5 Tips for Summer Entertaining

Summer is here, which means the weather is warmer, the days are longer, and we are using our outdoor living areas even more than usual. Here are five quick tips to help you prepare for entertaining this season.

1. Increase shade.
Shade sails, umbrellas, and canopies are portable, affordable ways to easily increase shade to keep your guests comfortable and make your outdoor entertaining spaces more usable throughout the year. You can position them to increase privacy if you live close to neighbors or set them up to provide protection from the sun without blocking your favorite view of the mountains. My friend just introduced me to welding umbrellas, which are wind- and fire-resistant, so if you are concerned about bringing textiles into your home’s defensible space, you might want to check those out.

2. Set up a drink station.
If you entertain frequently, simplify your social gatherings by setting up a drink station on your patio. Depending on what you like to serve, this might be a bar cart with glasses, cocktail napkins, and a corkscrew, or it could be a table with a large tub to fill with ice and canned beverages. Having a drink station already established will make entertaining a bit easier and setup a bit quicker.

3. Prep your outdoor kitchen.
Al fresco dinner parties and weekend grilling are mainstays of summer, so now is the time to make sure your outdoor kitchen is ready for this entertaining season. Clean the grill, stock your beverage refrigerator, make sure all your kitchen’s features are functioning properly, and make sure you have everything you need for successful entertaining, like beverage dispensers, recycling bins, serving trays, and fuel for your grill.

4. Add festive lighting.
Longer days still eventually grow dark, so create welcoming spaces with warm, ambient lighting from string lights, fairy lights, LED candles, or solar-powered landscape lighting.

5. Prepare your fire features.
If you do not currently have a fire pit or patio fireplace, now is the perfect time to consider installing one. If you do not have the time or budget to install a fire feature before your next social gathering, you can always get an inexpensive, portable fire pit that will do the trick until you can consider a more permanent option. For fire features that you already have, now is the time to clean them, perform any necessary maintenance, and make sure they are functioning safely and properly. 

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AimeeJo Davis-Varela is a freelance writer specializing in real estate, sustainable home improvement, eco-friendly landscaping, green living and travel writing. She is also the owner of Mind Your Manors, which provides second home management services.