Credit: Freshome
What are you gonna do, sit in a bush?
With spring right around the corner, parties by the fireplace and at the dinner table will soon be a thing of the past (at least until next winter). When the snow melts and the heat cranks up, it’s time for an old fashioned backyard party. However, having a nice backyard and having a party-ready nice backyard aren’t quite the same thing. Don’t worry, there’s a lot of overlap, so if you’ve been taking good care of your yard, you’re already most of the way there. To get you the rest of the way, though, you might want to consider a few things.
Count your patio chairs
No matter what the current state of your backyard is, chances are you’ve got at least a few pieces of patio furniture lying around. They’re like trees, they just sort of pop up with the house. If you’re putting together a guest list for your party, make sure there’s ample seating. If you need more patio chairs, buy them now, or else your guests will end up in a tense game of “fives” and “dibs.”
Build a fire pit
Nothing says warm seasons like a roaring campfire. Fire pits are actually surprisingly easy to build; you can buy kits for them at most big-box hardware stores. It’ll make a great central point for a party, and when the fire’s not blazing, you can put a wooden stopper on it and use it as a table.
Set up some mood lighting
If you’re going to be having a late afternoon or nighttime party, I’ve got two words for you: string lights. String them up wherever they’ll fit, and you’ll have a glorious forest of fireflies on demand. Also, if you’ve got an especially large yard, use LED ground stakes to light up walkways for a similar effect.
Outdoor curtains
If you’ve got a pool in your backyard, then big, white, billowy outdoor curtains would go great with it (provided you’ve got some kind of overhang to hang them off of). Nothing makes you feel fancier than lounging by the pool while light from the sun reflects off the water onto shaded white curtains. Man, that’s fancy.
