Many of us love to spend our summer afternoons and evenings entertaining friends and family. But how do you make your summer party stand out? Perhaps you focus on the food, the decorations, or making sure there are plenty of cool drinks and fun games at hand. You might also be concerned about cleanliness, keeping the bugs away and safety in terms of providing sun protection with an umbrella or having sunscreen readily available.
While all of these elements are crucial, there are a few simple hacks to try using outdoor entertaining accessories that can help make your party run even smoother. How you use and place them is what really matters and you’ll find that just few adjustments can make your outdoor entertaining even better this summer.
Seating Arrangements are Crucial
Take a quick look at your existing outdoor seating options. Do they allow enough people to sit? Do they offer several small areas for intimate conversations, or are they geared for one large gathering? Be sure your seating reflects the party you want to have.
One problem you can fix quickly is a furniture arrangement that creates a barrier between food and seating or odd congregations of people near the grill. To improve this, place smaller tables nearby as main seating hubs and serve food there, so people can snack from wherever they are sitting. Check out the Natural Landscape Group gallery for more outdoor seating ideas for entertaining.
Use the Right Lighting
Outdoor entertaining can run the gamut from mid-noon to midnight, and too often it can feel like the lighting in your entertaining space was an afterthought. As a result, you need flexible lighting solutions that can adjust as your party gets into the later hours.
Consider that you need at least three kinds of lighting for your space: pool lights, atmospheric lights, and bolder lights that are bright enough to cook beneath. If you have only one type of lighting, swimming or cooking may be unsafe, and your backyard may lack the ambiance you desire.
Ideally, you want to have atmospheric lights placed strategically to show off backyard features, including the pool, and scattered throughout the yard to make every seating area comfortable.
Turn Up the Summer Sounds
Music and sounds are essential for summer parties, especially if you have an outdoor TV entertainment area. However, sound solutions aren’t always optimized for the best experience.
Sound quality, speaker placement, and furniture arrangement can make your entertaining even better. You want everyone to be able to hear the game or the show during your Game of Thrones watch party. Even doing something as simple as investing in a wireless speaker or testing out different spots for your current speakers can have a drastic impact on how your guests enjoy themselves come party time.
Remember that any complete landscape design will include a plan for sound quality and Natural Landscape Group is happy to help you improve your layout.
Reach out to us for a consultation today and we’ll show you more outdoor entertaining accessories that can work for you.