2020 was a heck of a year. It is a year that forced many people to stay at home for lengths previously unheard of in our modern times. It caused many of us to reconsider our interior and exterior spaces at home to maximize comfort and utility in the face of this nationwide lockdown. People across the United States learned how to work from their homes’ comfort and maximize their outdoor space for convenience and entertainment. 2020 saw an incredible surge in home improvements, renovations, and outdoor expansions. 

Both last year and now in 2021, our collective patios, gardens, porches, and yards (both front and back) have come to serve an even greater purpose than they did before. These spaces have functioned as our places of refuge, our at-home gymnasiums, and even our offices where we work from home. 

While it is hard to stay positive in the face of the global pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus, there are some dark clouds with a silver lining. These events have forced us to pursue lifestyles that are more sustainable, practical, and humble. It has taught us the value and importance of our physical and mental health and genuinely balancing work and play from home.

While it is exciting that vaccines are beginning to roll out in 2021, judging by the current state of things, our outdoor spaces will likely continue to be our primary spaces for work, family socialization, and relaxation. This article will discuss some popular new trends for those still looking to improve or expand their outdoor living space.

Creating an Outdoor Space for Year-Round Use

Considering how accustomed we have become to life at home, it is not a stretch to imagine that the majority of people will be continuing to utilize their outdoor area in the coming year. To make the most of your outdoor space, it is essential to weatherproof your furniture and equipment to be usable all year long. You can take several steps or gadgets you can invest in to make your space functional regardless of the time of year or weather conditions.

As you may have heard in the news, medical supplies and protective gear have been in short supply since the beginning of the pandemic. We have also seen shortages of certain foodstuffs and manufactured goods. Possibly the strangest (yet logical) of the many supply shortages that we faced during the fight against COVID-19 was the nationwide outdoor heater shortage. 

As the virus raged on into summer and then into fall, many of us realized our holiday gatherings would be on hiatus if we didn’t figure out how to keep a large open space warm in the dead of winter. These units are becoming available again just as we begin to leave the winter season, but the smart homeowner will invest these preemptively for the colder months ahead.

Expect more significant investment in products that make our patios, balconies, and backyards more livable in extreme temperatures. Heat lamps and fire pits are a great option to snuggle up to. There are so many types of fire pits that you can easily find a style that works well for your outdoors. Several strategically placed outdoor rugs can do a ton of heavy lifting when reducing the chill from the ground. As for the hotter months, we love retractable shade fixtures, such as umbrellas and shade sails, to repel the afternoon sun. Drop-down screens can be installed to enclose patio spaces and help fend off insects. Fans are also a huge help, whether it’s bringing an indoor fan outside for a breeze or installing a ceiling fan outdoors.

Green Thumb Gardeners

Gardening as a hobby has become dramatically more prevalent during this time of lockdown. People took to gardening to pass the time, save money on produce, and brighten their outdoor space with living plants. Gardens are an excellent investment and require less upkeep than you might think. They are fantastic to have year-round and can serve as a great educational tool for parents with children at home. 

Make sure to grow to produce in season, and you will be eating fresh and healthy all year round. Plant beets, broccoli, cabbage, kale, and other hardy veggies as soon as the soil is workable. Once you’re sure the last of winter’s frost is over, your options widen. Lettuce, radishes, carrots, and string beans are all easy to grow outside of winter. By spring, it’s time to turn over those veggie boxes with our favorites: melons, tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash for some of the best outdoor meals you’ve ever made.

Composting and Self-Sustaining Gardens: Composting is a hot topic right now, and the availability of community composting programs awareness and participation has increased. Composting helps reduce landfill waste and helps decrease the amount of trash sent to landfills by 80 percent. Composting creates a “superfood” for your garden and can help your plants sustain themselves. The best part of composting is that it’s free and efficient.  People and communities that compost will rise as sustainability become a greater priority across the globe.

Some scientists believe that a collective increase in at-home gardening across the globe will have small yet noticeable benefits to the environment. Gardens can play a small role within the greater scope of the climate but counted together, every outdoor space in the urban environment can cumulatively make significant strides. That means property owners and renters can make environmentally responsible choices in the process of conceiving and constructing their gardens.

