My Story
In Australia we are blessed with a climate just made for outdoor dining. 1 in 2 of us have an outdoor entertaining space that we regularly use as an extension of our living areas. Is it any wonder TV shows like Backyard Blitz, Better Homes and Gardens and The Block have enthralled their audiences for so long? Clearly Australians love their own backyards.
It all started with a dream...
This is me – Christine, I love to dine alfresco, if the weather is right - I’ll always choose to sit outside. At home we are lucky to have a great outdoor area, but whenever I’d search for tableware suitable for outside, I was less than impressed with what was available in the shops.
It was mostly pretty cheap, some of it full of toxins and most of it less than attractive – I mean just because we’re sitting outside tonight does not mean I want to drink my pinot out of a chunky plastic glass covered in sunflowers and pineapples (apologies if sunflowers and pineapples are your thing).
Shopping in the higher end stores, I would sometimes find products there, but they were always at the upper end of my budget. It got me thinking – there must be others out there that have a similar mindset, and by that, I mean, Just as fussy. I thought there must be practical, unbreakable products available somewhere that were both affordable and beautiful. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a place where I could shop, that was dedicated to all facets of outdoor dining – A kind of backyard entertainers holy grail. A place filled with tasteful and practical items for outdoor living.
And that’s where my dream sat for many, many years. I was working full time, with two children, a mortgage and life was pretty hectic. I have always been interested in decorating and design, and love to flip through those decorator magazines, dreaming of what it would be like to have a homewares store selling gorgeous products. I studied Interior design but never pursued a career in that direction, I guess I was just a bit too scared to go out on my own. Along my travels I found a really brilliant mentor. A local business man and entrepreneur who was extraordinarily generous with his time and wisdom, I told him about my dream to have an on-line store, and he said to me “So kid, what the f___ are you doing about it?” (yep, those were his words). It wasn't very long after that conversation that we started to hatch a plan.
We started small…
Fast forward a few years and The Outdoor Table was created. We have come from humble beginnings in my friends’ garage and have steadily been growing. We’re now into our sixth year and I’m proud to say that I’ve created my very own store catering to people who love outdoor dining and entertaining. A place where you can shop for beautiful things but need to be practical about it. I have grand visions, and lots of plans to grow, but there are a few basics principles that will always underpin our business model. We focus on bringing you products that are both functional and of a high quality.
- There is no single use plastic sold on this site. - I’m not looking to contribute to Australia’s Landfill problem
- Our products are better for you – All our products are BPA Free
- Looks always matter – You don’t need to sacrifice style for practicality; you can have both
- Our prices are affordable – so all of us can enjoy the products
- I want to help you have a worry-free lifestyle – because life really is too short to worry about a broken plate.
At The Outdoor Table…
We support Australian Made and are constantly searching for new products to feature on our website. If you are a manufacturer or know of a product that you think would be ideal for this webstore, please get in touch. I’d love to speak with you.
You may notice when your parcel arrives that we've reused cardboard, paper or bubble wrap to pack your items. That's because I'm proud to say that in the four years we've been operating we've never had to buy a single roll of bubble, cardbox box or internal packing material. We save everything that comes into our warehouse and reuse as much as possible. It's our way of reducing waste, which would otherwise go to landfill.
We believe that family is super important. That time spent around the dinner table should be fun & relaxed - filled with laughter and happiness.
From day one, I decided to support a small charity called The Drought Angels, who give help to Aussie farmers. It’s my way of saying thank you for providing such wonderful food for my family’s table. A percentage of every sale made on this website is donated directly to them. Donations can be made through their website https://www.droughtangels.org.au/
Simply put - We sell quality homewares for outdoor dining and entertaining, and I am so pleased to welcome you to my webstore.