Summer Social: How to Host a Crowd Outdoors in Style
Bring the party outside for friends and family this summer with these ideas for easy entertaining
Suzanne Barker
22 November 2016
Houzz New Zealand Contributor. Interior designer. I share my property development and home design lessons learned, to help you make better design decisions as a DIY decorator. Access to my free library of resources, or sign up for my free course http://www.inhowzer.com
Houzz New Zealand Contributor. Interior designer. I share my property development... More
Now that the weather has perked up, it’s time to get more social with your friends and family. And when you need more room this summer, that means spreading the fun outdoors. These inspiring ideas will help you extend your outdoor living spaces, and make more space for shared food and fun times.
Throw down some bean bags
Bean bags are the easiest way to achieve a more social garden; they deliver instant seating and weather-proof versions can be thrown down anywhere. With so many variations available (these ones with built-up backs are a good option for people who want to retain their dignity as they get up), they’re a fast, fun way to revamp your outdoor furniture.
Bean bags are the easiest way to achieve a more social garden; they deliver instant seating and weather-proof versions can be thrown down anywhere. With so many variations available (these ones with built-up backs are a good option for people who want to retain their dignity as they get up), they’re a fast, fun way to revamp your outdoor furniture.
Move them from inside to out and drag them around the garden as you follow the shade or chase the sun. They’re great on a lawn, with no legs to sink into the turf, and can be stashed away when not in use. Some even have loops so you can hang them out of the way on wall hooks.
Tip: If deck space is short, turn a wide step into extra seating with comfy cushions. Pull up some bean bags alongside to make a great conversation nook.
Tip: If deck space is short, turn a wide step into extra seating with comfy cushions. Pull up some bean bags alongside to make a great conversation nook.
Have fun with colour to amp up your outdoor decor.
Build in bench seating
Most people love banquette seating – notice in a cafe how they gravitate to these seats first. With your back to the wall in a cafe, you can survey the people coming and going, and it’s often the most comfortable spot to sit.
In an active garden, it’s the same. Push your outdoor dining area right back into the corner and elevate with built-in seating. Make the seats wider to double as a daybed for afternoon naps and cocktail sessions.
Tip: Use lightweight plastic cubes for extra seating and occasional tables. They can be easily moved around the garden to where the action is.
Most people love banquette seating – notice in a cafe how they gravitate to these seats first. With your back to the wall in a cafe, you can survey the people coming and going, and it’s often the most comfortable spot to sit.
In an active garden, it’s the same. Push your outdoor dining area right back into the corner and elevate with built-in seating. Make the seats wider to double as a daybed for afternoon naps and cocktail sessions.
Tip: Use lightweight plastic cubes for extra seating and occasional tables. They can be easily moved around the garden to where the action is.
Even in the tiniest of courtyards, you can create an inviting dining area with a simple bench seat. It’s a great way to fit more seating into a tight spot, as you don’t need to allow for space behind to pull chairs out, and you can push the table right back into the corner when not in use.
Tip: In a tiny space like this one, hang the bench from the wall with a simple cantilevered bracket. No legs or base makes for a clean, spacious look.
Tip: In a tiny space like this one, hang the bench from the wall with a simple cantilevered bracket. No legs or base makes for a clean, spacious look.
You don’t need a wall to do this. The seating on the deck in this Christchurch home has raised benches inegrated into the deck. Base the measurements on your outdoor table (square or oblong), and make sure there’s enough space for people to get in without bumping their knees.
20 outdoor entertaining zones to inspire you
20 outdoor entertaining zones to inspire you
Use retaining walls to your advantage
Make a small garden work harder with a dual-use retaining wall. Constructed at the right height and width for seating, all you need is to throw some seat cushions on top. You can even create a sweeping curve of your garden wall that mimics the curves of a round dining table. A curvaceous garden is lovely and soothing to enjoy from your kitchen window, and creates interest in a small space.
Make a small garden work harder with a dual-use retaining wall. Constructed at the right height and width for seating, all you need is to throw some seat cushions on top. You can even create a sweeping curve of your garden wall that mimics the curves of a round dining table. A curvaceous garden is lovely and soothing to enjoy from your kitchen window, and creates interest in a small space.
In a sloping yard, use the retaining wall for good back support behind a simple bench seat with cushions.
Tip: Look for cushions made from outdoor fabric. They will resist fading and mould build-up, and the inners will stay drier.
Tip: Look for cushions made from outdoor fabric. They will resist fading and mould build-up, and the inners will stay drier.
Add a fiery element
You don’t need to throw a lot of expense at a fancy outdoor gas fireplace built into the house. A freestanding one like this gives a fantastic down-to-earth beach vibe. Placed in the corner of a small backyard they are a terrific magnet for gatherings that linger long into the evening.
