Outdoor Furniture, Patio Furniture and more!

For many families, it takes the warm defrost of spring to finally recover from holiday entertaining.  Though the lights and candles have long been put away, the rest of winter rarely inspires a lot of party-hosting.

But, the longer days and warmer afternoons of the spring season will always beckon dedicated entertainers to host a grand get-together.  Take advantage of the budding flowers and take dinner parties outdoors for an alfresco dining experience.

But, moving outside of the dining room’s comfort zone can strike hosting anxiety in the hearts of even the most experienced entertainer.  Follow these simple tips to ensure your alfresco dinner party goes off without a hitch!

The Furniture: The outdoor furniture used for outdoor entertaining must do more than just provide enough seating for guests; it can truly set the mood for the entire event.  The patio furniture has to fit the occasion.  A solid A-frame pine picnic table is great for backyard bashes and cook outs.  But, upscale alfresco dining will benefit from a cedar patio dining set or a teak outdoor dining table.

The Table Dressing: Marcia Blake, outdoor living space designer, encourages decorators to celebrate the outdoors with table dressings. “Add small fresh flower bouquets or miniature plants in low vases across the table to give the illusion of a large arrangement,” she suggests.

“For a dressed up table setting use ivory cloth placemats, topped by beautiful glassware, stemware and china, preferably antique or traditional in spirit.” Blake advises, “If you are planning a more relaxed get together, try mixing and matching different color glasses, ceramic dishes and fun silverware to create a playful atmosphere. Use multi colored placemats, napkins and chunky pillar candles.”

The Seating Arrangements: “Determine your seating arrangement then use hand-scripted place cards to caringly identify each setting,” suggests Blake.  Adding personal touches to place settings makes everyone feel valued and at-home.

“If many of your guests have yet to meet, consider setting out simple table games like the Tricky Triangle peg-in-wood block puzzles, or even riddles and trivia.  They can be a good ice breaker to get conversations started,” said Rebecca Strong, a frequent party host.

When it comes to party planning, Blake encourages taking any stress head on, “Try to work hard before the party starts so that you can enjoy being a guest at your own party.”  She insists that ensuring all of the details are wrapped before guests arrive will make the entire event more enjoyable.

Great parties have great atmospheres, and great atmospheres are created with fantastic outdoor furniture. Making sure the patio furniture fits the party is one of the most important factors.

Tags: cedar patio dining set, Outdoor Furniture, patio furniture, picnic table, pine picnic table, teak outdoor dining table

Gardeners nationwide are truly living in their gardens.  Gardening is not just your grandmother’s pastime anymore; it’s one of the most popular hobbies sweeping the interests of men and women of all ages.  Whether people are trying their hand at backyard organic vegetables or creating beautiful bouquet gardens, the art of gardening is definitely on the rise.

But, gardening is no longer just a chore or a place to work.  Gardens have become chic entertaining venues, dining spaces and living areas.

Garden designer Jenny Peterson, of J Peterson Garden Design, has seen this trend grow with every season.  “My clients are now seeing their gardens as gathering areas for their families and friends, so we have whole areas dedicated to seating and outdoor furniture,” she said.  Peterson has worked on designing gardens to hold everything from meditation areas to patio furniture collections in recent years.

“The things you would normally do inside, they are now doing outside, and want a good space to do it,” Peterson said.  And many gardeners are asking themselves if there’s any better space than a garden.

“Gardens are both peaceful and celebratory,” said Cassie Phillips, an avid gardener who enjoys cultivating her garden room along with her plants and flowers.  “Nothing puts me more at ease than being surrounded by nature and nothing livens up a party like the growing joy of a blooming lily.”

The versatility of the garden, paired with the eagerness gardeners take to showing off their handiwork, creates a flawless platform for living spaces.  Whether lazily flipping through a favorite novel on a porch swing, or hosting a garden soiree with champagne and teak patio furniture, a well planted garden can do nothing but enhance your experience.

