Busy cities in Australia are putting more effort into improving their open spaces for the benefit of residents and visitors, and outdoor furniture plays a large role in this. One of the main functions of this furniture is to improve convenience for people whilst they are outside. When this furniture is installed in a public area, more people are encouraged to use the area where before they might not have done. This will make the place look more attractive and may also serve for practical purposes. Bus shelters complete with benches allow people to wait in comfort and benches in the park allow people to take the pressure off their feet, and these are important additions to any public space.

Outdoor furniture in Australia comes in many different shapes, sizes and with many different uses too. This includes things like street lighting, bins and park benches, for example.

Street furniture bins are perhaps one of the most common types of outdoor furniture to be found in an average street. Bins have a practical purpose, they are usually designed to be attractive, often in bright colors so they are easy to identify at a distance, and they help to keep our streets clean and tidy by providing people with a place to deposit their litter.

Benches in parks allow people to rest without sitting on the grass, and picnic tables allow people to spend longer in a public area which encourages socialization. This all leads to a more pleasant atmosphere, and without such features, people would be less inclined to visit and spend more time in these public areas. Benches can be used by anyone who simply wishes to stop a moment and sit while watching the world go by. They may be more common in our parks, but they serve a similar and equally popular purpose in our streets as yet another form of furniture on our streets.

Other types of street furniture include things like street illumination. This usually takes the form of street lights that are suspended on the tops of long tall structures designed to hold the lights up high for a more maximum illumination effect. Traffic signs can also be considered street furniture. They are essential for telling drivers where to go, what to do and what not to do, but in effect, they are part of the general outdoor furniture that we encounter every day.

Outdoor furniture is a term that covers all the many items that we find on our surroundings. Some are essential and necessary, others are more decorative, but usually still useful in some way. Most of the items of furniture on the street we take for granted without a thought, but we need them, more often than not, and we would definitely miss them if they were not there.

By installing attractive and practical outdoor furniture with unique designs, people become more involved in their community and more proud of where they live, and this rubs off on visitors that lead to a more vibrant and pleasant atmosphere.