You don’t need to throw a lot of expense at a fancy outdoor gas fireplace built into the house. A freestanding one like this gives a fantastic down-to-earth beach vibe. Placed in the corner of a small backyard they are a terrific magnet for gatherings that linger long into the evening.
It’s all very lovely having dining and cooking spaces directly off the house, but think about creating a separate seating area away in another corner of the garden, which you can move to after dinner when temperatures cool down. A fire bowl like this one is so easy to use, with little prep required. Imagine roasted marshmallows and guitar strumming by the fire if you need extra inspiration.
Hunt for a cool vintage hooded fireplace secondhand, or buy a vintage-look version new, then pull up seating to create an outdoor lounge room for summer nights you’d rather spend outside.
Set up your backyard for outdoor cooking
Yes, a barbecue is a standard fixture on the back deck, but why not take it one step further with an outdoor kitchen? Here, a built-in pizza oven, shelves and a fridge put everything you need within reach – no more endless trips back inside to the kitchen.
Browse more outdoor kitchen ideas
Yes, a barbecue is a standard fixture on the back deck, but why not take it one step further with an outdoor kitchen? Here, a built-in pizza oven, shelves and a fridge put everything you need within reach – no more endless trips back inside to the kitchen.
Browse more outdoor kitchen ideas
There are plenty of modular pizza ovens on the market, but where’s the creativity in that? Build your own masterpiece, integrated with a wood-burning fireplace for long summer evenings of gourmet creativity.
If building your own outdoor kitchen or pizza oven sounds like too much hard work, this could be a more suitable option. An outdoor kitchen and bar on wheels is an entertainer’s dream, and can go wherever it’s most needed.
Dress it up
We don’t tend to spend a lot of time thinking about how to dress up our outdoor table as much as we might do indoors, but there’s nothing like an amped-up table to make guests feel special. This Palmerston North deck has been taken up a notch with a beautiful centrepiece that ties in with the hanging garden above. Just the invitation guests need to come and stay a while.
We don’t tend to spend a lot of time thinking about how to dress up our outdoor table as much as we might do indoors, but there’s nothing like an amped-up table to make guests feel special. This Palmerston North deck has been taken up a notch with a beautiful centrepiece that ties in with the hanging garden above. Just the invitation guests need to come and stay a while.
Interior stylist Mardi Mason created this gorgeous beach-inspired table at her 1930s cottage on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula for a Christmas gathering, but her rustic, natural table setting using native flora and driftwood can work all summer long. Steal her idea of tea lights in jam jars for night-time sparkle when the sun goes down.
See more of this Christmas table setting
See more of this Christmas table setting
A row of herbs, micro greens or salad leaves gives a table a delightfully organic feel.
Go all out for game play
Who isn’t up for a game of pétanque, bocce or boules on a lazy summer afternoon before dinner? Turn an under-utilised section of your garden into a games area where family and friends can have some good old-fashioned fun.
Tip: Create a foundation that has good drainage. A good size for a home pétanque court is approximately 12 x 3 metres.
Who isn’t up for a game of pétanque, bocce or boules on a lazy summer afternoon before dinner? Turn an under-utilised section of your garden into a games area where family and friends can have some good old-fashioned fun.
Tip: Create a foundation that has good drainage. A good size for a home pétanque court is approximately 12 x 3 metres.
Add a string of lights, and the games can carry on into the evening. Solar-powered fairy lights are cheap and easy to install.
If your backyard is more curvy than flat, make the most of the contours with a mini-golf green. With synthetic grass looking so realistic, and easy to install, your own mini putt-putt course won’t require nearly as much maintenance as the real thing. Your mates will be queuing up for a visit!
For more cerebral gatherings, turn paving into an oversized chess board. Fusion Landscape Design created a sunken outdoor chess spot in this Auckland garden, which is great to look at even when you aren’t playing. You can get creative mixing materials (alternating lawn and pavers, for example) and sculptural elements for the chess pieces. For little ones, use coloured cushions or pieces for a simpler game of checkers/draughts.
TELL US
How have you made your garden more social? Share your ideas in the Comments section.
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Browse more outdoor design ideas
How have you made your garden more social? Share your ideas in the Comments section.
MORE
Browse more outdoor design ideas
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Living in windy Wellington, I endorse: a. built-in bench seating, and b. bean bags that can be hung up or otherwise secured out of the wind when not in use. The lightweight plastic cube seating, on the other hand, would swiftly become an issue (or regular gift...) for the neighbours as it gets blown over the fence.
Absolutely beautiful ideas! Extra seating area with a fire bowl looks fantastic! Here is our version of the same:
We have a long seat (4.50m) built into a small retaining wall which allows us to push our two tables together and seat 15-20 people in a very convivial arrangement.
Just as an aside, we counted up the seating spaces in our home/outdoors and came up with 71 places to park you bum, not counting beds and toilets, but including some steps where people often sit to be part of the mob.