Some of his best tips for cultivating a sustainable garden include setting up a drip irrigation system with a rain sensor to water your plants, avoiding using toxic materials and chemicals to help your plants grow, covering bare soil with green mulch, opting for a diversity of plant species, and going with perennials over annuals when possible. Sustain wildlife and maintain a habitat-friendly garden for birds and pollinators.

Residential Gardens for City Folk: Creating a dynamic outdoor space doesn’t have to be limited by your lack of square footage — it just requires a bit more forethought. Gardening on balconies can do wonders for our mental health, as well as give us a new (and manageable) hobby in 2021. Taking advantage of outside walls is a beautiful way to inject color into space with more plants—or even a nature-inspired mural. Editing is the key in all good design, and allowing one or two areas to be unused can make a small city garden appear larger. Strategize where to place pops of color to make the most of your small but mighty space.

When selecting plants for city growth, try to incorporate native plants into your garden. Native plants are best because they provide benefits for regional birds and insects. They are often more suited to the local soils and temperatures than ornamental plants you can order online.

Party in the Front

While the backyard has been a fabulous place to relax, unwind, find peace of mind, discover a new hobby, we’re now looking to our front yards to be a warm and inviting space to entertain friends, family, and neighbors as we slowly return to normalcy. There’s still a long road ahead before we can welcome all our loved ones inside for dinner parties and happy hours, and the front yard is a beautiful place to set a long table, socially distance, and converse with long lost nearby neighbors.

This season is an excellent chance to upgrade or invest in some nice furniture for the front, such as a porch swing or a table set. A collection of socially distanced chairs and tables make for a great start to a community gathering. Make sure to factor in outdoor lighting so that everyone is well lit into the evening. String lights are a magical element you can implement here.

Seamlessly Transition from Indoors to Outside

If you fancy yourself as a design or gardening enthusiast, then you have likely heard of the term “biophilic design.” This concept is used to increase one’s connectivity to nature through architecture. As most of us have been doing almost everything at home for over a year, creating a natural flow between indoors and out will not only maximize your home’s space but will also give you a much-needed mental break.

To achieve the feeling of a seamless transition from the inside of your home to the outside, arrange the furniture as if the outside and indoor areas were the same room. By treating both spaces as one room, you take the outside in and make the entire space more usable. Another way to create a marriage between indoors and out is to use the same flooring and fabrics in both locations. Outdoor fabrics are phenomenal for a comfortable indoor living; plus, they protect from messy pets and kids.

The millennial generation is the largest American generation, with over 80 million people spread across the United States. While this group often takes flak from the Boomer generation for moving at a different pace than they did, current statistics show that this trend is shifting. The eldest of the millennial horde are finally reaching a place in age and financial security to consider buying a home. For most millennials under 40, this is or will be their first time purchasing a home.

The generation before millennials could purchase a home with a high school diploma and minimum wage job. On the other hand, most millennials see homeownership as a pipedream, despite being significantly more educated than their predecessors. As it now stands, millennials currently out-earn any other generation. This higher education and more significant wealth accumulation channel this generation’s spending power into investing in homes and making them comfortable, including expanding patio backyards.

This surge in home purchases, combined with a global pandemic that forces people to spend more time at home than ever, has caused a massive increase in demand for home decor and furnishings for inside and outdoors. This article will explore what home decor trends are most popular amongst the millennial homebuying crowd in 2021.

The Industry is Growing with the Demand

Demand for outdoor furniture in the United States, such as grills and accessories, is expected to drive the industry to $9.1 billion by 2019. Now, more than ever, consumers can do online research to ensure they’re buying the best outdoor furniture. Additionally, people are spending more disposable income to create these outdoor living spaces.

Reports show millennials are the fastest-growing segment; this growth is encouraged because this age group is beginning to build families and homes. In 2014, millennials accounted for 37% of outdoor furniture sales. They are redefining how they relate to the space around them, both indoors and outdoors.

