Create A Welcoming Space Outside

11 Aug, 2011Featured, Outdoors

If you are anything at all like me and my husband, then you spend most of your night with company over at your place. I have no clue why, but it seems like we are always inviting people over. We always tend to end up outside. That is where the coolers and cornhole are found, so I suppose it only makes sense. When we first got into our house, the back deck was really just a small wooden patio off of a decent sized screened in porch. Because of our love of entertaining and being outdoors, we knew that the first updates to our home would really be outside of our home. If you’re looking to make a welcoming outdoor space, then learn from us and what we did.

Deck Upgrade. Like I said the deck that was on the home was not cutting it for us. The thing is with our commercial sized gas grill and the large charcoal grill, there was only room for two of our gorgeous cedar Adirondack chairs. We enlisted the help of a couple of people and took a weekend to give our current deck an overhaul. Off of the original deck we created a step up to a larger deck area. We also put railing around the whole thing. Now our deck is 20 feet by 20 feet, and we have our grills on the lower part, a patio dining set and our large chairs on the upper deck. It is perfect!

Furnish Accordingly. One of the hardest things in the beginning when we were left with little to no room outside was seating. We would have to break out the campground chairs for our guests. Now with a large enough deck, we have enough chairs for any occasion. We also built in some benches around the deck for added seating. Make sure that you also have a table of some sort too for guests to set down their drinks. Also, don’t forget the entertainment. Music is a great way to spice up your outside space. Television shouldn’t be forgotten, either. Last year, Direct TV in Arizona, had a great special on a second receiver, so we set up television out on our patio. I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty cool to watch your favorite football team under the stars.

Add Accents. Honestly I’m not sure how we ever enjoyed eating al fresco without our patio umbrella. Plus, it is pretty and warms up the space. Outdoor rugs and lantern lighting can also help to create a welcoming environment. We even made some of our own “torches” out of wine bottles. I’ll share that with you guys soon.