Recently, more and more people are looking for outdoor furniture for their garden, instead of just their porches and gazebos.  People are moving their living spaces to be an integral part of their garden in increasingly interesting ways each season.  It’s more than just arranging patio furniture, using arbors and pergolas helps define spaces while letting flowering vines grow vertically to create living walls and spacers.

What’s your favorite way to bring living spaces out into the garden?

Tags: Arbors, gazebo, Outdoor Furniture, patio furniture, Pergolas, porch swing

We all love a sunny day. It pleads for us to come outside and enjoy its natural beauty. Playing in the grass is one way to do it, but upon the surface of a designated kids picnic table or patio furniture, outdoor dining, arts and crafts, and even spending time doing homework are other wonderful ways to pass the time.

Mealtime Made Easy: On the children’s outdoor furniture you can serve your kids food outside as a way to liven up a meal. Not only does eating on the patio make it easier to brush off crumbs, it also keeps muddy shoes outside of the house. When friends with children visit and stay for a meal,  they can comfortably sit at the kid’s picnic table socializing and snacking with one another.

Fresh Air Homework: After a long day at school, there is no doubt about it: kids need fresh air. By positioning a children’s picnic table or children’s patio furniture behind your home that is made for their use, kids can take advantage of the chirping birds outside while sweeping through their studies, exhilarating their senses. Whether you’re working or playing, a children’s outdoor table makes it all possible at once.

Outdoor Arts and Crafts Time: If you’re wondering why the table should be only for the kids and not combined, taking arts and crafts to its beautiful pine or cedar wood picnic table explains everything. Now, instead of getting paper maché all over your dining room table or floor, your kids will find their children’s patio furniture to be the ideal landing spot for any masterful creation.

Treat your backyard to an outdoor table for the kids that will keep them discovering more about the great outdoors they love. With every meal, piece of artwork, or finished homework assignment, the kids’ table will take on more meaning as a symbol of fusing the manmade shelters with the natural environment.

Tags: children's outdoor furniture, children's outdoor table, children's patio furniture, children's picnic table, kids picnic table, outdoor table, patio furniture, wood picnic table

The porches attached to American residential architecture have evolved over the years.  We’ve all seen the trend of front porches virtually disappear as a secluded back porch has gained popularity. Whether you have no porch, one, or a wrap-around porch, the addition of an private porch area is an idea we’re all fond of. A pool house can be your first porch, an addition to your pre-existing outdoor area, and is made easier to access with a beautiful walkway.

Substitute a Porch Addition for a Pool House: No need to add the huge project of a front porch to your house if you decide on a backyard structure instead. Typically, guest houses and custom pool houses have both an indoor and outdoor area that can be put to good use. In fact, the indoor area can find functionality as a home office, exercise studio or as a storage space for outdoor entertaining and lawn/pool maintenance items.

Embellish the Feel of a Second Porch:  If you’ve already got a porch, a custom pool house of rectangular or hexagonal shapes can add a quaint porch space to your backyard that is perfect for reading on a porch swing, reflecting as your gaze at the birds, or even napping on some comfortable patio furniture without being exposed to the neighbors. If you’re into social gatherings, use it as the central point for entertaining by adding an outdoor bar.

Walkway the Line: Whether you use your pool house as a hideaway or a pivotal party piece, getting to it without thinking is the best way to make sure its purpose is utilized. With the accompaniment of a portable treated pine walkway or a permanent stone walkway you can design your retreat to be as accessible or secluded as you wish.

Guest houses can act as an extended or primary indoor/outdoor porch space detached from your house that doesn’t require the stress of a remodel to capitalize on the design of your yard.

