Guide to Hosting Outdoor Events

Image by Kelly Sue DeConnick via flickr

Brits are quickly discovering there is more to using their gardens than planting flowers and growing vegetables. The availability of new stylish garden furniture, rain shelters, fire pits, gas BBQ’s and Texas smokers is showing us the potential of our outdoor space. In today’s blog, we explore ways to create your ideal garden space and build a perfect spot for entertaining.

Why Outdoor Entertaining is Taking Off in The UK

In bygone years, outdoor entertaining in the UK was often limited to bank holiday BBQ’s and a couple of summer drinking evenings. Slow burning charcoal, rickety garden furniture, and weather problems led to some disappointing results in the past.

With American-style BBQs, permanent shelter options, and comfortable garden furniture available, Brits are waking up the full potential of their own back garden, including:

  • Range of cooking options: As Brits explore true mouth watering BBQ food, outdoor cooking methods like gas BBQ grills, Texas smoker BBQs, and wood burning pizza ovens offer new and exciting ways to dine and entertain at home.
  • Expanding living space: Adding comfortable garden furniture and fixed shelters to your outdoor space turns a part of your garden into real-world living space. For smaller houses with limited rooms, using your garden for everyday activities helps you make the most of your property.
  • Room to entertain: Small living rooms and limited seating inside can make some people second guess having guests over for entertaining. With more flexibility to move furniture around, your garden makes the perfect spot for hosting without cramped conditions.
  • Nature: Spending time outdoors is good for our health, but we don’t need to trek out to the woods to enjoy the company of nature. The sounds of birdsong, rustle of leaves, warming heat of the sun’s rays, and enriching fresh air are all available to us on our own property.
  • Greater range of outdoor furniture options: With more garden furniture options available than ever before, creating your outdoor paradise is also cheaper than ever, with affordable options and regular sales and discounts.

Photo by  Lisa Fotios via Pexels

Opportunities to Entertain in Your Garden

There is no going back once you discover the fun of entertaining in your garden all year round. Gathering with our friends and family regularly is good for our health, and using the garden makes our space feel so much bigger. No longer stuck in the bank-holiday mindset of using your garden, you can bring people together anytime and celebrate with the people in your life for:

  • Weekend dinners
  • Football watching parties
  • Summer tea parties
  • Birthdays
  • Trying out new recipes with friends
  • Baby showers
  • Pot luck events

Image vis MS Designer

Choosing the best garden furniture for your space

Getting outside whenever you can is the first step to reclaiming your garden space. To entertain more people or host events in all weathers, quality garden furniture is the cornerstone of outdoor life.

The type of furniture you choose will vary a lot depending on your garden shape and size, but you will likely be surprised at the range of choice available. These are not your grannies’ rickety summer deck chairs. At BillyOh, we take garden furniture to the next level, where you can find:

  • Outdoor dining sets: Outdoor BBQ’s, grills smokers, and pizza ovens can create amazing dishes all year round. For the full alfresco experience, eating outdoors on a garden dining table elevates your space for you and your guests.
  • Beautiful tables with built-in fire pits: For a two-in-one experience, outdoor dinner tables let guests eat and drink in comfort with the warmth and captivating glow of a fire pit.
  • Weather-proof outdoor sofa sets: Time is limited and most people do not want to spend their weekends maintaining garden furniture. Weatherproof sofas provide a comfy alternative for seating and do not suffer from the effects of moisture or UV exposure.
  • Comfortable loungers: For truly relaxing reading and laying out on a warm day, modern loungers resemble comfortable poolside furniture for a true holiday-at-home vibe.
  • Durable and stylish rattan seating: Easy to move and clean, rattan seating quickly becoming the go-to style for comfortable garden seating.

Whether you are planning out a sprawling garden or need to find a way to entertain with small garden furniture, choosing the right material for your needs helps you make a solid investment in your garden. Some high-quality options include:

Wooden garden furniture

Affordable, sturdy, and stylish, wooden garden furniture is a classic way to style your space. Easy to paint and personalise, wood keeps the rustic charm in your garden and helps you expand your outdoor seating quickly.

Rattan style garden furniture

Real, traditional rattan is made from flexible palm stems and can be very expensive. Synthetic rattan is a long lasting, affordable alternative, and the most common rattan-style furniture found in the UK. Comfortable and lightweight, rattan style garden furniture is UV resistant and perfect to combat British weather.

Metal garden furniture

Sturdy and stylish, metal garden furniture is a durable option for lasting value and an investment in your garden for the future.

Consider Shelter for Your Outdoor Entertaining Space

When it comes to outdoor space, you have to work with the weather you have, not the weather you want. It rains a lot in England and that is not going to change. But not all rain has to make outdoor events a wash out when you add some outdoor shelter such as a:

Permanent outdoor structures also open up the option to use your garden any time you like and can feel like you added an extra room to your house. You can work, watch tv, enjoy reading spaces, and even exercise outside anytime when the rain is not an issue.

