5 Tips for Creating the Perfect Outdoor Entertaining Space
Interior Design Director Jessica Shaw brings us 5 ways to design a cozy outdoor space for your guests.
For many, outdoor spaces created opportunities for togetherness that wouldn’t have been possible. The study also revealed an uptick in spending for outdoor products and renovations.
To help you take full advantage of the warmer weather (and extend your outdoor hangouts into the cooler months), Interior Design Director Jessica Shaw of the award-winning Turett Collaborative shares her five tips for creating a year-round outdoor entertaining space.
1. You’ve heard about outdoor/indoor carpet – think even bigger with outdoor/indoor furniture:
Select outdoor furniture that looks and feels similar to indoor furniture. Large, comfortable, cozy pieces of furniture encourage lounging and gathering outside. Choose upholstered furniture that is especially easy to sink into for hours of relaxation, like the Room & Board outdoor Oasis Sofa.
2. Replicate that indoor comfort with “mood” lighting:
Always ensure that there is adequate outdoor lighting. If possible, provide lighting from multiple angles and sides. This creates a more intimate sense of the outdoor space; the feeling of a “room” existing outdoors. Try the Lucca light from AMEICO, a portable and battery-powered lamp, perfect for both indoor and outdoor settings.
3. Create an extension of your indoor space, outside:
Increase the usability of your outdoor space by making it an extension of your indoor living area. If possible, place your outdoor furniture so that it is adjacent to an indoor room, allowing you and your guests to flow freely between the two.
4. Give your space more dimension by carving out “rooms.”:
Choose interesting textures and structures to frame in your space. Maximize fence heights to create a greater sense of an “outdoor room” and select materials for fencing/wall structures at property lines that evoke warmth. Shaw suggests ipe, a beautiful hardwood that is ideal for outdoor use. Carve out an outdoor kitchen or lounge space by installing a canopy or pergola — as an added bonus, this will also provide much-needed shade in the hot summer months and protection from wind and bad weather in the winter.
5. Layer in cozy and heat things up!
Have soft blankets for yourself and guests, either stored in a covered storage area outdoors or on-hand indoors. Choosing different types of pillows and blankets, varying in texture, weight, and color, livens up the space, and makes being outside a bit more fun (and cozy) even when it gets chilly. Check out the Adara and Aura fire tables from Room & Board, perfect for keeping your guests warm and entertained with campfire stories, s’mores and more. Add in a portable heater for those chillier nights to keep your outdoor space functioning through all seasons.