Tags: backyard structure, custom pool houses, outdoor bar, patio furniture, Pool house, porch swing, portable treated pine walkway

Some folks see pool houses as just a simple structure for changing in and out of swimsuits.  But, though the name is focused on pools, its uses are nearly endless.   Most people who know the true advantages of pool houses see them as the perfect space for a home office, entertaining, outdoor storage, or as shelter from inclimate weather during your backyard gala. Truth is, pool houses make life easier in many ways – but more specifically, the separate area for entertaining behind your house is second to none in convenience and style.

Making Concessions: To begin with, a pool house shaped like the hexagon style guest house on your lawn can come equipped with a concession bar that may serve line drinks and snacks, even buffet-style meals for guests to enjoy libations and a tasty treat. The centralized location means no wandering for direction to a random table either. It’s height and separation from the home keeps entertaining fun and light.

Outdoor Stow Away Zone: In addition to the concession bar to keep energy levels high on cool nights or sun-drenched afternoons, a pool house provides your home with extra storage for pool toys, lawn games, outdoor dish ware for throwing parties, and extra patio seating, among other things. This separate storage area helps keep clutter down in your garage or basement, and allows for site-specific items to be easily taken out and put away.

Storm Shelter: Lastly, you don’t necessarily need a custom pool house to be set for all weather conditions. In fact, many pool houses come with attached porches to shield your guests from the occasional rain showers that may otherwise dampen the mood. An added benefit of the porch follows right into your house too, since you won’t have to worry about muddy, wet clothing entering through your house when the storm hits.

Pool houses provide your grandiose outdoor entertaining ideas with a central location where food and beverages, storage, and even shelter take the party into their own hands for a shock-proof approach to dynamite outdoor events.

Tags: backyard pool house, Outdoor Furniture, outdoor pool house, patio furniture, patio seating, Pool house, pool houses

Your decisions for patio furniture and outdoor space design should always consider full functionality and practicality.  But, after choosing resilient materials and ensuring there are enough seats for guests, you can have fun creating focal points with splashes of color.  Whether you choose the shocking or the neutral, planning a successful color pallet should be a joyful activity.

Go Green (and still pick your colors):  Do your part for the planet, add color, and get indestructible outdoor furniture… all at once!  Polywood patio furniture is a synthetic material made completely of recycled milk jugs and water bottles once destined for the landfill.  Using recycled plastics for your porch not only decreases your carbon footprint, it also decreases your maintenance requirements! Polywood is impervious to all weather conditions and will last without upkeep for years.  But, don’t worry; you won’t be trading function for fashion: polywood is crafted to look and feel just like real wood, and is available in a rainbow of colors.  When polywood outdoor rockers are created, the color dyes are used all the way through the material.  So if someone bumps your polywood rocking chair and makes dent, no one is likely to notice as there isn’t any paint to chip.

Classically Painted Wood: If you’re looking to use paint on your rocking chairs to add color, be on the look out for pine and cypress varieties.  Cedars and Teaks do not accept paints well at all, so it’s important to choose a wood that will agree with your color choice.  But, a porch rocker in pine or cypress can be repainted as often as the mood strikes you, and will benefit from the durability paint adds to outdoor woods. This is the most traditional way to add color to your outdoor room, but it’s a classic because it works!

Soft Wickers: A colorful rocker may also come in the form of a wicker rocking chair.  Though they’re more likely to be found sporting neutral color schemes, using bright outdoor furniture cushions can give you that punch of exciting color and patterns. Mixing and matching colors can add depth, but do take caution before going too crazy with the patterns and styles.  Colorful porch design still needs a cohesive direction.  Synthetic wickers will hold up to the elements better, and will end up being the better buy in the end.

Whether you add colorful hues using through-and-through dyed polywoood, painting cypress or pine, or choosing colorful wickers, considering the color pallet of your outdoor space will benefit your overall design scheme considerably.  Always keep functionality and practicality in mind, especially in outdoor spaces, but never lose sight of the fun!

Have Fun!

