The warm weather and hosting Clara’s outdoor birthday party have pushed us back into updating the outdoor areas. Picture me in spit-up-stained overalls and a striped hat, bleary-eyed from nights with our adorable baby, but excited to enjoy time outside. Last year we invested months renovating the sunroom—tearing up the old carpet, removing broken doors, lofting the ceiling, updating electrical, installing a plank ceiling, hanging two fans, and tiling the floor—so it felt natural to keep improving that space now that it can actually be used.

At the moment the sunroom has a West Elm indoor daybed (not ideal for long-term outdoor use), an old Ikea coffee table, and a couple of dining chairs that ended up outside after the birthday party. Borrowing extra chairs from the dining room and adding a handful of Target outdoor chairs for the party made the space usable, and seeing everything out there made us want something more permanent and cohesive. That kicked off our search for an outdoor sofa.

We decided to start with the largest piece first so we could plan everything else around it. There’s already a dining table with an umbrella on the deck, so a cushy lounge area in the shade of the sunroom-turned-veranda felt right. We wanted woven wicker-style frames rather than wood or metal, and we were looking specifically for Sunbrella fabric because of its reputation for durability and fade resistance. We considered a number of options and compared features, build quality, warranties, and price.

One contender was a Crate & Barrel sofa that offered Sunbrella fabric and an attractive woven look. It was on sale but still expensive, and we were wary of multi-piece bases that can shift apart over time. Pottery Barn had a luxurious option that we loved visually, but the Sunbrella upgrade added a substantial charge and that model eventually went out of stock. Another Pottery Barn style in a smaller loveseat size would have required upgrading to a larger, more expensive version to fit our space, and that too required extra payment for Sunbrella.

We also found a budget-friendly option on a large online marketplace with strong ratings and a low price tag. The positive reviews looked promising, but one-star reviews reported that the woven material fell apart after a single season, which raised durability concerns. Restoration Hardware offered a beautiful frame we admired in person, but it was sold without cushions, making the total cost significantly higher once Sunbrella cushions were added.

One of the options that really stood out was available through Home Depot and manufactured by a reputable brand known for quality. It came with a long frame warranty, a solid fabric warranty, and the convenience of white-glove delivery and setup. The price felt reasonable for what you get, and Sunbrella fabric was standard with this model, which checked several boxes for us: comfort, build quality, fabric durability, and professional delivery.

During the search we also browsed Craigslist, Joss & Main, Overstock, Hayneedle, and Wayfair, but nothing matched what we wanted as closely as the Brown Jordan option we eventually chose. Being able to sit on showroom floor models before buying was crucial—comfort, seat height, cushion firmness, and fabric texture all matter when you’ll be spending a lot of time lounging.

After testing a floor model of the Home Depot/Brown Jordan chair from that set, we were sold on the feel and finish. The purchase isn’t cheap, but our goal with the sunroom is to create a long-lasting, low-maintenance living space that feels like an extension of the house—a move we consider an investment rather than a quick fix.

With the sofa on its way, we can move forward with other updates we’ve been planning: building a coffee table, installing sconces for softer evening lighting, adding an outdoor-friendly table for the other side of the space, and bringing in finishing touches like potted plants and side tables. For now I’ll be the slightly frantic parent standing in the driveway, baby in arms, waiting for the delivery truck—but in a good way. This next phase should make the sunroom-turned-veranda a comfortable, functional place to relax and host for years to come.