An Old-World Bistro Vibe

There’s something incredibly appealing about bistro seating.  Perhaps it’s the promise of spending time out of doors for a leisurely cup of coffee, a refreshing cold drink or a light meal.  Or perhaps it’s the memory of dining alfresco in the charmingly, compact space of a European sidewalk café.
Just imagine yourself surrounded by the wonders of the Old World in this café along the Graslei in Ghent Belgium or…
… people watching in this buzzy town square in Roermond Netherlands or …
… savoring the view of the Basílica of the Sagrada Família from this café in Barcelona Spain.
Bistro seating is also a popular choice for small cafés tucked away in hidden alleys such as this one in Rome Italy or…
… nestled in a secluded garden such as this one under the lemon trees in Sorrento Italy.
A “bistro set” is outdoor café furniture typically comprised of a small dining table with two matching chairs.  Some sources also include bar-height sets and conversation sets with a low coffee table.  “The term ‘bistro set’ is believed to have originated in France where small tables and chairs were commonly used at informal cafes and bistros.” reports the Jardina online article Why Is It Called a Bistro Set?  “These small sets were designed to be easily moveable, allowing for flexibility in seating arrangements and making them suitable for outdoor spaces or narrow indoor spaces.”
L’Auvergne in Paris, shown below, is the quintessential French brasserie with red awnings, sidewalk dining and bistro seating.
The light, compact design of most bistro sets makes it easy to add chairs or group the pieces into different configurations.  Here are three examples—a simple setting with three chairs spotted in Nice France, an ornate grouping on the lawn at Cashel House in Connemara Ireland and tables-for-four at La Bobia in Madrid Spain.

Bistro sets can be very compact and will fit in surprisingly small spaces making them ideal for pocket-sized balconies such as this one in Porto Portugal.
Imagine starting your day, seated on this balcony in Ravello Italy overlooking this spectacular view of the Amalfi Coast!
Not only are bistro sets compact and functionally flexible, they have a unique simple style which can swing from casual rustic like these settings in Rothenburg and Munich Germany to…
… a more contemporary aesthetic like these settings in Aveiro Portugal and Sonoma California.
Bistro seating can also be used to inject personality with pops of color.  The soft celadon green of the bistro chairs at Noshi Coffee Garden in Porto Portugal are a case in point.
These cheerful red bistro chairs caught my eye at a café in Savannah Georgia.
Colorful bistro sets are a popular choice in private gardens as well as cafes and brasseries.  Here are some I’ve spotted while touring private gardens in Georgia.
I took my cue from these examples and added a colorful assortment of metal bistro tables and chairs to our own outdoor space.  Here’s a fun shot, taken in our yard, showcasing three of the chair designs and colors.
It all started with the simple black bistro set shown below in our garden in Michigan.  This landscaped area, created for this specific purpose, was my favorite place to rest and relax.
When we relocated to Georgia, we gained a much longer season for dining alfresco and my search for inexpensive, unique bistro seating began in earnest.  I scoured antique markets, thrift stores and yard sales for potential candidates.
My best find was at Scott Antique Markets in Atlanta.  The vendor had several vintage bistro chairs on offer.  I chose two of the chairs with the red seats.
Deconstructing these chairs was quite straightforward.  After unfastening the seats from the frame, I pulled out the staples to remove the old, damaged, red seat covers.  Fortunately, both the underlying foam cushion and the plywood base were salvageable.
It was a simple matter to replace the old red vinyl with new marine-grade, white vinyl.  The metal frames were sanded to remove the old paint and refinished with my favorite green spray paint — Rust-Oleum Satin in Eden.
Pictured below are the refinished bistro chairs in our yard.
Here they are again in their modeling gig for the Announcing the Floral World Tour Collection blog post.
Nowadays, my favorite outdoor spot is this bistro set located on our deck overlooking Lake Oconee.

More Info

Previous blog posts mentioned in today’s blog post include:
. Announcing the Floral World Tour Collection
The following articles were consulted in the writing of this blog post:
. Why Is It Called a Bistro Set? June 2023 article by Jardina
. What Is a Bistro Table? Dec 2019 article by BE Furniture Sales.

Today’s Takeaways

1. A bistro set is outdoor café furniture typically comprised of a small dining table with two matching chairs.
2. Bistro “sets were designed to be easily moveable, allowing for flexibility in seating arrangements and making them suitable for outdoor spaces or narrow indoor spaces.”  Jardina online article
3. Consider adding an old-world bistro vibe to your outdoor space with bistro seating.