With warmer weather and balmy nights, the idea of entertaining outdoors is suddenly very appealing. So what can you do to make sure your home is ready for outdoor guests? One of the first things that will be on show is your garden - so make sure it is well maintained and always pleasing to the eye. You don’t want to be thinking about what you need to do to it as you sip on your lemonade.
If you are planning on opening up the house to the garden, you will have to deal with dirt etc being trodden through the house as people wander back and forth, especially if you have an indoor buffet. Think about how to minimise impact on flooring. If you have the budget, look at timber or tiling your floors. If you don’t, and are stuck with carpet, look at buying a ‘runner’ or rug to cover the areas that will be most affected.
Now on to the fun part: how to make your home and garden an ideal entertaining zone. The key to a successful ‘look’ is to remember three things: don’t overdo it; reflect your personality (not the latest interior designer’s); and lastly, functionality. When putting together your outdoor décor, you can fall into the trap of thinking that the more items and the more impact you strive for, makes for a better effect. But with too many areas of interest for guests to focus on, your carefully planned design can end up looking messy and more of a disaster than a triumph. Work out where you want your focus and highlight this by making everything else blend or draw the eye toward the feature.
Think about your style. Whatever style you have chosen for inside the house, should be reflected on the outside too. This is where furniture can be very important. There is a lot of outdoor furniture on the market now to suit any look from modern to traditional.
Once you have the table, think about what will go on the table. Tableware – from napkins to candle holders – helps create the atmosphere and says a lot more than most people realise. Crisp white looks clean, fresh and very modern, whereas bold purple with a gold thread will look exotic and lends itself towards an evening dinner with candles.
Lighting also has a major impact on how well your outdoor area works when entertaining. It is important to remember that although it stays lighter later in summer, it still gets dark. Fairy lights positioned in large trees or along the verandah or roofline are a gentle, yet effective, method of lighting. Another idea is to make a feature of your lights – there are great outdoor lights on stakes of varying heights that can look like lit torches – a nice addition to a tropical garden! Recessed lights in paving create a modern unobtrusive look, while spotlights can be hidden in trees or under foliage to give plenty of light without affecting the look of your garden.
Lastly, think about function. Something may look good but not work very smoothly in reality. For example, a hexagonal table could look great but if you are a buffet type of person, hexagonal tables don’t work as well as a long table. Also remember that most people associate outdoor dining with a very relaxed atmosphere, so if the décor is too classic, or too traditional, your guests could feel constrained and worry more about spillages on the table linen than having a good time!