Business in the front...Party in the back!

One of the biggest reasons people crank up the vibe on their outdoor spaces is for the purpose of entertaining their friends. Down here in the heart of Football Country (War Eagle!), Saturday's are game day central, and you need a great space to cheer on your favorite team. Here are a few suggestions on making your back yard the best one on the block!

***Shameless plug: Pentablock can be used for nearly ALL of these projects! Just ask me how! ;-)

Spatial

Night Parties (About the light) When you live for languid evenings with friends, the single most important thing is lighting. It's for safety, particularly if your patio and home are a multilevel site. Lighting every step and grade change not only gives a festive ambiance, it ensures that there will be no accidents, particularly with stiletto heels. Augment this with mood lighting, but only after you've made sure edges, curbs or obstacles are fully visible after dark.

Day Parties (Cool and warm) Parties during the day can be an active family gathering, but for most adults this is brunch, luncheon or just an impromptu get together. While you are quite familiar with outdoor conditions on your patio, your guests may not be. Give a great deal of thought about shading, particularly that which can be moved around with the seasonal changes in the sun's position both summer and to let the winter light shine in.

Conversation (Audio sensitivity) No one wants to talk over a loud water feature. For those with mild hearing difficulties, particularly the over 50 crowd, widely spaced seating could make intimate conversation impossible. Arrange your seating so it is easy to hear everyone without voice fatigue. It is far better to err on the side of seating being too closely spaced than to risk a more wide open situation where some guests may have difficulty.

Large parties (Keep it simple) Any time you entertain on a large scale, avoid getting overly fussy about details. Spaces for these kinds of gatherings should be clean and open and quite simple in their layouts. This eliminates crowding. It also saves time and money on detailed ideas that will go largely unnoticed. Attention to the basics like enough seating for everyone, a clear access to food and drink make it intuitive to enjoy an evening.

Amenities

Buffet dining (Credenza a must) A buffet frees up the hostess for activities other than serving each and every place setting. Design a credenza flush against a wall to make a buffet easy to do. This table can otherwise be used for collections of plants or outdoor art that makes it attractive all the time. If you decide on an impromptu gathering whether for coffee or cocktails, you have a convenient out of the way place to arrange your favorite foods and snacks without having to bring in a table or move another one around to fit.

Bar (Party central) The bar can be ground zero for outdoor entertaining. This is not just a place to store bottles and mixers, but it becomes a social locale if the host is on one side making drinks and guests are on the other side of the bar milling around. Designing a place for the bar ensures this does not impinge on the outdoor kitchen which can become overly crowded during mealtimes. There is the option to use a portable bar unit that you can bring out for a large party, then put it away again so you need not see it all the time. For this to be successful you must include it in your space planning by knowing the size of the portable unit you want to use and making sure there's available power to operate a blender.

Hors d'oeuvres (Double duty walls) Whether it's Spanish tapas or ordinary dip and chips, nibblies are essential to all sorts of entertaining. When designing the hardscape, raised bed walls, partitions and other constructed masonry elements that make a convenient place for hors d'oeuvres. Key is to make the wall cap wide enough and smooth to fit a tray or platter without it overhanging the edge.

TV (Sports outdoors) Outdoor flat screen TVs eliminates the old problem of all the men inside watching the game while wives and kids are out by the pool. To unify these groups, creating an outdoor area for a TV can increase a party's unity considerably. Positioning a TV where it's free of glare and direct sunlight, with designated seating areas increase the popularity of any outdoor living space.

Self contained kitchen (Center of the universe) Just as the kitchen is the center of the home, your outdoor kitchen always becomes the center of outdoor entertainment spaces. This keeps the hostess there with her guests rather than in the kitchen. Failure to understand this results in the outdoor kitchen separated from living spaces, which can potentially recreate the same separation you are trying to solve.

Grill (Think twice) Unless you supply your grilling space with protective cover, it's vital to consider whether it's wise to permanently position a built in. Large portable grilling units with all the amenities allow you to reposition them as the sun's position changes or the weather turns with the seasons. It can be positioned in one location for an intimate gathering and in another place further out for a large party. You can even move it close to the house for a quick and easy grilled meal in winter weather.

Built In Seating (Permanent furniture) Don't limit yourself to portable furnishings. Outdoor living spaces with seatwalls are more versatile than those that rely strictly on freestanding furniture. They allow you to enjoy the space in every season, and in the summer the ability to apply colorful cushions to the seatwalls adds a festive flair.

-Clint