging all three batteries takes about 6 hours and 45 minutes. Outmore includes a cord that can charge them simultaneously, or you can use your own USB-A or USB-C cables.
I did have a bit of an issue with the heating capabilities. Upon first testing, one cushion initially stopped heating after 30 minutes but worked again after moving the cushions around and reconnecting. Later, the sofa's power bars paused with no warning — lights froze and heat stopped. Swapping the bars helped one side, but the other didn't resume heating. The chair's power bar also shut off unexpectedly but worked again after restarting.
I don't know why I experienced these glitches at some points during testing and not during others. As far as I can tell, you don't need to be sitting on the furniture for the power bar to work.
While the glitches are not great, the likelihood of my sitting on this furniture for more than three hours at a time is slim, and I'm confident the battery power can last for at least three hours at the third and fourth heat levels. Outmore Living responded quickly to my issues, and I expect continued improvements with future models.
Durability
After three weeks of testing the Solerno 2-seat sofa and chair on my uncovered porch during a particularly rainy Texas May, I've gotten a good sense of their durability. I covered them with a tarp to protect them when not in use, though some moisture and dirt still got through. Thankfully, the cushions dried quickly and were easy to clean, as was the teak frame.
The FSC-certified teak feels sturdy and, with proper care, could last decades. The medium-firm memory foam cushions also appear well-made, though like all foam, their longevity will depend on usage and care. I plan to store the cushions when not in use to extend their life. The Sunbrella fabric might be resistant to water, stains, and UV rays, but that doesn't mean that water won't be absorbed by the cushions, which could affect the memory foam in the long run.
While the HeatTech is impressive, its long-term durability is unclear. The power bars and HeatTech pads have relatively short warranties (one and two years), so I'm storing the power bars indoors when not in use for extra protection.
Returns and warranty
Outmore Living allows returns within 45 days. However, there is a 20% return fee and the cost of shipping. For instance, the Solerno Heated 2-Seat sofa set return fee would be $1,750 (which is 20% of its $8,750 price tag). While steep, the return fee is understandable for made-to-order furniture.
Different parts of the furniture have different warranties. The power bars only have a one-year warranty, while the HeatTech heating pads are covered under a 2-year warranty. The teak frames are covered under a 3-year warranty, while the cushion covers and foam inserts have a 5-year warranty. The teak frame and cover warranties are average, if not better, than most warranties for outdoor furniture. However, I would prefer a longer warranty for the power bars and heating pads, only because technology such as these can be finicky, and I think it would be nice to have them covered for much longer than one to two years. For reference, if a power bar dies after a year, a replacement is $400.
Cons to consider
While the HeatTech technology is impressive, customers should be prepared that the battery life is not always consistent, and glitches can occur. In my testing, the longest a power bar lasted was a little over 7 hours on the lowest heat setting and as short as 50 minutes on the highest heat setting. It doesn't help that the power bars take over 6 hours to charge. Add on the fact that the power bar warranty is only one year, and it's a little unclear how durable the power bars are.
I appreciate that Outmore Living offers free white glove delivery, but unfortunately, if you want to return the product, it's going to cost a pretty high fee. In fact, Outmore Living charges 20% of the cost of the product plus a shipping fee. This makes sense in some ways, considering that their furniture is all made upon ordering, but that aside, you should probably be completely sure of your purchase before investing in this product.
What are your alternatives?
If you're looking for other brands that sell outdoor heated furniture, you'll be disappointed to discover that there is likely only one other company with a similar offering. Galanter & Jones' Kosmos Collection is very modern in style with a molded cast stone construction, but lacks the plush cushions that Outmore Living has. It has to be plugged into an outlet for its heating element, with a cord that ultimately limits where you can place the Kosmos Chair or Lounge. However, it is slightly more affordable than Outmore Living's heated furniture collection.
Of course, you can always enjoy high-quality outdoor furniture without heating elements like those offered by Polywood, which offers sustainable HDPE furniture that mimics the look of wood. The 6-piece deep-seated Acadia Lounge Sofa Set is equally as comfortable as Outmore Living's, and you have a lot more choices in terms of the designs and cushion colors. Though Polywood's collections are considered luxury buys, they're still more affordable than the Solerno Set, which comes with three pieces rather than the six that are included in the Acadia Lounge Sofa Set. You can see our full review of our experience with Polywood.
Burrow also offers some great outdoor furniture options, like the modular Burrow Relay 4-piece Outdoor Sofa Set. The set is moderately priced, easy to put together, and has comfortable cushions. If only the cushion covers could be thrown in the wash. The frame of the set we tested is made of galvanized steel, but they do offer a teak design, too.
The bottom line
There is no doubt that Outmore Living has created a stylish outdoor furniture collection that is water-resistant, comfortable, and built to last. Their ingenious design — using batteries to heat cushions — is a gamechanger for those living in cold areas or buyers who simply want to enjoy the outdoors year-round without needing a propane heater or roaring fire.
The battery life of the power bars is not consistent, but I'll take them over a corded design that limits where I can place my outdoor furniture. A high price tag is surely going to make customers pause, but if they take a leap of faith, they'll likely discover that they'll be using Outmore Living's heated outdoor furniture quite often (even despite some occasional glitches).
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