You can make your covered outdoor space even more comfortable for year round use by adding:

  • Fairy lights for a relaxing ambiance
  • Stronger flood lighting for good visibility for cooking, working, or doing crafts
  • Patio heaters and gas powered lanterns
  • Decking, tile, and other versatile flooring

Learn more: Where to Position a Flood Light?

Image via MS Designer

Exciting Ways to Cook and Entertain in Your Garden

Discovering the beauty of outdoor cooking is the secret ingredient for many people to start spending more time outside. Bringing back a wave of nostalgia, cooking with a small charcoal BBQ is still possible, but there are many more advanced ways of outdoor cooking available to us.

 

Gas BBQ’s

The smell of a charcoal BBQ brings waves of nostalgia from summers past, but they are not the right choice for every garden. A gas BBQ’s eliminates the biggest reason we don’t always want to cook outside – time. Firing up in an instant, you can churn out delicious food for guests faster than using your kitchen.

Texas smokers

Meat lovers and recipe tinkerers are in culinary heaven with smokers relying on a slow and steady process. It produces delicious food, but you don’t have to watch it cook and can enjoy relaxing with your guests at the same time.

Gas and Wood Fire Pizza Ovens

For hosting the ultimate choose your own adventure dinner party, an outdoor pizza oven is always a winner. A garden filled with the delicious Italian food scents, and no new recipes needed, hosting pizza night lets you relax and enjoy the party with everyone else.

Outdoor TV or Projector Tech

Hosting on match day or for the final episode of that new show goes next level when you can bring the TV outside with you. To avoid potential disasters, mounting your TV outdoors under cover, or using a projector against your wall can add a special element to your entertaining plans.

Outdoor bars

For the ultimate flex in garden entertaining, a garden bar structure gives your events a holiday-feeling. Easy to paint and style, create your own personal pub experience, old-west saloon, or beach style wine bar design in the comfort of your own back garden.

Relaxing Fire Pits

Gathering around a fire is one of the oldest ways of socialising throughout history. A garden fire pit is always a crowd pleaser, creating a relaxing ambiance and encouraging old-school campfire conversation.

Image via MS Designer

Challenges to Outdoor Entertaining

For many homes, creating the perfect garden space does have challenges. Sometimes you need to work with your space or prioritise the most vital pieces of the puzzle as you build your outdoor oasis. Challenges are expected with any improvement project, but planning in advance can save you a lot of time and headaches. We explore some of the most common issues people face:

Space limitations

Outdoor entertaining and beautiful garden spaces are not just for the biggest gardens around. We only need to look at the beautiful backyard courtyards of France, Italy, and Spain to see how a small space can become a welcoming and stylish place for gathering.

Budget constraints

Many of us are starting from scratch with the concept of creating our ideal garden. A slow and steady strategy is necessary for most people who don’t start with a large budget for the project. By taking advantage of savings and prioritising the most vital pieces first, you can build your garden paradise over time.

When investing in new garden BBQ’s, furniture, or buildings, consider the following:

  • Discounts: Shopping during sales events and at off peak times of the year.
  • Coupons: Signing up to receive mailings and coupons so you don’t miss an opportunity.
  • Starting with the basics: Begin with the pieces you are most excited about, like outdoor cooking or extra seating for entertaining more people.
  • Upcycling: Use what you have and infuse new life into old garden furniture.
  • Spread the word: Let people in your life know about your new project. You might be surprised how often somebody asks if you want their unwanted garden furniture or spare wood from their garage.

Unpredictable weather

The threat of bad weather does not need to throw a spanner in your outdoor plans. Working around the weather is part of living in a fertile land with natural seasons. To combat the unpredictability of British weather when planning to entertain, consider the following:

  • Look on the bright side: The British tendency to assume the weather will be bad can hold us back from living for the day. It is true that it rains a lot in Britain, but it is not always raining. If the worst case scenario is some umbrellas or returning inside, you can still enjoy the company of your friends and family, no matter the weather.
  • Install shelter: The ultimate way to enjoy your outdoor space without considering the weather, a permanent gazebo or pergola can create a whole new outdoor living space.
  • Make use of parasols and umbrellas: Shelter does not have to start with pergolas and gazebos, although these are very useful to have. Some well placed umbrellas or parasols can be more than enough to keep your BBQ rain free for a delicious dinner or get through a short shower.

Planning permission

Many folks would love to add to their garden with outdoor buildings, living space ,and storage, but fear confusion around planning permission. Despite the horror stories we hear from family and friends, planning permission rules are often very friendly towards garden buildings. After checking with their local council rules, most people find they have a lot of flexibility for new sheds, summer houses, and garden bars.

In Conclusion

Entertaining in your garden is a wonderful way to enjoy more time connecting with people and get some much needed fresh air on a regular basis. Cooking new BBQ recipes with friends, enjoying relaxing nights around a fire pit, and watching the footy under a pergola are all added benefits to turning your forgotten garden into your personal outdoor piece of paradise.

At BillyOh, we help homeowners create those special spaces. From tiny courtyards to sprawling lawns, our collections can make your garden shine.