A passion for grilling is the main reason many suburbanites and city-dwellers choose to eat outside. With grills and outdoor kitchens already a part of many backyard patios, decks, and balconies, it’s only logical that a dedicated outdoor dining area should be the next step. Whether you’re confined to the limits of your city balcony or have acres of lawn at your disposal, transforming your outdoor area into a dining room takes much less effort than you may think.
Alfresco!
Multiple benefits of alfresco
Scientific American reports that only a small percentage of population receives enough of vitamin D, which increases our resistance to heart attacks and stroke, and which is produced when we expose ourselves to ultraviolet light – in other words when we spend time outside. In addition, fresh air can improve your mood by alleviating anxiety and boosting happiness levels. A report by the Harvard School of Health noted that patients recovering from spinal surgery experienced less pain and stress if they were exposed to natural light. And finally, although there is no scientific evidence to back it up, most people agree that food tastes better outdoors.
Choose the right patio dining set
If you already have a beautiful patio table with a set of matching chairs, all you need to do is to maintain it and protect it from the elements. However, if you’re looking to purchase a new outdoor dining set, think about how many people will use it, whether the table shape fits your available space, and whether the chairs are comfortable enough to be used as the primary seating on your patio. Also, the outdoor furniture needs to be water resistant, whether your dining area is protected by a canopy or not. Finally, you should also consider environmental awareness. By putting trust in family-owned businesses such as King Living, whose furniture is designed, manufactured, and packaged in a sustainable way, you can set an excellent example to your kids. This manufacturer offers a range of quality outdoor furniture items, including steel-framed rope weave dining chairs that look great indoors, as well.
Create an intimate space
Alfresco dining in the sunshine and open air is hard to beat, but when it gets too hot, especially around lunchtime, you might use a bit more protection. The most natural-friendly way to give your dining space an unimposing shade is to train climber plants to make a natural roof over a wood trellis, which you can then accessorize to your taste. On the other hand, such a protective arbour can be attractive to all sorts of insects. And while fireflies, ladybugs, and butterflies are more than welcome, you can dispense with pesky mosquitoes who always seem to ruin the perfect evening. Apart from being highly decorative and romantic, citronella candles provide nice warm ambient light and keep biters at bay.
Give it a theme
Very Greek Table
When designing an outdoor area, you should use the techniques you’d use in any other room in the home. Start by giving your patio dining room a specific recurring theme, such as industrial, Mediterranean, tropical, contemporary cool, etc. When you’ve settled on a theme, you can continue to add matching decorative elements. For example, if you’ve chosen a Mediterranean theme, you might want to go for white-washed furniture, blue glazed or red clay planters, gravel flooring, a blue-print rug, and strings of white festive lights. An industrial style dining area, on the other hand, would include a thick varnished table top, Edison-style filament bulbs, and a quintessential chalkboard presenting today’s meal specials.
Look into practical flooring
An ideal flooring for an outdoor dining area should support the dining set and in some cases, the barbecue as well, so choose practical and durable surfaces that are even and smooth to prevent accidents, but easy to maintain. In an ideal scenario, your outdoor room flooring will be coordinated with your indoor flooring in style, colour, and finish for a smooth indoor-outdoor transition. For example, if your kitchen has a hardwood floor, you may consider decking the patio. If your indoor dining room has a polished concrete floor, consider a matching exposed aggregate for the outdoor dining area.
Find a perfect view
Enjoying The Sun
If you’re so lucky that you live on a hilltop, the urban development bellow will look amazing at night looking from your outdoor dining table. There are beautiful views to be found within the yard itself. If you have a lovely garden of edibles, heated pool, zen garden, or an illuminated water feature, you should orient the dining table so that you and your guests can enjoy the relaxing view while savouring the food and conversation. Maybe your house has lots of windows, and the soft interior illumination can look intriguing from a dining area set more off into the garden.
If you love alfresco dining but can’t think of any outdoor decorating ideas beyond simply choosing an outdoor dining set, perhaps a few of these design tips can work on your patio, as well.
Photo Credits
Alfresco – needpix creative commons
Very Greek Table – unsplash
Enjoying The Sun – pexels creative commons
Guest Author Bio
Lilly Miller
Lilly Miller is a Sydney-based graphic designer and a passionate writer. Loves everything about home decor, art history, and baking. Shares home with two loving dogs and a gecko named Rodney.
“Poetry creates the myth, the prose writer draws his own portrait.”
~ Jean-Paul Sartre
Blog / Website: https://smoothdecorator.com/
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