Hazel

Tags: Outdoor Furniture, outdoor furniture cushions, patio furniture, polywood outdoor rockers, polywood patio furniture, polywood rocking chair, porch rocker, wicker rocking chair

Let me guess: You’re tempted by the aesthetic of a rocking chair – its nurturing gliding movement and wood construction – but the thought of sitting in it for too long makes everything from your neck to your knees ache. Fear not, the ergonomic features of a highback rocking chair come to the rescue with lower lumbar support, a built-in head rest, and the option to cushion its surfaces.

Lower Lumbar Support: One of the reasons the highback porch rocker appeals to the masses has a lot to do with its lower lumbar support. The highback rocker extends higher than your shoulders, and the back is angled to support the natural curvature of your spine.  It helps those with spinal aches and pains feel more comfortable. In fact, the Academy of Chiropractic Physicians suggest highback wood furniture for supporting the lower back.

Rest your Head: The highback porch rocker not only supports your back, but gives you enough to space to rest your head as well.  Being able to relax your neck and lean your head back will let outdoor relaxation last for hours.  Watch the birds for hours before slipping into an afternoon nap without having to move inside to find comfort. An outdoor rocker can be the perfect napping spot if it’s made right.

Add Cushions: If the highback isn’t soft enough, think about adding a head cushion and maybe even a regular outdoor furniture cushion for the seat. Serving as a comfortable pillow for your head, your porch rocker will become your favorite piece of patio furniture.  Be careful not to settle in so comfortably that you never leave!

If back or neck pain is an issue when choosing the right outdoor furniture for your backyard or porch, consider the added benefits of a highback rocking chair that will prove itself, far outweighing the competition.

Tags: highback porch rocker, highback rocker, highback rocking chair, Outdoor Furniture, outdoor furniture cushion, outdoor rocker, patio furniture, porch rocker, rocking chair, wood furniture

If an iron bench in your garden or patio area seems too stiff or impersonal for your taste, complement the natural environment surrounding your home with a spacious, double rocking chair.

Recall Rustic Simplicity and Unite Spaces: Especially popular this season are double rockers made from thick, whole logs in white cedar or pine. Using similar materials or styles for all of your patio furniture is a great way to carry out a well-rounded design in your exterior area.  Pastoral style is optimal for the expanded double rocker since it brings out a hint of country, shaking up what might be a more traditional or modern design in your backyard space.

Perfect for Relaxed Outdoor Areas: A double rocker can offer one person enough room to put their feet up and relax completely into the gentle, rocking motion. It brings a cozy, next-to-the-fireplace energy to any patio area, offering the same gliding feel with a touch more of the rugged outdoors. It might even reside next to a fire pit or under the glow of a summer sky to complete the scene.

Get Close to Nature and the Ones you Love: The eye-catching design of a double rocking chair can provide a couple of lovebirds or you and your child ample room to sit side-by-side comfortably Like the loveseat of outdoor furniture, a rocking garden bench gets warm and cozy quickly if two people decide to share its smooth, sturdy base while discussing the day or peacefully listening to the birds.

Enable the closeness you desire with loved ones or the distance and space you require to relax while maintaining a gorgeous outdoor design. Flowing from the trees to the flowerbed, the double rocking chair is a great touch to your backyard patio.

Tags: double rocker, double rockers, double rocking chair, Outdoor Furniture, outdoor rocking chair, patio furniture, rocking garden bench

Today is the Winter Solstice for those residing in the Northern Hemisphere.  Though many believe that the biggest celebration of this week is coming up on the 25th of December, varied cultures have been celebrating this momentous occasion for several centuries.

The Winter Solstice occurs sometime between December 21 and December 22, depending on the shifting of the calendar, and is commonly known as the shortest day of the year.  No, there’s no need to change your clocks; the sun’s maximum position is at its lowest on the solstice, therefore producing the fewest hours of sunlight.