Millennial Minimalism – Less is More

This generation has a fond affinity for minimalist designs and aesthetics. They are asking for their homes to be comfortable, visual, and functional. Consumers aim for the most decorative bang in their minimalist-decorated dwellings, looking for statement pieces that can virtually stand on their own. Maybe Marie Kondo is to blame for encouraging us to transform our lives by tidying up our spaces. 

Perhaps we grew up watching futuristic cartoons that made technology and minimalism seem very appealing and progressive. Whoever is to blame, we know that minimalist designs are popular amongst millennials and that home decor purchases match this trend. With new ideas about how people relate to their space and emphasizing the room’s architectural elements, minimalist decor and furniture have seen a surge in popularity in the United States and worldwide. 

Merchants who supply modern minimalist designs show a higher sell-through rate than merchants who carry more traditional or antique style decor. The benefit is that most modern minimalist decor is relatively inexpensive and easy to produce en masse. These stylistic preferences hold for indoor spaces as well as outdoor patios and backyards. Sleek, functional, and minimally designed furniture and appliances are all the rage in outdoor home decor.

Multi-functional Furniture and Appliances

Not only is the millennial generation a fan of the minimalist mentality, but they are also all about practicality in their products. Millennials are more likely to invest in products that serve more than one purpose; the classic “bang for you buck” mentality. This logic seems doubly right for outdoor furniture and decor, which resulted from people stuck at home because of the pandemic and have exploded in sales over the last year.

When looking for outdoor furniture and appliances that serve several purposes, the bar for what constitutes “multi-functional” is relatively low. This tech-savvy generation is not looking for a refrigerator that can tweet and play Skyrim. They are looking for something more along the lines of a barbecue that is also a smoker, or a fire table, which is a fancy way of saying a “coffee table with a built-in fireplace.” Fire pits are also a great multi-functional accessory, as they provide a place to gather, a source for heat, the perfect setting for a ghost story, and the best way to cook a s’more. 

Environmentally Friendly Furniture

Millennials as a group are more conscious of the planet and the current climate crisis. Millennial consumers factor their carbon footprint into the decision-making process when buying outdoor furniture, and they love a product marketed as being friendly to the environment. They consider how the piece is made and what will become of the work once discarded. According to a recent Furniture Today survey, 70% of people said they would be willing to spend more on outdoor furniture if environmentally friendly materials and processes the manufacturer uses.

When looking for your next environmentally friendly piece of outdoor furniture, focus on the materials and processes used in manufacturing. Responsibly sourced woods and metals are what you are looking for. Woods such as bamboo, oak, mahogany, maple, and pine are l incredibly sustainable and affordable. Avoid purchasing wood furniture made of teak, wenge, Merbau, or ebony, as these are all rare, expensive, and endangered. Bonus points if you can find a piece made of reclaimed or recycled wood materials from lumber yards and salvage. Metal furniture made from steel or aluminum is ideal for its weather-resistance and because it is affordable and recyclable. You can also find some companies that offer outdoor decor and accessories made from recycled fabrics. 

Grilling Gadgets, Gear, and Gizmos

One trend that seems to transcend generations is the love of the grill and grilling products. However, with millennials, the passion for good food and fine dining at home is taken to a whole other level. This generation of people who grew up watching cooking competition shows like significant sporting events. With chefs becoming celebrities, affordable kitchen gadgets, and the explosion of Instagram food pictures, it’s no wonder we have a generation of talented home chefs and bakers. 

Buying trends over the last few years indicate an increase in popularity in the grill and barbecue space and for smokers, pizza ovens or stones, fire pits, flat-top grills, re-circulators (for sous-vide), and Mongolian BBQ grills. All of these can be installed in your backyard or outdoor kitchen to improve your outdoor cooking game. That said, not all millennials are food-fanatics. A large part of the generation will be more than satisfied with a more straightforward all-in-one barbecue grill and all that it can do. You get bonus points for getting a mobile unit and has wheels so you can transport it as you see fit. 

