7 Ways To Dress Up Your Outdoor Entertainment Area

Not only a great way to create shade, outdoor umbrellas come in a variety of gorgeous colours and decorative patterns to add a little fiesta flavour to your garden or courtyard.  Pop one in a garden bed, weighted stand or outdoor table or let them multiply like Gremlins to create a shady statement.

A fantastic way to soak up some summer sun in your backyard, daybeds can be purchased from an outdoor furniture expert or, if you rate your DIY skills up there as Blocktastic, try one of the many daybed projects available online.  Decorate your masterpiece to your taste with cushions and throws and snooze the afternoon away.

Recover old outdoor furniture in a retro tropical pastiche or mix solid bright cushions with stripes and prints to create a comfy spot to enjoy a glass of iced tea at sunset.  If you have a sewing machine at your disposal, you can make new covers for old cushion inserts out of outdoor tablecloths, placemats or any sturdy fabric that tickles your fancy.

Get creative and plant a hanging garden on your deck.  Start a vertical herb garden, plant them in anything from soup cans to old ammo cases, your imagination is the limit.  If you’ve got mad green skills, try your hand at some hanging glass terrariums (hint: see if you can twirl them like David Bowie in Labyrinth).  Challenge yourself further by erecting an arbour or trellis, as well as making a decorative garden feature a trellis can also be an effective privacy screen.

As essential ingredient to any outdoor entertainment area is an appropriate ambient lighting theme.  There is a delicate balance between being able to see your meal and feeling like you’re in the spotlight.  Wax candles in hurricane lamps, electronic candles and citronella torches are all great portable options that can be propped anywhere outside.  Hint: turn those drab old fairy lights into magical orbs by covering them with table tennis balls from your local two-dollar shop.

Your outdoor living room doesn’t have to be a dining room.  If you don’t have the space to commit to an outdoor lounge room as well, think about compressed foam or bean-filled outdoor chairs.  Arrange them with a few colourful garden stools which double as side tables and embrace your inner maharajah.  Tip: save some bucks at the outdoor cinema this summer and take these with you instead of hiring theirs and don’t forget to pack them in the car for picnics and beach outings.

Cover up your concrete floor with some click-together wooden flooring to soften the look of your patio.  Not ready to invest in wooden flooring or like the industrial feel of concrete?  Throw down an outdoor rug in a bold mediterranean tile print, make your own by treating a trendy tablecloth with some water-based polyurethane or try your patience and your needle skills by crocheting a rug out of polypropylene rope.