Make Outdoor Entertaining Spaces Special
After a global pandemic that has kept us indoors and staying at home, several common patterns have emerged:
People have been fixing up, renovating or redesigning their spaces
People have chosen to move, sell or buy to fulfill their dreams and vision for home living
People are excited to get out as things opened up and look forward to away from home experiences
But also, we can’t wait to entertain at home.
If we have invested time and resources into our home or backyard spaces, home entertaining is a welcomed occasion.
Welcoming back entertaining in our new or freshened home is not only exciting but gives us goosebumps! We may even wonder if we will remember how to do it without becoming stressed after such a long time! Most of us believe we will never take social gatherings for granted again, feeling thankful and longing for them.
Whether you are staging your home for sale or looking forward to finally having family and friends over, we all want to imagine and experience beautiful nestled parts of our property to share with others. Gatherings have been a long-anticipated part of our quality of life, and now that they are back, choosing to savour them and make them extra-special is the norm.
If you are like many homeowners during the pandemic, you have invested money saved while staying home on your outdoor space. Whether you hired a contractor, purchased new components for your yard, or did your own project (DIY), you are ready to share it with others! Making entertaining spaces extraordinary does not require a lot of time and money. It can be quick and easy. The goal is to make your guests feel welcome, comfortable and special.
Here are our five favourite tips for doing just that:
Imagine it
Think about your outdoor space as if you were going to live your perfect day out there. You may imagine areas to rest, prepare and enjoy food, read a book or share a glass of wine with friends. Draw it out and write it down. Take your favourite imagined activities to do with your family or friends, and picture what is needed to create a lovely day.
Prepare your Table and Seating
Simple investments of pretty napkins, stemware or melamine dinnerware can perk up any outdoor event. Outdoor seating requires maintenance before an event, so take the time before your guests arrive to wipe down and count out appropriate spots for your guests to be comfortable.
Create Magic
Lighting is such an essential element inside your home, as well as outdoors. As the days begin to shorten and the summer weather continues, lighting matters more than ever. You can create a beautiful ambience with strung or clusters of lights to provide shadows and glimmer that extend into the evening hours.
Make it comfortable
You want your guests to stay! If you hope to enjoy a glass of wine into the evening, opportunities to warm up on cool nights with blankets or firewood can extend your evening. Similarly, you can minimize the dusk mosquito feeding with sprays, citronella candles or available bug spray. Cushions and blankets not only add ambience but encourage conversation and relaxation.
Build-in Memorable Elements
Regardless of the celebration or event, memories are made by gestures that have taken a little time but intentional thought. A whimsical toast, a place card ornament, a genuine prayer or poem are all examples of ways to create memories that last for days and months to come.
If you are thinking about staging your home to sell, you can integrate these ideas wholeheartedly to accomplish the same thing. Potential buyers will be swiftly picturing their entertaining dreams when you have outdoor spaces presenting ideas to do.
If Outdoor entertaining is important to you, and it just doesn’t feel achievable with your current space, you may choose to seek a new outdoor space to manifest your social gathering dreams. We can help!
