Summer is an amazing time to gather with friends and family. There is something about the long days and nights out and about enjoying all the activities that come with summer. One of our favorite places to hangout during the summer is outside in our backyard. Whether it's hosting friends and family or just enjoying a glass of wine after a long day at work, we are big believers in creating an inviting and fun place outside that is an extension of our home. Here are a few things to consider when designing your outdoor space as well as some of our favorite things we have incorporated in our backyard.

Layout

This is so important. Just like when designing a space that serves a purpose on the inside of your home, you’ll want to envision the proper flow of the area as well as if you have a deck or patio and yard that you will want to incorporate. Where you place your grill, tables and or chairs, lighting, etc will all be impacted by the layout. First determine where it is that you will want most of your guests to enjoy seated conversation or meals, then you can start to size for tables, outdoor rugs, chairs, etc.

Lighting

Depending on how much light you have in your yard you will want to determine if you will need to add any. We LOVE hanging lights, this is a great way to incorporate light in a both stylish but also effective way. You can also consider yard lighting that is low-key that is placed in key areas throughout the yard.

Seating

Sometimes you have to work with the space you have. The advantage of summer BBQs is that they can be as formal or informal as you want them, so it is not always necessary to have a designated eating table. You may be better off getting rid of the table in order to have more comfortable seating. A lot of times people eat off the plate in their laps so having a table if space is limited can be the answer. Or if a table is more important to you, you can do that as well, this may impact lounge seating, but at the end of the day it's up to you and how much space there is. Sometimes there is room for both!

Fire tables

We love our fire table and they bring great heat as well as relaxed vibes to any outdoor space. They can also serve as a drink rest or food rest when not in use for guests that are enjoying a meal. In our opinion, a fire table is a must-have, we use ours so much and enjoy it a lot.