Tips to turn outdoor space into a dream dining area

The spring is here and that means one thing – alfresco wining and dining! The good news is that you don’t have to have a sizeable garden or huge decking area to enjoy eating, drinking and socialising under the stars. On the contrary, virtually any outdoor space can be transformed into a dining haven.

Whether you’re in a city or country dwelling, check out the following tips on turning outdoor space into a dream dining area.

Install practical and stylish outdoor flooring

All external dining space requires suitable flooring so it can support outdoor furniture. Decking is a great option for such space, providing a robust and stylish surface to house the table and chairs. Paving tiles can also be the perfect solution. Aim to mimic the look of your indoor flooring to create the ideal indoor and outdoor blend.

Think about outdoor storage

If your garden is doubling up as an outdoor kitchen, it will ideally need some external storage. Having somewhere safe, dry, and aesthetically pleasing to store the likes of utensils, table clothes, tea towels and more, will make life significantly easier when preparing outdoor meals.

Bring out an exterior rug, cushions and throws

Just because you’re eating and socialising outside doesn’t mean you have to forgo cosy fabrics like cushions, rugs and throws. Soft furnishing will inevitably make your outdoor dining area more homely and inviting. Placing throws on outdoor seating will also mean you’ll be able to stay outside for longer when the evening chill ascends on your garden.

It could be a good idea to opt for soft furnishings that are waterproof in case there’s an impromptu downpour and you don’t have chance to put everything away!

Is there room for cooking?

If you really want to go to town on exterior dining and have sufficient room, you may want to introduce cooking facilities into your outdoor kitchen.

Outdoor cooking stations can range from everything from BBQs to pizza ovens, iron fire bowls to multi-fuel ovens.

Strike up a parasol

It’s safe to say, with the unpredictable British summers, alfresco dining can get pretty chilly one day, too hot the next, and painfully wet on another day.

Prepare your outdoor dining area for any climatical eventually by installing a quality parasol over the dining table. There is a large range of garden parasols to choose from to provide some much-needed shade and shelter from exposed outdoor areas and terraces.