Outdoor furniture tends to be designed with durability in mind, to a greater extent than indoor furniture is - so for example, fabric upholstery will usually be replaced with more weatherproof material, or with seats that are ergonomically designed to be comfortable without the need for padding.
But what happens if, for example, you have a covered terrace? Should you opt for indoor furniture, even though it may be partially exposed to the elements, or outdoor furniture even though the space might feel like part of your building's interior rather than its exterior?
It all comes down to the feeling you get when you are in the space - and, crucially, to the type of weather it will have to contend with.
Where wind and rain can easily get into a terrace or other covered area, it's obviously best to opt for outdoor furniture that is designed to deal with such conditions.
For a best of both worlds solution, choose materials you might normally expect to see in a conservatory setting - wicker and wood are both good options, and there are weatherproof artificial versions of each of these that offer excellent durability, with great aesthetic appeal.
And as always in outdoor areas, if your furniture will be exposed to wind, rain, snow, frost and so on, consider getting stacking chairs and even stacking tables, which can be moved inside overnight or put away into storage during the worst of the winter weather.
The materials used in outdoor furniture are carefully developed and carefully chosen, so by trusting in the development work that has been done by the manufacturers, you can rest assured that your furniture will cope with a certain level of moisture, direct sunlight, wind and other exposure.
On the other hand of course, you might have an interior area that you want to give the illusion of being outdoors - and by using outdoor furniture here, you can create that same feeling of being on a terrace, when perhaps the open air is simply coming through large open windows - or there is no opening at all, just large panes of glass.