High quality, handcrafted wooden patio furniture is great to begin with. Match that with the ease and elegance of a glider, and you’ve got the best of both worlds. Rocking chairs and porch swings are all right, but for the highest level of comfort, go with a glider or glider swing. They look beautiful and will support you when you most need it.
What’s a Glider?
If you haven’t had a chance to own or even sit in a glider, then you’ve been missing out. That’s because sitting on a glider is like sitting on a cloud. Better yet, it’s the most comfortable seat ever and it moves, lulling you into levels of relaxation you never thought possible. Gliders are modified rockers in that unlike a rocker which moves on a fulcrum arc via two base rockers, a glider has a fixed base unit, with a seat that moves back and forth on a hardware track. Because of this, they are less dangerous because no part of the chair’s base ever leaves the ground, while the movement of the rockers from a rocking chair can pinch toes and cat tails if you’re not careful. That also differentiates them from a glider swing, whose base is either fixed or never even touches the ground. Also, gliders operate with minimal movement of the legs, so there’s even less work for you.
But the advantages don’t end there. Gliders are manufactured for both indoor and outdoor use. Indoor gliders feature plush upholstery, often in ultra soft fabrics like micro-suede, and in a range of colors to choose from. Outdoor gliders can be just as comfortable and attractive though, carved out of beautifully finished woods like cedar and teak. You can also find reclining gliding chairs, and ones with matching ottomans. These matching ottomans are often themselves gliders, meaning your legs can be elevated and also glider in sync with the rest of your body, making for the smoothest ride possible.
Okay, but then what’s a Glider Swing?
To clarify, the term glider swing can be a little vague, and depending on whom you ask, can mean a few different things. First, there is the glider swing which basically resembles a cross between a regular outdoor glider and a bench. These are freestanding models, much like the normal glider, and it operates in exactly the same way. The only visible difference is that’s wider like a bench so as to seat two or three people at a time.
The following type of glider swing is a little more complex in design. This variation offers two separate benches that face one another, but work on an attached track which connects the two at the base. There’s often a matching canopy, which not only shield riders from sun and rain, but also helps to stabilize the unit as a whole. These swings are great for social use, as it allows for four people to converse in a confined space and all contributing to the gliding motion.
The last variation on the glider swing is the least like a typical glider, but ironically the most like a swing.That’s because it resembles the second variation in appearance, but not in function. These swings also have a canopy, but a much more useful one that acts as a framework to connect the seats to the top by swinging beams. Once again, riders face one another, but the seats swing rather than glide and no part of them ever touches the ground. Choosing which type of glider swing is the right for you depends a little on space and budget, but mostly it’s a matter of personal taste.
