As the Summer gets well under way and the rules around socializing become more relaxed, our thoughts turn to outdoor entertaining and how to make our outdoor spaces more appealing for ourselves and our guests. Throwing a party or hosting an impromptu gathering for friends and family can be a stressful experience, but with enough forward planning and preparation your social get-together should run smoothly and be enjoyed by all.

⦁ Fabric leave willow trellis Green Garden screen from B&Q
⦁ Festoon Classic Solar Lights from Garden Trading
⦁ LG Outdoor Santorini Dawn 3m Square Cantilever Parasol from Robert Dyas
⦁ Santa Cruz Hanging Egg Chair from Honeypot Furniture
⦁ Heatsail Dome Freestanding Electric Patio Heater Floor Lamp from Cuckooland
⦁ Black Ground Low Bioethanol Tripod Fireplace from Lime Lace
⦁ Outdoor Spiral Topiary Tree from Sweetpea & Willow
⦁ Latchmere Trough from Garden Trading
⦁ Madrid Outdoor Table With Planter in Charcoal from Ella James
⦁ Diamond Print Outdoor Garden Rug from Rockett St George

So here are 8 simple steps that we have put together to help you create an outdoor oasis designed for entertaining.

⦁ Choose comfortable furniture
If you are planning to spend a fair amount of time in your outdoor space, you want to make sure that it is comfortable. The last thing you want is your guests complaining that the chairs and benches are too hard and uncomfortable. Consider choosing padded furniture or adding cushions to any furniture that doesn’t have them. Make sure that any cushions you buy are suitable for use outdoors, preferably water resistant or easy to clean.

Our hanging egg chairs are always poplar with our customers and we’ve had great feedback about how comfortable they are, not to mention how great they look. Get yours here.

⦁ Add an outdoor rug
We normally associate rugs with indoor spaces but an outdoor rug can really take your outdoor entertaining space to the next level. Rugs help to bring a seating area together into a single unified space and create a distinctive outdoor entertaining space that’s inviting and comfortable. If placing them on a deck or a concrete or stone surface they also feel nicer underfoot and more comfortable for anyone sitting on the floor. You can also use outdoor rugs to tie your colour scheme together and bring in summery pops of colour.

⦁ Incorporate garden screens
Garden screens have so many benefits when creating an outdoor entertaining space. The obvious one is privacy. You can screen off parts of your garden to protect it from prying eyes which is especially important if your garden is overlooked in any way. But screens also come in handy for partitioning off less attractive areas of your outdoor entertaining space that you might not necessarily want your guests to see. And something you might not have considered is that screens are great sound insulators too so they can help ensure that your garden party or small event doesn’t disturb the neighbours.

⦁ Provide some shade
Whilst the UK isn’t blessed with sunny weather and heatwaves all that often, it is still important to provide adequate shade for your outdoor entertaining space. When temperatures do soar, you’ll be really glad that you did. The shade is not only more comfortable to sit in but will protect your guests from getting burnt. Whether you opt for a shade sail, pergola or a simple parasol, having something set up to create a shaded area is an absolute must.

⦁ Turn up the heat
At the other end of the spectrum, it’s important to make sure your guests don’t get too cold. Perhaps you’re unlucky with the weather and need to keep your guests warm during the day. Or maybe you just need some extra heat after the sun goes down. A patio heater can be a wise move or at the very least a fire pit of some kind for people to gather around and get cosy. A few blankets wouldn’t go amiss either. There is nothing worse than being too cold at an outdoor event so put some proper planning in place to keep your guests warm.

⦁ Bring out the BBQ
What’s a garden party without a good old BBQ? Fire up the BBQ to make sure that your guests don’t go hungry throughout the day. Make sure you take note of wind direction first though and do your best to make sure guests are positioned away from the flow of the smoke as you don’t want everybody sat in a smoke cloud while they mingle.

⦁ Add atmospheric lighting
Lighting is a great way to create some atmosphere for your outdoor entertaining space particularly after sundown. Consider stringing up some festoon lights or adding fairy lights to your space to create a cosy glow. Or perhaps you might want to dot some solar powered mood lights around. Lanterns are also great options and you can get some really realistic battery operated LED candles these days to put in them to give that really authentic flicker that you would expect from real candles.

⦁ Bring in greenery
Last but not least, make sure your outdoor entertaining space is full of greenery. Gather up any potted garden plants that you may have elsewhere in the garden and bring them into the seating area. We’re trying to create the feel of an indoor room outdoors so place your greenery strategically just as you would inside your home. You could also consider moving your indoor plants outside just for the day to create more of an effect. Pampas grass looks great and makes a really eye-catching statement.

So that is how you create an outdoor entertaining space in 8 simple steps. If you have used any of our egg chairs in your garden, we’d love to see a photo. Please share on Instagram and tag us with @honeypotfurniture and use our hashtag #JoinTheHive so we can see.