Outdoor living spaces can expand and enhance your home. The basic patio with some lounge chairs and a gas grill is a good place to start, but there is so much more you can do. Here are some ideas for how to turn your outdoor living space into a social destination.
1- An Outdoor Kitchen
An outdoor kitchen is a fantastic way to host guests. You can cook while mingling with your guests and everything is right at hand. An outdoor kitchen needs to be centered around a built-in grill, of course, preferably with both gas and hot coal options. An oven to cook sides, a microwave to quickly reheat or defrost things, and a refrigerator to keep the beverages cold are essential. Built-in cabinets can conveniently hold your cooking tools.
2- A Cozy Space
A cozy outdoor space with comfortable seating and a fire pit is a must for holiday gatherings. Guests wishing to relax away from the main party can retreat outdoors and hang out in front of the fire, engaging in private conversations or just meditating on the dancing flames.
3- A Pool
Adding a backyard swimming pool is a classic way to entertain guests. Who doesn’t enjoy a pool party during a hot summer? Your pool doesn’t even have to be all that large to be a social mecca; most people aren’t actually interested in swimming laps at pool parties. They just want to hang out with their friends in or around the water. A small backyard grotto with a waterfall can enhance social events more than a large, standard pool.
4- A Front Porch
The front porch, a classic way of socializing with your neighbors, has fallen out of favor, but you can revive it. Why confine your socialization to the backyard? If you create an inviting area in your front yard to sit in and relax, chat, and laugh, soon your neighbors, friends, and family will start dropping by to hang out.
5- Turn Your Patio Into a Sports Bar
If you and your friends are into watching sports at the bar, why not turn your patio into your very own sports bar? Install a huge TV, a bar, and some seating and you are all set for game day at home.
6- Create a Fairy Garden
It’s not hard to turn your backyard into a beautiful fairy garden. Design your landscaping around meandering pathways that wander through lush foliage. Add some lanterns and a central area with comfortable seating isolated from the rest of the world by trees, flowers, and vines. Install a water feature such as a small bubbling brook that runs through the backyard and ends in a small pool in the central area. Your guests will love wandering peacefully through the garden and then you can all chat comfortably in the central area.
The era of yards consisting of nothing but a sterile, boring lawn is long gone. Your yard should be an extension of your living space. It should be functional and enhance your daily life and your social life.
