Digital interview with Patio Top Garden Furniture

Taking advantage of the furore for outdoor spaces,  the online magazine Entrevista Digital recently interviewed our show-store manager Fernando Bueno.

Entrevista Digital is a space dedicated to getting to know more about successful companies in the e-commerce world. PATIO Top Garden Furniture is among these companies for its good work throughout the Costa del Sol and Andalucía areas.

Read on if you want to read the full interview and to know some keys that have led us to be the benchmark of outdoor furniture and decoration.

ED: What is Patio-Top Garden?

FB: PATIO Top Garden is a chain of centers specialized in the conception, creation and development of outdoor spaces.

ED: How does the idea of creating this line of business arise?

FB: The PATIO-Top Garden concept was born more than two decades ago at La Costa del Sol in Málaga.  At that time, the offer of outdoor furniture was divided between low quality imported products from China and elitist collections at prohibitive prices. At that time, a young couple of the founding partners decided to create PATIO Top Garden. Combining their experience in the worlds of engineering and design, they managed to create an exclusive collection of furniture and outdoor complements that reflected the real needs of the majority of users, in which quality, ergonomics and design were its hallmarks.

ED: What kind of services do you provide in Patio-Top Garden?

FB: From the moment the customer comes to us with an idea for his outdoor space until we place the last cushion, we take care of everything, so that the user only has to worry about enjoying his outdoor space. Computer design, customized projects, immediate delivery, installations made by specialists, recycling of furniture and antique materials, delivery anywhere in the world are some of our services.  For our team, the words "not possible" do not exist.

ED: Who are the Patio-Top Garden team? Tell us about the professionals around you.

FB: The PATIO team consists of professionals in design, shopping, commercial and logistics who work with a single and clear objective: to exceed the expectations of our clients and achieve their maximum satisfaction. All our staff has received a specific and personalized training that allows us to give impeccable service and solve any eventuality that can appear, in a simple way and avoiding headaches to our clients.

ED: What do you like most about your profession?

FB: In PATIO we love life on the outside, we like things well done, and we also live the design with passion. For all this, we are devoted to creating pleasant experiences for our users. Watching them enjoy each of the projects we do for them fills us with satisfaction.

ED: How does your outdoor configurator work? Tell us about your method.

FB: The outdoor configurator is a first step to getting started in the outdoor space project.
Through our web sites https://es.patio-topgarden.es/  in Spanish and https://www.patio-topgarden.es/   in English, any user can define his ideal set and obtain a personalized budget adapted to his specific needs and tastes. 

ED: It seems very interesting...

FB: Through this simple form, we help the client to ask the first general questions about his project and to find his own answers. In this way, the user can consciously explore his subconscious world of tastes and preferences and express in a straight way what he really wants.
With this methodology, we ensure that the project we develop together responds to what our client really wants.

ED: Is it possible that a customer can have an estimate online?

FB: Of course, it would be perfect to have the possibility of a face-to-face visit to one of our centers to be able to chat calmly about each external project and get to know our range in the flesh. But if this is not possible, we can make a computerized plan to scale so that the client can better visualize how his terrace or garden will look.
If the logistic availabilities allow us, we also offer the proof in the own domicile of some pre-alternatives selected by the customer to see how they look in the house and try different combinations until you find the perfect one for each customer.

ED: What are you inspired by when making your outdoor designs?

FB: For us to design is to create relationships between objects and people. That is the reason why the pieces in our catalogue reflect solutions to the real needs of the users, whether it is a small accessory for a private terrace or a complete hotel installation.

All our projects combine high-quality standards with contemporary designs through a collection of products adapted to the Mediterranean culture and at really affordable prices. Our clients check that purchasing a product or a PATIO project is not an expense; it is an investment.

ED: What is the profile of clients who demand your services?

FB: Our clients come both from the private sector for residential housing and public facilities for hospitality projects or community facilities.
Regarding the geographical scope, our primary focus of clients is in the Spanish Mediterranean. Based on our extensive commercial experience and international logistic capacity, we have developed projects in Europe (United Kingdom, Sweden, France), Africa (Zimbabwe, Morocco, Republic of Congo), Asia (Russia,  Arab Emirates, Dubai) and America (Bermuda).
Our new online Tax-Free system allows us to instantly prepare the documentation for the automatic return of VAT after crossing the border of the authorized countries.  

ED: What's the origin of your products?

FB: Currently, we have both domestic and international suppliers to get the best products with the most competitive prices. Our product team travels the world, hiring the best craftsmen of each specialty and controlling every detail of the production chain.  All our furniture is subjected to rigorous quality tests by independent laboratories before leaving the factory to ensure the highest quality according to the strictest AENOR standards.
​In PATIO we are also very committed to the conservation of the environment, that is why all our products are biodegradable and respectful of the planet. All wood used in our furniture is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, a non-profit organization that ensures the sustainable and renewable use of forests.

ED: What are your favorite materials and the ones you recommend the most?

FB: All PATIO furniture materials are manufactured to ensure durability to the outside with minimal maintenance. Solid teak wood, high thickness lacquered aluminium, tempered crystals, hand-woven fibers, water-resistant cushions in an array of styles and trends have a place in the PATIO collection. Our pieces ensure perfect behavior in the face of the exterior conditions characteristic of the Mediterranean climate.

ED: What do your clients value most?

FB: Customer's satisfaction is our daily goal. Apart from word of mouth or reviews posted on social media, it is very gratifying to see how we are again contacted by clients who bought furniture more than twenty years ago and tell us that they are still as good as the first day. Receiving congratulations on excellent advice is one of the most enjoyable things that can happen on a professional level. And it happens to us often.

ED: What makes you stand out and differentiate yourself from your competitors?

FB: Many reasons make us different. The years that we have been in the gap guarantee our reputation and success. We provide a comprehensive service from the conception to the execution of the project so that our clients do not have the slightest concern.  We also have an excellent after-sales service to solve any eventuality that may arise in coming years, from renewing all the cushions of a set to locating a small replacement plug.
Our catalogue is large enough to find any product for outdoor life from chairs and tables to sofas and armchairs, sun loungers, parasols to barbecues and lighting elements.
In PATIO we are also committed to the promotion of culture and sport. We regularly sponsor and promote sporting events and art exhibitions.

ED: What are the objectives for the coming years?

FB: We are devoted to the growth in the omnichannel sale to ensure that more and more customers can enjoy the PATIO collections. In addition to face-to-face attention, we are strengthening online service through chats, video calls, e-mail and meeting blogs.  In PATIO, we promise to answer any questions or queries in less than 24 working hours.

Fernando Bueno

Patio-Top Garden Showstore Manager.