OUTDOOR ENTERTAINING DESIGN

Whether you’re all about low-key weekday dinners outdoors with your family, or dinner parties on the weekend with friends, having a great outdoor space to use and love all year round is a great addition to your home. By making clever design choices, you can create an outdoor entertaining area that is beautiful, intimate, sparks interest and encourages easy engagement between guests. In true Melissa Lunardon style, we of course always want to be comfortable for you, your family and friends each season.

Outdoor Kitchen

A great way to minimise moving from the kitchen to the outdoor area while entertaining is to have some of your cooking amenities outside. An entertainer’s kitchen, which it is often called, will include a barbeque grill, sink, prep area and a hidden bar fridge, perhaps even a built-in pizza oven. Having all or even just some of these outside means you can still be chef while enjoying the company of your family and friends, plus snacks and drinks will never be far away while relaxing outdoors by yourself on a warm afternoon.

Focal Point

Creating an outdoor entertaining area is like designing an outdoor room, so you should still create areas of interest and a focal point to anchor the space. For example, a central feature in a living room may be a beautiful feature wall, or a central island bench in a kitchen around which people gravitate. This is easy to replicate in your outdoor space as well.

Whether you're completely redesigning your yard or just giving it a bit of an update, pick something that you want to be the focal point and go from there. Is it an element of fire like a fire pit or an outdoor fireplace? Perhaps it's around water, like an outdoor pond or water feature? Or maybe your focal point is simply a sofa, bench, or oversized chair that's the anchoring piece to a seating area? Whatever it is, you want to build pieces around that accent and support where you want the eye to focus

Incorporating a ‘wow factor’ focal point will also help draw your guests from inside to out, and make them want to stay and enjoy the space.

Comforts

Whether entertaining friends or just enjoying your outdoor space yourself, you want your space to be comfortable to use all year round. Consider the climate, from temperature to positioning of the sun throughout the day, and even direction of the breeze. Ensure you will have shade and shelter from the elements but can still enjoy your outdoor surroundings. Allowing breeze to flow through to the space will also help keep you cool in summer, but underfloor heating or a fireplace will help keep you cozy during the winter months.

Furniture

When selecting furniture for outdoor spaces, be sure to pick pieces comfortable enough for an afternoon of relaxing, but durable enough to withstand outdoor conditions. Wicker, poly wicker and outdoor timbers are popular choices that easily can be made comfortable and inviting with plush soft furnishings.

Also make sure there is plenty of room for seating, not just for your family but options for more guests on larger occasions, like dinner parties or events. In addition to traditional chairs and tables, you could consider built-in benches, stools in a bar area, etc.

Furnishings

Incorporating inside touches in your outdoor space are what makes them comfortable. Soft furnishings, like throws, cushions and rugs, make a space feel inviting and warm. Changing up the textiles is also an easy way to update an outdoor space each season.

More permanent fixtures like mirrors also work beautifully outdoors. You can use them to reflect your favourite part of the garden making the space feel larger, or even reflect candles illuminating the space and creating the illusion of more.

Lighting

Lighting can greatly impact the mood of your gathering. When you’re entertaining into the evening, votives and lanterns will create a pleasant ambience. Consider adding lights further out within your garden as well so even at night you can still fully enjoy your surroundings. We love to light up steps, pathways and even garden beds.

Mix Textiles

Adding a mix of materials and textiles makes a space immediately more interesting. It also adds texture and depth. Concrete, natural wood, woven materials, and metals can all be meshed outdoors to great effect.