Outdoor living areas have long been the favorite party venue for couples or families who like to entertain. The vast breathing and mingling room provided by the outdoor space is ideal for either big and noisy parties to mellowed-down intimate outdoor eating.
As much as everyone of us likes to party some factors must be considered for our and our guests’ maximum enjoyment. Depending on your budget and desired result, wisely investing in some essential amenities will definitely prep your outdoor area to be the house’s center of entertainment.
Here are some of those can’t do without amenities for a successful outdoor entertaining.
Proper Lighting
Since most of these gatherings normally happen at night, lighting is a very important factor to consider. Walk around your yard at night and envision yourself in certain sections and how you are being bathed in light or glow or whatever you desire. Note that you don’t need much light outdoors as much as you need indoors.
Basically, you need an overall lighting to illuminate the whole space, task lighting for paths and guides, and accent lighting to illuminate certain objects that are supposed to draw attention. For the first you may use LED bulbs that are energy efficient and last a long time. For task lighting, you may use less wattage depending on the task on hand, be it path, signage or stair guides. For accent lighting, you may use spotlights. Spotlights add dramatic effect to the object or objects that you want to showcase.
Plants
Herbs and garden greens magnify the open-free spaces and the contrasting color they contribute to the overall visual appeal of the outdoor living space. Plants are a must especially if some of the house members or guests are smokers. When choosing which plants, consider those that grow in the local area rather than exotic ones.
Grill
Grills can sometimes be the center of attraction, depending on the occasion. When going for a grill choose the movable or portable grills over the permanent fixture. Movable grills allow you to reposition them to suit your decorations and space layout. It can even be moved close to the house for some barbie or other grilled delights during winter.
Bar
Whether serving coffee or cocktails, the bar is the party central especially if the host is the one mixing and serving the drinks to the guests at the other side of the bar. When planning for the bar layout, consider a movable bar, one where you can fold and keep when not needed and take out when the occasion calls for it. Make sure also to provide ample distance from the kitchen or eating area as those sections get too crowded at times.
TV
In order to avoid the situation wherein all the men are inside the house watching the playoffs on television while the wives and kids are outside, a big flat screen can be mounted in an area free from direct sunlight and glare.
Stand-alone Kitchen
A stand-alone kitchen dedicated to the outdoor living space keeps the hosts outside with the guests instead of going back to and fro in the kitchen inside the house.