Entertaining outdoors doesn’t have to be an activity reserved for the summer months. With suitable design choices and feature additions, you can make your outdoor living space comfortable and fun in any season.
Here are a few outdoor entertaining ideas to help you keep the party going all year round:
Fire pits and outdoor fireplaces are more than just stylish backyard features. Having a fire feature can help keep you and your guests warm even on chilly evenings in winter. Portable outdoor fireplaces are an excellent option for small outdoor spaces and don’t require any construction.
Heat lamps are another way to heat your outdoor party. You can use free-standing, tower-style heat lamps or opt for smaller, tabletop models. While powerful heat lamps can be expensive, they are available for rent from event supply companies and hardware stores.
Is your outdoor living space open to the elements? Consider adding something overhead to shield your outdoor party from rain, snow and harsh sun rays. Pergolas and gazebos make wonderful additions to any outdoor space, and can be styled in a variety of ways depending on the season.
Pop-up shelters are a good alternative if you’d rather not build a permanent structure. You can decorate them with string lights and draped fabric for instant ambiance and boho chic style. Keeping throw blankets and outdoor furniture with cozy cushions will keep the comfort level high even when the temperature drops.
Choosing the right plants for your outdoor space will keep it looking lush for your guests any time of year. Consider incorporating fall colors with maple, birch and oak trees. In winter, you can add color with berries like holly and viburnum.
Don’t have a year-round green thumb? Try container planters instead. With container planting, you can easily swap out plants as they begin to fade and replace them with season-appropriate alternatives to wow your guests even in the dead of winter.
Whether you’re hosting an outdoor dinner party, a casual picnic or a cozy gathering around the fire pit, keep these outdoor entertaining ideas in mind. With the right planning, you can be an outstanding host any time of year.
I'm a residential Realtor in the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs and I work closely with my husband, Andrew, who is a custom home builder and remodeler. Our partnership turns out to be a very good collaboration for our clients benefit. We work with both buyers and sellers on personal residence purchases and sales as well as investments and second homes. We take great pride in being extremely organized and attend to a great level of detail in home preparation for our sellers as well as details to the purchase of a home. We strive to keep our clients real estate transaction a seamless process. Additionally, every transaction is different so a sense of creativity is helpful and important in the process of buying and selling a home. This helps sellers get their properties in front of more buyers and it helps our buyers look at homes in different ways if things aren't quite as they'd like. Our knowledge and expertise in the industry and process as well as home construction result in a reassuring experience to our clients.
Specialties:
First-time Home Buyers
Investment Properties
Luxury Homes and Properties
Condos
Townhomes
