entertaining, lounging, and cooking. And for many families, especially those which entertain, comfortable, attractive outdoor furniture is essential to that lifestyle. According to Andrew Gracie, manager at Great Things, it's a trend that is becoming more evident as people realise they do have a choice.

"The whole outdoor furniture market has changed drastically in the past two years,'' he said. "People would once spend half a million dollars on a house and have immaculate furniture inside and immaculate gardens but mish mash on the patio. That's now changing. More people are going for quality whereas for the past five or ten years, people had been buying plastic furniture. What they found was that while the price was good, the quality was poor so they're now switching back to something which will last for the next ten years.'' Although Bermuda's climate does pose some limitations on selection, there is a wide variety of attractive furniture which will last even though it will be at a cost. "A lot of people spend six months indoors and six months outdoors and with today's technology and the selection of fabrics and styles, furniture can be extremely comfortable, extremely attractive and very durable. One drawback is the cost, but if you amortise it over the next ten years, it's less expensive than plastic because you don't have to keep replacing it. "All plastic furniture is not bad, however, we carry in the resin, Allibert, the original plastic furniture that was popular years ago until other companies made imitations and cheapened it.'' Aluminium is proving very popular in Bermuda, said Mr. Gracie, but as with everything else, one must be discerning.

"Some are held together with steel fixtures which rust in Bermuda's climate.

But we carry quality aluminium furniture which is not corrosive. "We carry Tropitone which has been in Bermuda for probably 30 years. And because we have one of the most corrosive climates, one of the greatest things about that line is that it has proven it's able to withstand Bermuda's elements. We also carry Winston, another high end, high quality aluminium as well as several lines of cast aluminium; it's very elegant, very heavy duty, and again, very long term.'' Personal touches can be added to patio furniture through any of the many cushions which can be ordered through the store. "Especially if you're using the same old Redwood furniture, new cushions can make it look all the more attractive. Because chairs come in different sizes and shapes, cushions are impossible to stock. We will order them for you and it takes only between three and four weeks. The whole point is that if you are going to buy a cushion and use it for the next five years, you want it to be the colour and texture that you want.'' Accessories such outdoor placemats and glassware are also available as are umbrellas -- vital for shade and available in all sizes and styles. And for those in search of a more permanent form of protection, awnings are a must. "We've had them out on test to see how well they would stand up and they're working excellently. The shade gives protection against the wind and even slight rain showers as the awnings are waterproof and made from a first-class fabric. "In the past, awnings have had cumbersome mechanisms and a huge price tag; you're looking at $3,000 or $4,000. These average between $1,200 and $1,500.'' As always, he said, hammocks are loved by many and Great Things has both the regular, polyester, rope-style and the fabric ones, with superduty hammock stands. "We don't sell wood furniture because the climate is not favourable to wood. It must be maintained and people just want something that they can leave alone. "For sunporches -- those which are actually in an enclosed area, we have wrought iron furniture which is very stylish because the designer can do a lot of filigree work. And we also have the usual beach chairs and umbrellas.'' Great Things is located on East Broadway in Hamilton. PHOTO Outdoor furniture and accessories to meet every taste at Great Things on East Broadway