The darkest day of the year is hardly a cause for celebration.  But, for anyone that has ever hit rock bottom knows, once you’re at the darkest point there’s no where to go but up.  The Winter Solstice is a celebration lengthening daylight.  When you thought you could not survive another hour of darkness, the days begin to look brighter.  The light does not cure the cold; it does not clear the slippery ice from your path.  It lights your way.  It gives you hope.  It reminds you that you have everything you will ever need in order to survive the frigid silence of winter.

After the Winter Solstice, the sun slowly starts to increase its arc creating more daylight for each 24 hour period.  World Wide, countless generations have feasted on the Solstice to celebrate the rebirth of the sun and the meaning of hope.  And now, within the Christian age, people celebrate the birth of the Son and a similar sentiment just a few days later!

The importance of the Earth’s phases and astrological cycles have been a central point to a multitude of cultures and societies; making this turning point a vital day across the globe.  Many of the ancient wonders of the world, like Stone Hedge and the Pyramids of Giza, are very intimately connected to astrological happenings.

Far Eastern traditions see the Solstice and the changing in light as an essential part of their balanced and harmonious Taoist philosophy of the Yin and the Yang.  While Western Slavic cultures saw the Winter Solstice similarly to the way we see Halloween, as a night when evil spirits come out to enjoy the night, but are eventually defeated by the resurrected sun.     From India to Chile, ancient traditions have marked the Winter Solstice as a feast day to celebrate the return of sunlight.

My family has always had an interesting Winter Solstice tradition.  While we stage our outdoor furniture in the garden shed once the snow comes, we pull it out for this busy week.  The picnic table benches and patio tables provide extra seating and food-prep stations for hosting friends and families in the coming two weeks.  But, before the hustle and bustle begins, we get to have a secret meal at our patio furniture.  Reminding us of summer, long sunny evenings, and patio chairs surrounding the camp fire; it’s a welcome mid-winter perk.

As our modern society showers us with stress, expectations, and anxieties this season… don’t forget to take a moment’s pause to give thanks for the promise of a sunrise every morning, for the expectancy of each coming day.

Tags: garden shed, Outdoor Furniture, patio chairs, patio furniture, patio tables, picnic table

Getting a cabana for your outdoor living area is invariably a great choice.  But, now that you’re set on one, be sure to make the best decision.  While the size of your cabana is dependent on the space you have available, how you’re planning to use it, and possibly your budget, the shape of your cabana is requires more thought.  Are you looking for traditional lines or something out of the ordinary?

Octagon Cabanas:  Octagon Cabanas are great for those who love the traditional look of a gazebo.  The octagonal shape is eye-catching and interesting, and will absolutely stand out among a group of buildings.

Rectangle Cabanas: Rectangle Cabanas are perfect for people that want to decorate a traditionally shaped space.  Arrange your patio furniture in the familiar arrangements of indoor rooms for seamless transitions.

Hexagon Cabanas: The romantic belle roof of the hexagon cabana is unique and striking.  Add some dreamy architectural lines to your landscape to feel like you’re in a paradise every day of the week.  Adding a copper filial to the peak completes the look.  These are great for outdoor living spaces, as well as home offices, studios, and other backyard escapes.

Elongated Hexagon Cabanas: If you love the belle roof, but need a little bit more room, the Elongated Hexagon Cabana is a fantastic solution. Providing more space in a more rectangular layout makes decorating easy and space a premium.  Also perfect for home offices and studios, the elongated hexagon cabana is also great for storage and outdoor dining spaces. Outfitted with a rectangular picnic table, this backyard structure is perfect for dinner parties.

Plan out your intended uses for your cabana, what outdoor furniture or other ideas you have for the interior, as well as how you want your landscape to look overall.  Talk to friends, family members, and a qualified expert about your options… but don’t get overwhelmed!  Choosing the perfect style for your cabana should be fun and exciting.

Tags: backyard cabanas, backyard structures, Cabanas, elongated hexagon cabanas, Gazebos, hexagon cabanas, octagon cabanas, Outdoor Furniture, outdoor structures, patio furniture, rectangle cabanas