Welcoming guests into your garden isn’t just about enjoying the outdoors. It’s about creating a seamless extension of your home where comfort and style meet under the open sky. Creating the right space for this is a delicate balancing act that involves anticipating how people will feel and what they will desire.
In this guide to transforming your backyard into an inviting lounge area for alfresco entertaining, we will look at how different furniture and activities can conjure different atmospheres, and how you can change this with the simple change of a layout or addition of furniture. With our guide, you can transform your garden into the ultimate destination for enjoying the indoors, outdoors.
Must-Haves for Lounging
Imagine crafting a cosy corner in your garden where friends and family can gather in comfort and enjoy each other’s company without the constraints of walls. Our range of garden furniture includes pieces designed for both style and practicality. Most of our garden furniture features outdoor cushions packed with thick 8cm foam and double-piped to retain their shape, perfect for endless summer nights. When not in use, these cushions can be easily stored away to protect them from the elements.
Our lounge sets include a matching table with these comfortable seats, creating a relaxed atmosphere centred around conversation and leisure. In contrast, our dining sets feature a higher table for serving snacks and drinks, making it the heart of the party. If you’re undecided, our versatile high/low tables can adjust from a lounge to a dining height, offering the best of both worlds. Additionally, our corner sets can accommodate up to seven people on the sofa, with room for more when you add matching benches and stools.
Layout is key to alfresco entertaining, as you need to create the right conditions with comfort and convenience. One popular layout is a lounge set flanked by a few side tables. This setup ensures guests have their drinks within easy reach and provides a dedicated space for essentials like bottles, openers, and cocktail ingredients. With a drinks table for a garden party, you ensure guests feel at ease, fostering a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
There is no one, single perfect layout for your outdoor lounge area, but a plethora of layouts and some will suit your needs and desires better than others. So try out different layouts, and soon your garden will become the perfect haven for getting together with friends and family, basking in the warm glow of the sun and flanked by blue skies and green grass.
Possibilities for Outdoor Cooking
If you are planning on having guests around for the evening, then, you’ll need to offer them food that will captivate their tastebuds. But if you’re preparing food indoors, you won’t be able to entertain or cater for your guests as readily. What you need in this instance is an outdoor kitchen setup, which allows you to cook and entertain simultaneously without ever having to leave the party and, thanks to Kettler, it does not have to break the bank.
Our range includes BBQs and pizza ovens from the Everdure line by Michelin Star chef Heston Blumenthal and Danish brand Cozze respectively, giving you an assurance of quality that goes beyond the typical grill. Not just for pizzas, our pizza ovens are also perfect for grilling steaks, fish, and vegetables, providing the added allure of an open flame chamber. For more casual fare, our Plancha grills are ideal for grilling meats, eggs, and fish.
As for what to eat the food off of, paper plates and cutlery are not going to cut it. Don’t save your fine tableware for inside dining only. The beauty of alfresco dining is being able to enjoy the same experience of indoor dining complimented by the scenic backdrop. Try mixing and matching your favourite pieces of tableware to create a colourful and eclectic dining arrangement.
Options for Outdoor Shelter
So, you’ve taken care of seating and the food, and your guests are suitably comfortable and winding down from a great time spent in your garden. However, as we all know, the British weather can be fickle and unpredictable, capable of drenching your guests and furniture in a sudden downpour or leaving them chilly as the temperature drops. Happily, numerous outdoor pergolas are available to ensure your guests remain comfortable, and a plethora of outdoor heating options to counteract the evening chill.
As we’ve learnt from our Danish friends at Cozze, Scandinavian countries embrace outdoor dining even in the coldest of months. This is close to what they call “hygge”, which is a particular unpinnable level of comfort that contrasts with the harshness of winter, making you feel like you’re protected in your own little world. For more information on achieving hygge, read our guide to creating the feeling in your outdoor space.
Rather than huddling together like penguins, consider our outdoor heating equipment which offers warmth, light and style all at once, making for the perfect centrepiece for your alfresco experience. Available in various sizes and styles, including wall-mounted and free-standing options, these heaters can be seamlessly integrated into your patio setup. For a chic touch, consider our pendant heaters in sleek stainless steel or wicker, perfect for hanging over the centre table. Each product is crafted from durable materials designed to withstand harsh weather, ensuring they continue to provide warmth and comfort year after year.
For a more natural warmth, our guide to entertaining with fire pit tables offers insights on how to incorporate an open flame into your alfresco experience, enriching those chilly evenings with both warmth and ambient light. Not even the unpredictable British weather can hold you back from giving you and your guests the finest, most comforting and memorable alfresco experience.
And when the sun is back out, our range of panalsol pergolas gives your outdoor space a cutting-edge structure that puts a roof over your head. No longer will you need to shield your eyes with your hand all day; now, you can modulate sunlight with the adjustable winders, and at night, the LED lights create an atmosphere of being under the starry night sky even on the cloudiest of nights.
Create an Enriching Garden Space with Kettler
At Kettler, we strive to provide versatile and high-quality furniture that can be the catalyst for memories that will live on in family folklore and photo albums alike. Our commitment to quality has been the fire that lights us since the 1960s, and our team is dedicated to helping you choose the ideal garden furniture and accessories for you. Reach out to us with any questions, and let us help you make your outdoor space somewhere for those unforgettable moments.