Bringing the Indoors Outside

Arguably the most popular new trend in outdoor decor is the concept of bringing the full feel of an indoor room to your outdoor space. This aim can be accomplished by assembling a collection of outdoor furniture such as chairs and couches alongside durable outdoor rugs, tables, and comfortable throw pillows and blankets. Ceramic lamps are often used for their durability to bring light to an outdoor room so that you and your family can enjoy the outside into the night.

A variation of this popular trend from 2020 that is carrying into 2021 is the outdoor kitchen. Millennials are building kitchens outdoors to really up their outdoor cooking game. These outdoor kitchens can be simple builds that feature a grill and a stove, while others can be as loaded or more so than the indoor kitchen. Refrigerators, beer taps, pizza ovens, smokers, microwaves, dishwashing machines, and more can be installed in an outdoor kitchen. Don’t forget to install and fully stock the bar, and you are set for any party or gathering.

No outdoor kitchen, bar, or space is complete without a television. Televisions specifically built for outdoor exposure are available for the discerning customer. The millennial generation is famous for binge-watching television shows, and I don’t think being outdoors will stop that. Speakers, audio systems, smart speakers, and other gadgets can be installed on your patio for the ultimate in outdoor comfort.

People want the green look, feel, and texture of plants without the hassle and maintenance worries. Artificial plants give it to them. The Millennials are massive travelers and don’t want to worry about watering them or having space without great lighting. Artificial plants always look perfect and have that feel of foliage.

The Season of Change

Spring is the time of year where the most considerable portion of customers chooses to refresh their living spaces. Maybe it’s the “spring-cleaning” bug that does it, but nearly one-fourth of people do upgrades during this time of year. Millennials are no exception. If you are a patio furniture retailer trying to capitalize on this generation and its trends, you still have some time to get up to speed with your product offerings. 

Whether you are in a hotter climate or a classic winter, you can find ways to make your outdoor patio space feel just as festive as the indoors.

As Thanksgiving approaches, our thoughts turn to the upcoming holiday season — and immediately after Turkey Day the world shifts from warm-toned, orange hues to the classic reds, greens, and sparkle that indicates the Christmas season is upon us. Most Christmas decor is focused on the indoors; staircases, mantlepieces, etc. 

Why not spruce up your outdoors with a little spruce tree, create an outdoor patio as cozy as a living room with a roaring fireplace, and decked out a Christmas tree? We’ve compiled a list of design ideas to help get you started on your journey to a winter wonderland regardless of the weather!

Stick to a Traditional Christmas Color Scheme

When piecing together the plan for your great outdoors, stick to the traditional color scheme of red, green, and white. Add in your favored metallic (gold or silver) in accents to complete the look. It might be time to retire your summer accessories and get fresh cushions for your chairs, lounge furniture, and sofas, and swap out those throw pillows. 

Do not be afraid to go bold. It is the holidays, after all! Go for a red couch cushion and compliment the couch with a textured white pillow that is reminiscent of snowflakes and the magic of the season. Throw in a couple of green checkered or woven pillows to tie in the traditional look of the season. Grab an outdoor rug that helps make the colors pop, add a plaid throw blanket into the mix, and suddenly your outdoor seating is as cozy as the couch inside in front of the roaring fireplace.

Don’t Forget the Twinkle Lights

A staple in Christmas decor is the classic twinkle light. Not to be confused with the colorful Christmas lights put up on the front of houses, the twinkle light is more delicate, evoking the magic of a starry night in the dead of winter. Here at All American Outdoor Living, we can’t get enough of festive twinkle lights.

Get creative with where to hang the lights — wrap them around the base of your umbrella stand, for starters. But don’t stop there. Any support beams or columns on your patio are primed for twinkle lights. If you have an awning, line the edge of the awning with the lights. Hang them across the entire outdoor space, back and forth, creating a veritable night sky specific to your own backyard. (Think bistro lights but much smaller and much prettier.) Do the same underneath your umbrella and have a delightful mini sky. You could also take the twinkle lights one step further and add them to your garden. 

