What is more fun in the spring than a backyard party? The trees are budding, the birds are singing, and the glorious sun is shining! It’s time to emerge from the house and celebrate with family and friends. But before you call up everyone you know and tell them to come over, are you sure your backyard is ready to entertain guests? Here are three must-have elements to help you prepare for your next backyard party:
1) You Must Have an Outdoor Space to Entertain In
Now, before you can furnish your outdoor room, or serve your delicious meal, you must have a designated area in your backyard for these things. In other words, you need a great outdoor space.
A great space starts with a nice hardscape. Pavers, cobblestones, and bricks are all products that can be used to create walkways, sundecks, patios, or outdoor kitchen and dining areas in your backyard. This hardscape area is the foundation of your entertaining space. Why is this important? While you may like to be outdoors, you only want to feel like you are outdoors to a certain point.
Sure, you enjoy looking up at the sun gleaming through the clouds. Or feeling the fresh spring air on your face. But do you want to stand around on dirt or in the grass? Probably not. And neither do your guests. So, you need an inviting area, a hardscape, where you can create your outdoor room.
A good outdoor entertaining space offers the best of both worlds. It provides all the comforts you find indoors outside, in your backyard. And it starts with a solid foundation. The great news is that stone patios and hardscapes are beautiful structures that last, so if you build it today you can enjoy it forever.
2) You Must Have a Places for Guests to Sit
If you want to keep the party going outside, you must have an area for people to sit. Standing is fine for a while, but at some point, people get tired of standing. And if there is nowhere to sit outside, eventually your guests will move indoors.
So, once the cold and drizzly winter has passed, head out to your backyard and assess your current seating situation. Are your furnishings broken or wobbly? Did you leave the seat cushions and pillows outside all winter? If you answered yes to these questions, then it might be time to replace a few things before you throw that party.
To create comfortable seating, include in your outdoor living room space some cushioned furniture. Place outdoor pillows on benches for extra comfort and a splash of color. And lay down a large, colorful rug under your furniture to define the “room”. If you need more seating, you can build stunning stone and wood benches .by stacking blocks such as TuscanStone in columns and attach wooden board across the top for a beautiful seating bench.
For a nice outdoor dining space, set up a table and chairs. Decorate it with colorful place settings and flowers to create a warm and welcoming dining room outside. By adding these things, you can make your backyard feel like an extension of your home with comfortable places for your guests to sit, dine, and relax.
3) You Must Have Good Food
Finally and perhaps most important, you need to feed your guests. And you should feed them well.
Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to drive down to Pike Place Market, buy the freshest salmon, and smoke it on a cedar plank soaked in salt water (although that does sound good).
But you should serve quality food. If you want to serve hot dogs, buy the all-beef variety and serve them with bakery-fresh buns and plenty of tasty condiments. Potato salad and fresh pickles from your local farmer’s market compliment this menu. If you want to grill chicken or pork, find a good marinade or rub. Colorful sides of veggies and fruits compliment grilled meats well. Or, better yet, include your guests in the party planning and ask them to bring a side dish. People love to do this.
And remember, the quality of the ingredients is more important than the complexity of the meal. So, go big or go small, but either way, feed your guests well.
From the team at Mutual Materials, we hope that you enjoy some great backyard entertaining this year!
If you’re looking to build up your outdoor space with hardscape products, please let us know, we’d like to help. Mutual Materials has served customers in the Pacific Northwest for over 115 years. Our family-owned company has been the “go-to” resource for architects, builders, landscapers, and homeowners. We are the largest and most trusted hardscape and masonry provider in the Northwest. Give us a call at 1-888-688-8250 or contact us online to get started on your next hardscape project.