Getting your outdoor area ready for entertaining season

A good outdoor area is one of the best investments you can make in how you actually live, especially once the weather turns and everyone wants to be outside instead of squeezed into the kitchen. Whether you have a full alfresco or a modest back patio, getting it ready for entertaining season comes down to three things: a layout that works, materials that can handle real weather, and a reason for people to stay outside once the sun goes down.

Plan the layout before you buy anything

The biggest mistake in outdoor furniture is buying the pieces first and figuring out the layout second. Walk your space and think about how people will actually move through it, from the back door to the seating, from the seating to the barbecue, from the table back to the kitchen for refills. A conversation set works best when it is angled in toward a coffee table rather than lined up along a wall, because it invites people to sit and talk rather than perch on the edge. Leave enough clearance around chairs for someone to push back and stand without bumping the person behind them.

Choose materials that can handle the weather

Griffith summers are hot and dry, and a shed full of covers you have to wrestle on and off every afternoon gets old fast. Look for outdoor furniture built from materials designed to live outside full time: all weather wicker, powder coated aluminium, and cushion fabric rated for sun and the odd afternoon shower. These materials will not fade, crack or go brittle the way budget outdoor pieces can after one season in direct sun, so you get a set up that looks good well past its first summer.

Give the space a reason to stay out after dark

Once dinner is done, a fire pit is what keeps everyone sitting outside instead of drifting back indoors. It pulls chairs in around it naturally, gives the space some warmth once the evening cools off, and adds a bit of atmosphere that a plain patio setting cannot. Position it a sensible distance from the house and any overhanging trees, and treat it as the second gathering point in the yard, with a small ring of chairs or a low bench nearby so people are not standing around holding a drink with nowhere to sit.

Make room for everyone

Entertaining season usually means more people than your regular household, so it pays to have seating that can flex. A dining table with a bench seat or a couple of stackable chairs tucked in the shed can take a table from four to eight in a couple of minutes. If space is tight, look at a set that does double duty, such as a coffee table that lifts to dining height or a bench that doubles as extra storage for cushions and throws when the weather turns.

Ready when you are

The easiest way to get your layout right is to see the pieces set up together rather than guessing from a photo online. Come through our Griffith showroom, walk the outdoor room sets, and take a look at our fire pits while you are there to finish the space off properly.