Decorate Your Garden

Add twinkle lights throughout your garden, lining trees with them, weaving them through bushes and hedges, even laying them in the flower beds to create a sense of wonderment. And do not stop at just the lights — turn your garden, whether planted or potted, into replicas of your Christmas tree. Deck the garden with ornaments, tinsel, and tree toppers. If you have a lawn, find some Christmas gnomes and elves that can be sprinkled throughout the space.

If you live in a warmer climate and want to replicate the feeling of a white Christmas, go ahead and use a biodegradable flocking on your bushes and hedges. Treat your entire garden as if it is a Christmas tree. Whatever you put on your Christmas tree inside, try it outside in your new Christmas garden.

Have fun with turning your garden into a Christmas wonderland. If all you have are cacti to work with, treat them like a tree! Wrap lights around them, hang ornaments off of the needles and toss some tinsel over everything.

Bring All the Christmas Plants Outside

After turning your garden into a flatter, wider Christmas tree, go ahead and get some potted Christmas trees to accent your patio space. You can treat them the way you would any Christmas tree and decorate them until they are overflowing with Christmas spirit, or you can just leave them to be beautiful and bare, creating a verdant Christmas forest in your garden. 

And you cannot forget to include the other Christmas classics! Poinsettia makes a beautiful, bright red, cheery accent to any space that adds that holiday pizazz. Little bushes of holly here and there add that extra ambiance and detail that makes space feel cohesively like Christmas. For an extra fun touch of romance, hang mistletoe any place that you can think of. Under the umbrella, any awnings or overhangs, and above any tucked away alcoves found in the garden. Make sure to include lighting so that no one misses their chance!

Add More Warmth with Lanterns and Candles

Get moody with your use of candles outside to increase holiday cheer and atmosphere. Grab some lanterns of varying sizes and fill them with electric wax candles. Some of the candles available today have realistic-looking wicks and timer settings so that they automatically turn on at the same time every evening. Set them up on all the tables and counters, as well as on the ground around the patio. 

Mix and match the lanterns around the space, using odd numbers in each cluster to create balance. You can never have too many lights, so do not be afraid of overdoing it. Allow for the lanterns to create enough warm light that your outdoor space is filled without turning the outdoor lights on. With the candles in lanterns and twinkle lights hung throughout your patio and garden, space will take on an otherworldly Christmas charm akin to what you see in films.

Create a Christmas Tablescape to Rival Your Dining Room

Do not hesitate to outdo your indoor dining room here. Imagine a deep, dark wooden table such as the Farmhouse Dining Table, with garlands of deep green fir offset by red berries and candles flickering. Or even mixing in the twinkle lights through the garland. Golden or silver charger plates can simultaneously blend into the scenery and help a festive red or green plate pop against the dark wood. Allow your imagination to run away with you. The safe-for-outdoors melamine dinner and drinkware available today has reached new decorative heights; to the point that you are guaranteed to find something that meets your tastes and sophistication. 

Have Christmas Themed Treats Ready to Go

Not all Christmas treats are equal! At All American Outdoor Living, we can’t get enough of treats with a holiday twist. As the outdoor and patio experts, we brought you our favorite outdoor treats with a Halloween twist and now we are bringing you our top convenient outdoor treats made for the perfect holiday season. And having them prepped for popping out at a moment’s notice can be as easy as one, two, three.

The easiest and most reminiscent of Christmas is the chestnut. Grab some chestnuts from the store to have on hand, and whenever you feel like living the classic song, throw some in a cast iron pan and pop it onto your grill or fire pit (if you are extremely bold!). About ten minutes later and you have delicious, buttery, roasted chestnuts.

An outdoor staple in the world of treats is the S’more, which also happens to have the longest shelf-life; ideal when you want something easy to pull out of the pantry and throw together. But here we add in something slightly different — peppermint bark. Instead of the traditional Hershey’s bar, we take a chunk of dark chocolate or white chocolate peppermint bark and complete our peppermint s’ more in true Christmas fashion.

