Outdoor Dining

You’re the life of each party and just love having people around? Hosting your own house parties is always more engaging and challenging. Making a detailed plan, preparing menu and drinks is half the fun battle. What’s the other part then?

The full success of a party depends on the surroundings, as well. No worries, you don’t have to make a general home renovation just to be the perfect party host. We’re sure, though, that you could use a couple of tips on how to redecorate the space for the celebration purposes.

In this article, we decided to focus on the outdoor dining area you can make in your own garden. We chose 4 core aspects of the perfect outdoor dining area that you can easily organise in your own patio. The rest of the details such as colours, decorations or kind of music depend on your preferences only! Following our basic tips, it’ll be easier for you to start planning your garden dinner party from the very scratch effectively!

Furniture

Seatings

Your garden furniture is the first thing you should think over. Long, spacious 3- or 4-seat outdoor sofa placed along a wall, completed with a couple of cosy wicker chairs on sides and at the other side of the table, and comfortable folding chairs for unexpected extra guests will do the job.

The main factor that should help you decide on the right garden furniture is how comfortable it is and what impression it makes once put all together. You want your guests to feel better than at home!

To create the ultimate hygge mood try to combine wicker and wood. Wicker pieces of furniture will bring to mind memories from grandma’s cosy patio (e.g., the wicker outdoor sets by Wicker Furniture Direct), while the wood will give your outdoor dining room a touch of raw nature.

Table

Wicker works great for garden seatings and decorations, although the table for al fresco dining is a bit different thing. The perfect garden table should be foldable and spacious enough for your whole gang once unfolded. Wicker wouldn’t work well in this case.

Avoid wobbly camping tables! The goal is to make a fully comfortable, relaxing area. Spilling drinks and food falling out of the plates because of unstable furniture is not a way to achieve it. A solid wooden table with sides you can lower down after a party will do the perfect job!

Roofing

Proper protection from direct sunlight, sudden rain, and the wind is a must. Not only for the comfort of your guests but also to make the life of your outdoor furniture as long as possible. If you don’t want to build a permanent roof over your patio we have a different idea!

You can mount a simple construction made of massive wood beams or solid metal rods to the wall of your house and the patio ground and easily turn it into a tent. To complete the project you’ll need a light-coloured waterproof material. Now, you can either install a kind of roller blind just on the upper side over your head or on all sides to have the possibility of cutting off from the world completely.

You might also want to consider installing a mosquito net. Mosquito net doesn’t have to be installed permanently. You can mount the net on the opposite side from the roller blinds and pull them down separately whenever you need.

Lighting

Lighting in the late evenings is crucial. The lighting absolutely can’t be distributed randomly! Each guest has to get an even amount of pleasant, noninvasive light. We’d advise you to decide on a couple of different sources of light.

For the main source of light, you can either hang 3-4 lamps over the table or install Longitudinal LED panels on the wall over the sofa. Provide the main lighting with a dimmer switch to be able to control the level of the light.

Add more romantic mood with string lighting hanging around the roof and lanterns. Candle lanterns are the only lighting that can be distributed unevenly. Uneven candlelight makes a mysterious, deeply relaxing atmosphere. Don’t limit yourself with candles — just make sure they won’t set your dinner party on fire!

Don’t forget to put a special lamp killing insects outside the patio and scented candles repelling mosquitos. Ensure your company a calm dinner without irritating buzzing noises.

Sound System

Music at a dinner party is just as important as well-planned lighting. The sound should also be distributed as evenly as possible. The perfect solution would either be a speaker installed under the roofing or, e.g., two speakers in each corner over the sofa.

Installing speakers permanently, though, requires a bit of cable work and connecting to the music equipment that is placed probably inside the house. Unless you decide to get a Bluetooth speaker so you can play and control the music from any playing unit regardless of where it’s placed. Remember to set the speakers either completely or slightly tilted downwards so the sound doesn’t travel somewhere far in the garden but is directed to the people sitting around the table.

Now you can enjoy al fresco dining right in your backyard. Don’t hesitate any longer and start planning an unforgettable evening for your loved ones today!