How to enjoy your outdoor living space all year round

 

 

As someone who has a beautiful garden and outdoor area, I am always out there throwing parties and luncheons for my nearest and dearest. There are few things I love more than putting the finishing touches on a tray of canapés while my friends mingle in the backyard with a glass of Pimm’s. I am essentially a born hostess (I think I got it from my mother) and I truly do pride myself on my party-throwing abilities. That said, I also happen to live in Melbourne and as anyone who has been in Melbourne for a weekend knows, the weather is, at best, unpredictable. At worst, the thermometer will reach the dizzying heights of the 30s and then plunge down to the frigid mid ‘teens – and this is all in the space of 24 hours. As a result, I need to be prepared for basically any weather, and I have spent a lot of time equipping my backyard to make sure that it’s party-proof and weatherproof, no matter if there’s a torrential downpour or blistering heat. Take a look at my top tips for how you can throw the ultimate outdoor shindig, from summer to winter and every time in between.

 

Tip One: Gimme shelter

In the immortal words of the Rolling Stones, you need to have shelter for your guests. Depending on the space that you have and the number of people you usually host, it can be anything from a casual patio umbrella in the middle of a table to a full-blown retractable shade cloth-type affair. It depends entirely on your budget but it helps to speak to a professional about it if you’re thinking of doing anything beyond DIY.

 

Tip Two: Stay warm and cozy

When it’s cold outside but you’re still keen to party, you need to ensure that you are staying toasty and warm. Heatstrip’s outdoor patio heaters are the only thing I use to keep my guests warm, so take a look at their range and see what would work for your home. It depends on the area that you need to heat, but I have generally found that the warmer people are, the better. You can never have too much outdoor warmth and it gives you a nice feeling being all rugged up and outside once the temperature drops. This adds a lot to the ambience of your event.

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Tip Three: Somewhere to dine

A beautiful wooden table was one of the first things that I bought for my outdoor entertaining area and I have never looked back from this purchase. The amount of times I have had people over for a dinner party which has turned into drinks and dancing, and then we’ve all chipped in to the clean up in the morning and then enjoyed a long and leisurely breakfast around the same table. My table seats twelve people but I’ve found that a rectangular table with benches is a great way to squeeze more people on as well. Look at the space you have and buy accordingly.

 

Tip Four: Check the forecasts

When you’re planning a party and are slightly flexible, you can check the forecasts ahead of time and plan to hold your party on a Friday or Saturday night, depending on which day has better weather. If you have great weather all weekend, then why not hold a Saturday daytime event which can always spill into the nighttime?

 

Tip Five: Provide jumpers and jackets

You need to make sure that your guests are comfortable no matter what, so in addition to the heaters, you should also have some throws, jumpers or jackets available for your guests to pop on if they’re not comfortable. Making this small gesture will see them enjoying themselves for longer which means a better party!

 

Happy holiday season and I hope that these tips will help you to enjoy many backyard parties for months to come!

 

Article Submitted By Community Writer

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