Another quick and jolly option is the hot chocolate ball. Coming in flavors rich in holiday spirits such as caramel and peppermint, there can be a variety on hand to satisfy everyone’s desires. Just throw a kettle on with milk, pour it over the ball in a mug, and watch the mini marshmallows appear in the perfect cup of hot chocolate. Fun, fast, and effortless! Our favorite variation on the hot chocolate ball is to heat eggnog instead of regular milk, amplifying the cozy Christmas factor.

The Pièce De Résistance for the Perfect Outdoor Christmas: The Fire Pit 

Add an outdoor fire pit to your seating area to take your patio to the next and final level for the perfect outdoor Christmas. With your upgraded and holiday focused cushions and seating, the fire pit takes the place of the indoor fireplace, elevating your newly decorated wonderland garden and patio into the new living room. It becomes the gathering point for family and friends, to warm themselves while enjoying each other’s company.

There is nothing cozier than a night spent enjoying your outdoor furniture, under the twinkly lights, and surrounded by warm candlelight, with a peppermint hot chocolate in hand, the smell of freshly roasted chestnuts hovering in the air, chatting with loved ones around an open fire.

The holidays are once again fast approaching and it’s time to start making your holiday preparations. Considering the majority of Americans have spent the better part of this year in quarantine, the holidays feel more necessary and important more than ever before. Never has there been a greater need for an uplifting season of spirit and holiday magic across our nation. Even though the weather is beginning to cool down, there is no reason to stop enjoying your outdoor patio space. Typically, we would plan to gather with lots of family and friends for a big meal at the end of this month, but with the recent resurgence of coronavirus cases, many American families are looking for alternative ways to celebrate safely.

While it may be tempting and difficult to not visit your loved ones this Thanksgiving, consider the health and safety of your loved ones and others. Maybe this is the year that you try something completely different, such as an outdoor Thanksgiving feast, and maybe in doing so, you’ll find some new fun traditions you can add to your yearly celebrations.

Here at All American Outdoor Living, we have a few ideas you can use to change up your holiday plans and still make this a memorable holiday season. Let’s take a look at how you can throw a holiday patio party to rival the greatest of Thanksgiving meals.

Upgrade Your Patio Furniture to Accommodate a Crowd

Most patios are furnished to accommodate the regular use of your family, which generally speaking, is fewer people than your average Thanksgiving meal celebration. If you decide to throw an outdoor patio party for Thanksgiving, you’ll need to consider upgrading your furniture selection to accommodate a larger crowd of people. This applies not only to your outdoor dining table for seating, but also to your lounge areas and social spots.

We have a wide selection of furniture pieces that are perfect for hosting large outdoor patio parties. First, you’ll want to make sure your guests have a comfortable space to socialize, conversate, and eat appetizers before the big meal. Our Edge 5-Piece Sectional is a great and durable piece for larger groups. It can seat five comfortably and adds a really classy and comfortable option to your patio.

If you are looking for something a little smaller or more portable, consider getting a handful of these Parc Rocking Chairs to strategically arrange around your yard. These are affordable, fit with most modern designs, and can be moved in and out of storage easily. These chairs are best accompanied by outdoor end tables on which your guests can set down their drinks or appetizer plates. We have a large selection of end tables and coffee tables to fit most designs.

Next, you’ll need to consider where your guests are going to sit for the actual meal. A large outdoor patio dining table with plenty of seating is just the ticket you need this year. Our Amalfi Dining Table is a beautiful and classy choice for larger groups and is made of gorgeous Indonesian teak wood. This all-around table is a great choice for small to medium-sized groups. If your quarantine pod is a little larger, you might need a bigger table to accommodate the extra bodies.

Consider our Hyannis Extension Dining Table which is features fold-away leaves that allow you to expand your table size as needed. Also made of beautiful Indonesian teak wood, this table is versatile and functional. It also comes with optional Sunbrella fabrics for the chairs.

Accessorize and Plan for Your Guest’s Comfort

The accessories you choose for your outdoor space will make or break your Thanksgiving patio party. If you’re looking to host the perfect evening, you’ll want to consider everything from the point of view of your guest. Consider the weather, the temperature, the lighting, and just how these things affect your guest’s comfort and enjoyment.

