Do you love to entertain?

The first room I will talk about is the entertainment room.
This is the space we will use to entertain our friends or family. The size will depend on our habits, desires and the space we have to work with. Do you entertain one other family at a time with the total number being 20 or less, or are you a “big time” entertainer?
In this room we will need to have a place for a table and chairs for eating. You will also need a place for the BBQ and a place to set the food and/or the drinks on a bar area or side tables. All this means that it probably should be very close to the house for the ease of getting the food from kitchen to our outdoor room easily. Often this room is on the deck or patio just outside the back door. This is not a necessity. If you have the money, some people build a small outdoor kitchen complete with stove and frig, counter space the works so they can do all the prep work outside as well. Whatever the case you want the room big enough so that people won’t feel cramped but small enough that people don’t feel lost. Often the walls are the railing on the deck but if you have a patio or are out on the grass try placing some large pots of flowers around to give the room it’s own space. This works great if you want your room to be able to be sized differently depending on the number you are entertaining.
Having a good table set both attractive and comfortable is a must. Do you remember the picnic tables we used to have, about 4 x 8 with a bench on each side, practical (well sort of, remember trying to get seated at one), but not much to look at? Well the world has changed. The patio sets today look so much better and there is so much more to choose from. It seems like every department store out there has them (in season that is).
The choice you make will depend on your taste. I personally like wood. It is more environmentally appealing in the natural setting and I don’t know but it just makes me feel more comfortable. After dinner it’s time to clean up and play some games or just enjoy a relaxing evening of conversation, so the furniture you use needs to be comfortable. For me the other important factor is quality. There is nothing worse then spending good money on something only to have it break or looking old in a short period of time. Cedar wood or Teak wood furniture is great for this. They both stand up well outdoors and last looking good for years.
Teak costs a little more but needs no finishing and lasts the longest because of its natural oils that protects it from the weather.
Now is a good time to start planning for next summer and start making some purchases so it doesn’t hit you all at once next spring.
Have a look at our outdoor furniture at our stores "Teaks n More" and "Outdoor Cedars". I love the styles! If you are looking for more casual sets you can find them at "Outdoor Cedars". The links are on the right.
Next time we will talk about the “intimate room”.