Making the Most of Your Patio Entertainment Area

Whether you’re working with an existing sprawling patio or more of a pocket-sized courtyard, creating a functional and beautiful outdoor entertaining area is more than achievable. With the right planning, you can create an environment to host scrumptious BBQs in summer, have a tranquil inviting space to be enjoyed by the whole family, and entertain your guests long into the night.

Here at Patioland we’ve been in the patio business for many years. When it comes to creating an appealing and inviting outdoor entertainment area we know exactly how to make it a reality. To help our customers get the most out of their entertainment area, we’ve composed this handy blog, allowing them to achieve a truly comfortable and inviting living space.

Plan Your Layout

Whether you only have a smaller space available or a larger area to work with, with the right planning you can make the most out of your patio area.

If you have limited space to play with, you can create a sense of continuity between the outdoors and indoors. You can achieve this by incorporating sliding doors and large glass windows to create a seamless transition between your indoor and outdoor live spaces.

If you’re working with a larger area, you can create several different zones through the use of decor such as an outdoor rug, with each zone having its own purpose that caters to the needs of your household. This will make it easier than working with one huge area, and you can even create a focal point such as a dining space that draws guests into a particular area for any planned outdoor events.

Furniture

When choosing outdoor furniture for your patio area, it’s important to select furniture that can stand up to Australia’s harsh climate conditions. Ensure that you invest in quality out-door grade furnishings. Cheap furniture that fades when exposed to the sun, rots or becomes mouldy when exposed to rain or tips over in windy conditions will detract from the appearance of your entertainment area and likely require replacement within a short period.

You can also add additional decor items to make your outdoor area more comfortable and inviting. Cushions, seat pads, tablecloths and table features can be a great way to introduce colour and texture, and display your own unique personal style.

Remember to make sure you have enough space for everyone by balancing open areas with seating. Your guests will appreciate having plenty of room to spread out instead of being funnelled into a compact area.

Lighting

Are you looking for ways to transform and enhance your outdoor entertaining area? Then consider adding some lighting which is both affordable as well as cost effective. Whether you want to have adequate coverage for nighttime entertaining or create just the right atmosphere, there’s a wide variety of options available to accommodate the mood and ambiance that you’re looking for.

Permanent fittings are a great solution for undercover patio areas, where indoor-style overhead lights can be mimicked, adding a more formal touch. If your area doesn’t feature any ceiling space, you can opt for wall-mounted light styles instead.

Alternatively, for a more decorative look, you can hang decorative-style lights, suh as string fairy lights, or place candle lanterns throughout your patio area. These lighting solutions add both mood and ambience and can be positioned in strategic areas to achieve their full desired effect.

Plants

Patio plants can significantly add to the overall ambience of your entertainment area. Adding plants will bring a little nature into your space making it feel fresh and inviting. It doesn’t matter whether they are live pot plants or decorative planters.

When selecting what would work best, make sure you get proper advice from a nursery or garden centre. This will greatly help in determining which plants can be planted in pots and their overall ongoing maintenance requirements.  

For styling, remember more doesn’t always mean better, an over-cluttered outdoor area will look chaotic and cluttered. You can keep it simple by working with plants in an allocated area and using a variety of plant sizes and shapes.

Outdoor Kitchen

If you enjoy cooking, an outdoor kitchen, complete with any additional extras such as a grill or smoker, can allow you to cook up a storm outdoors.

The type of food you would like to cook will have a strong influence on the setup of an outdoor kitchen. The most common form is the classic BBQ grill that will allow you to produce a variety of your favourite BBQ meals. You can go the extra mile by incorporating a pizza oven into your outdoor kitchen design. With this addition, your party guests will be able to enjoy hot fresh pizzas right off of an oven-fired brick.

If drinks form a more central part of your entertaining, you can also set up an area for beverages. This will ensure your guests have easy access and plenty of options for their drinks.

Whether you have a large patio to play with or a smaller courtyard area, there is so much you can do to create an overall functional and inviting entertainment area.

Remember to first plan your layout which, will involve incorporating any glass windows and sliding doors, and using decor to designate different spaces to cater to the needs of your household. When it comes to furniture, select pieces that will hold up well when exposed to the elements, and ensure that you have a good balance of open vs seating space.

For decor you have a myriad of options available to display your own unique style and create a stylish atmosphere. Different lighting features can be used to provide adequate coverage and create ambience, and selecting the right plants can have the ability to make a space feel fresh and inviting.

If you want to go to the next level, you can even incorporate an outdoor kitchen or pizza oven making you a true master of outdoor entertaining.

We hope this blog has given you a good starting point to help get your patio entertainment game in order. If you need some expert advice on all things patio related don’t hesitate to contact the experts here at Patioland. With years of experience in the industry, we have the expertise to install award winning functional and stylish patios. We’ll assess the unique requirements of your home and tailor a solution that’s just the right fit for you. 

For any of your patio needs, why not contact us today.