Backyard entertaining is a primary activity in warmer weather. Whether you’re hosting a housewarming in your new home or kicking off the start of summer with a backyard barbecue, these alterations to your space will wow your friends and family during your first get-together. Here are some ideas for designing a backyard perfect for hosting this summer.
1. Build a Covered Deck
Walking out onto a brand-new covered deck will impress your visitors and allow them space to mingle comfortably. As day turns to night, perhaps there’ll be some dancing — you’ll have a ready-made dancefloor without needing to manage dew or mud on the grass.
Strip lighting around the deck cover and a few bright, strategic plants in the corners can create a festive ambience. A built-in grill or an authentic wood-fired pizza oven — not too close to your home’s entrance — can cater for outdoor meals.
2. Identify Functional Yard Space
Whether you choose a deck or not, other backyard spaces can provide your guests with entertainment and comfort. Using a deck for cooking, mingling and potential partying means you may want another area for visitors to eat or chat in comfort. Select the zones you want to build onto to create an optimal backyard entertainment experience.
3. Plant Flowers in Your Yard
Plant flowers in beds along your perimeter walls to add decorative appeal when hosting guests. Using native wildflowers that easily adapt to the local soil and climate supports local insects like bees and butterflies, which thrive with the plants’ seeds, nectar and pollen.
These flowers are also intrinsically beautiful, adding scent and visual appeal to your backyard ambience. Native plants need less fertilizer and water to flourish. They also reduce the runoff that causes standing water after rains, meaning you’ll have fewer mosquitoes.
4. Create a Detached Comfortable Area
Away from your house, build a shaded area where more reserved guests can sit and chat comfortably, sheltered from any loud music and festivities. This area — potentially a patio, gazebo or pergola-style roofed structure — also makes a perfect spot to enjoy a meal without constant thoroughfare. Include some cozy patio seating and tables for extra functionality and convenience.
5. Install a Swimming Pool
Nothing screams summer fun like a backyard swimming pool. A pool party is a real crowd-pleaser when there’s a poolside drink station or bar with a mixologist making stunning cocktails. Add a snack table nearby and give your party a theme by adding customized plastic floats, bright string lighting and maybe a DJ to keep the place rocking. If you’re entertaining more formally elsewhere in the yard, a pool allows the kids to enjoy themselves away from the adults.
6. Design a Kids’ Play Area
If you, your friends or family members have younger children, consider installing a backyard playground to keep the young ones busy and burning off energy. You could add slides, a sandbox, a ball pit and a jungle gym in an easily accessible corner of your yard to entertain the kids and allow time for you to mix with your friends. Playground equipment can range from $100 to $5,000, so decide how simple or complex you want your space to be.
7. Maintain Your Lawn
Create a good impression amongst your party guests by keeping your lawn well-maintained. A stunning lawn sets the tone for a spectacular backyard get-together, and it’s easily achievable. Regular mowing, trimming, fertilizing and watering create a party-ready lawn — even for those hastily arranged, unexpected gatherings. A lawn in tip-top shape also discourages unwanted guests like mosquitoes and other bugs from gate-crashing your shindig.
8. Protect Your Yard From Insects
Your lawn is now in phenomenal condition. Unfortunately, mosquitos and other winged pests are still regular visitors. Before hosting your friends and family, there are other things you can do to discourage these unwelcome callers.
Check your backyard for standing water, especially if you’ve had rain. Even an inch of stagnant water encourages mosquito breeding, so clean out your gutters and check under your flowerpots and inside your wheelbarrow for latent liquid. Investing in a mosquito dunk is also a safe and effective way to control these pesky insects.
9. Add Nonslip Pathways
Perhaps you’re having guests over after a wedding or other formal event. Since people might wear high heels on these occasions, adding nonslip pathways to your comfortable outdoor areas will make crossing your backyard easier and safer. Use wood, brick or concrete pavers to provide safe and attractive paths that fit the atmosphere of your backyard design. At the same time, you can consider adding a similar style around your pool for enhanced design cohesion.
10. Provide Sufficient Shade
However you choose to design your backyard, ensure you have enough shade when hosting a backyard event, especially in summer when the sun beats down. To create a covered outdoor area large enough to host your friends and family, include some beach umbrellas or portable canopies to ensure your visitors’ protection. It’s also a great idea to erect umbrellas around the swimming pool for summertime parties.
11. Look Beyond Summer
Summer parties are always a great time. However, you can continue using your pristine backyard in milder climates to host get-togethers during the other three seasons. Consider spring or late fall — swimming may not be ideal, but being outdoors is still pleasant. An outdoor fire pit is an incredible feature for those backyard nights under starry skies, complete with blankets and perfect company. Burn only aged and dry firewood while contemplating life and the future with great friends.
Make Your Backyard Hosting Unforgettable This Summer
A spacious, well-designed, and expertly constructed backyard hosting area is ideal for adults and children alike. It makes catering to family and friends stress-free and pleasurable. Coordinating and carrying out your backyard plans takes some initial effort, but when done, you’ll be in for years of enjoyable relaxation and entertainment. Besides, it’s easier to clean up the backyard than your house after a celebration.
