Why Industry Experts Choose Westminster Teak Furniture for Their Own Outdoor Spaces

There is no shortage of advice on how to style an outdoor space for summer. But some of the most convincing recommendations do not come from a styling guide. They come from the people who spend their careers evaluating quality, durability, and design for a living, and then choose that same product for their own homes.

Michelle Pease, Tim Carr, and Josh Gray-Emmer each work in industries where discerning quality is second nature. All three have teak outdoor furniture from Westminster Teak in the spaces they use every day. Here is why, and how you can bring the same collections into your own space .

Why Did Michelle Pease Choose Westminster Teak Patio Furniture for Her Own Backyard?

Michelle Pease reviewed a wide range of products before deciding on Westminster Teak. As a Broker-Owner at Regency Real Estate Brokers with over two decades in Southern California real estate, she has staged countless properties and knows what holds up under real, repeated use. For her own backyard in Newport Beach, she chose the Laguna Lounge Set, a Veranda Swing Bench, and a ten-person Veranda Dining Set.
‍

‍

"The thing that sold us the most was the lifetime warranty," Pease says. "Out of all the different products that we reviewed, the lifetime warranty was very special to us. The comfortability of the use of it, how neutral it is, and then the fact that there was all different versions, from the swing, to the lounge chairs, to dining, really made it something that we were excited about."

‍
The decision was also a family one. Her father, a designer, cared about the aesthetic. Her husband, a banker, cared about long-term value. Pease herself cared about how the space would present. Westminster Teak, she says, "solved many different levels of issues" for all three.

‍

‍

The swing bench has its own story. Pease's daughter insisted it was the one piece she cared about, testing it in the showroom with the family dog before the order was placed.

‍

"It's been wonderful," Pease says, "because as she's had breaks, she'll be out here swinging, reading her books, the dog jumps up, they swing together."

‍

Pease's relationship with the brand goes beyond her own backyard. As a trade partner, she has recommended Westminster Teak to clients staging their own properties for sale, trusting a company she describes as premier in its customer service, "from the minute I called Shelly, until Joe has been at my house."

Today, her backyard hosts everything from quiet family dinners by the fire pit to celebrations with clients.

Shop Michelle Pease's Patio Teak Furniture Selection

• Laguna Lounge Set
• Veranda 10-person dining set
• Veranda Swing Bench Set
  ‍

How Does Tim Carr Use His Westminster Teak Patio Furniture in His Koi Pond Retreat?

Tim Carr's relationship with teak furniture started long before Westminster Teak. He grew up surfing and spent time in Bali decades ago, where he first saw teak used the way it was meant to be: outdoors, in the heat, near water, and built to last. As a longtime boater, teak was already part of his life on deck.

His first Westminster Teak purchase was a bar for his home, which he still calls his favorite piece of teak furniture, the Somerset Bar Collection. That early purchase led to something much larger: an 80 year old warehouse in Newport Beach that Carr converted into a private retreat built around a koi pond and Japanese garden, designed in collaboration with pond specialist Wes Glenn.

"Of everything I've ever built, this has been my favorite project by far," Carr says. The space, furnished with the Maya Lounge Set and Luna pieces, was designed as a place to disconnect from a demanding career in real estate brokerage and property development. "When times get tough or work gets stressful, you just walk out here and watch my fish. It's really been very, very effective."
‍
Carr says the furniture fit the vision from the start: "I visualized this space and what was here before I had the furniture. It just was a perfect fit with Westminster Teak and their product line for what I wanted to do here."

He seats six or seven people comfortably, and rarely covers the furniture, letting it live outdoors the way teak is designed to. Carr's Newport Beach retreat is also a partnership story. He works with Westminster Teak on projects that call for furniture built to hold up on the water, and describes the process as far more collaborative than simply buying pieces off a floor.

‍

"My experience was fantastic, because this was a complicated project and I really needed help much more than just going in and purchasing something," he says. "The help that I got was the layout, the design, drafting it, ordering it, figuring out the color schemes, the patterns, where I could not have imagined it coming out better."

‍

Shop Tim Carr's Patio Teak Furniture Selection

• Somerset Bar
• Maya Lounge
• Luna Collection

Why Did Josh Gray-Emmer Choose Westminster Teak Furniture for His Rooftop?

Josh Gray-Emmer founded the DTLA Dinner Club to bring strangers together over dinner on his downtown Los Angeles rooftop. The furniture needed to do more than look good. It needed to make people comfortable enough to actually connect.
‍

‍

"I discovered that teak is really what you want to go with," Gray-Emmer says. "If you're looking for something that's sturdy, that's hardy, that's sustainable, environmentally friendly, that's going to last for 30 years if you take care of it." Reputation mattered too. "I wanted something with a brand that you can trust, that's been around for a long time, a brand that had a lot of reputation behind it."

‍
He furnished the rooftop with the Maya Collection, working with the Westminster Teak team to plan a layout suited to a space built for gathering. Gray-Emmer sent the team a basic image of his rooftop with measurements he took himself, and Westminster Teak returned with multiple layout options to help him figure out exactly what he wanted.
‍

"It was really important that the furniture help with that dynamic, of making everyone feel comfortable, and together," he says.

‍

The result is a space designed around connection, where 30 strangers can sit down for dinner and, as Gray-Emmer describes it, leave as something closer to friends. The teak patio furniture on his rooftop was chosen to disappear into the background of that experience rather than compete with it, comfortable enough that no one thinks twice about where they're sitting.

For more information about the work Westminster Teak made for The DTLA Dinner Club, please read our blog post: The DTLA Dinner Club x Westminster Teak: Designing Spaces Where Connection Happens

‍

How Easy Is It to Maintain Westminster Teak Outdoor Furniture?

Part of why these collections work so well in daily use is how little they ask in return. Teak furniture does not need to be sealed, stained, or painted to hold up outdoors, unlike most other woods used in patio settings. Left untreated, teak develops a natural silver patina over time. This is simply the wood aging gracefully, not a sign of wear.

Routine care is minimal. A rinse with a mild saltwater solution once or twice a year, depending on exposure to sun and rain, is usually enough to manage mildew. For those who prefer to keep the original honey tone, applying Teak Protector at the start and end of the season helps maintain the color. Pressure washing is not recommended, since it can raise the wood grain. A soft brush and mild soap is all most outdoor teak furniture ever needs.

For more information about how to take care of your teak furniture, visit our guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does teak furniture need to be covered outdoors?

No. Teak is naturally weather resistant and can be left uncovered year round. Covering it is a matter of preference, not necessity.

Will teak furniture fade or change color over time?

Yes, teak weathers into a silver gray patina if left untreated. This is a natural characteristic of the wood and does not affect its structural integrity.

Is teak patio furniture a good choice near water or in coastal climates?

Yes. Teak has long been used in marine settings because of its natural resistance to moisture, salt, and humidity, making it well suited to coastal and waterfront properties. For more information, visit our guide Coastal Outdoor Living: How to Design an Exterior Space That Truly Lasts

Can I use the same teak furniture indoors and outdoors?

Teak's durability makes it a practical choice for indoor-outdoor spaces, a growing trend in homes with accordion doors and transitional living areas. Learn more about teak furniture in our post.
‍

Bring the Same Collections Into Your Own Space

Michelle, Tim, and Josh did not choose these pieces because they were trending. They chose them because teak holds up to real, daily use, ages gracefully, and fits spaces as different as a family backyard, a private koi pond retreat, and a downtown rooftop. Whether the goal is a place to host, a place to unwind, or simply a place to sit with a cup of coffee in the morning, these are the same collections built to make that space last.