Plan for the Possibility of Bad Weather

Due to the nature of this season, inclement weather is always a possibility. It may be a smaller or larger factor depending on where you live in the United States, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Patio space heaters are a great option to fend off the impending chill of the autumn evenings. You can always purchase a fancy outdoor space heater, similar to those you might find out at a restaurant, but an indoor space heater plugged into an extension cable and run outside can also do the trick for smaller yards.

If you are worried about rain, hail, or snow, consider an outdoor patio umbrella. Our collection of Cantilevered Umbrellas offer sleek and stylish protection from the elements. They come in a wide variety of colors, sizes, and finishes, allowing you to customize to your heart’s content. These are a great investment for your patio all year round, especially the Summer months.

If your outdoor space doesn’t have room for an umbrella or has an exposed area that could use some extra coverage, consider installing some outdoor blinds. If you experience windy nights as the temperature drops, consider strategically installing outdoor blinds to drastically reduce airflow and windchill. Outdoor blinds can also assist in protecting your outdoor furniture from rain, hail, and snow.  All American Outdoor Living offers custom outdoor blind solutions. Featuring magnetic locks, guided tracks, and the ability to roll up and disappear, these blinds are second to none. Outdoor blinds are also seen as a valuable investment as they can increase the value of your home. Alternatively, a cheap set of patio curtains can help block wind or rain. It can also make it easier to heat your patio on a cold evening.

Provide Proper Lighting

You’ll want to plan for proper lighting in all spaces of your yard throughout the evening. If the group moves around your space, make sure everything is evenly lit. While most lamps that can be used indoors can also be used outdoors, that doesn’t mean they are suited for the long-term outdoor use. If you are looking for an all-around solution to light a large space, look for ceramic lights. These lights are built with a durable exterior that is heavy enough to withstand heavy winds and light rain.

String lights continue to be a popular choice as they are affordable and add amazing ambiance to almost any space. Consider adding string lights as accents to some of the poorly lit areas of your outdoor patio.

If you’re looking for a more rustic approach and have the space for it, consider installing an outdoor fire pit for your event. We have a wide variety of fire pits, ranging from decorative showpieces to functional gathering pits that are perfecting for roasting s’ mores or chestnuts. We offer a wide array of outdoor fire pits including marble, slate, cast aluminum, and concrete outdoor fire pit styles. All fire pits are available with natural gas, propane, or ethanol types to complement any outdoor patio furniture sets.

Our line of fire tables is also a great choice if you are set on a pit but your outdoor space is limited.

Provide Ambiance for the Meal

As your guests mingle about your party, they are likely to chat with each other over cocktails or appetizers as they await the main course. You can add a whole new level of ambiance to your patio party by layering in some background music to fill in the spaces between conversations. An outdoor speaker is a great solution to elevating your party. High-quality Bluetooth speakers can be installed all over your yard for synchronized audio playback, but if you’re looking for a simpler and more affordable solution, consider the outdoor speakers by Escape. These portable speakers provide a rich sound and elegant design that truly elevates your outdoor space.

Create a Thanksgiving Tablescape for Outdoor Dining

What is a Thanksgiving meal without a proper centerpiece or tablescape? While not directly related to the food part of the meal, a fall-themed tablescape can really bring ambiance to your patio party. Adding elements of nature can really tie the whole outdoor meal theme together.

As part of your tablescape preparations, consider the types of flatware and dinnerware you will use. Avoid using paper plates or lightweight plates that might fly away in the wind. If you will have lots of children at your patio party, you may want to use durable dinnerware that can survive a fall or spill. This is doubly true if your outdoor space features lots of concrete or stone fixtures.

If you are looking to get crafty with your tablescape and centerpiece, consider making your own using elements from your local craft store. Cornucopias are always a classic hit, but maybe you are in the mood for a fall-themed wreath to hang on the door? There are so many options for sprucing up your dinner table, so focus on the ones that are fun and inviting to friends and family.