Photography: Alana Landsberry
It’s that time of year again! Summer is coming and we’re dreaming about long, lazy days outside. Right on cue, the new outdoor furniture collections are landing in stores and we’re seeing so many outdoor entertainment area ideas. Now’s the time to gear up for backyard dining, drinking and lounging.
This year, there are so many good pieces to update your outdoor entertainment area and delightful ways to style them. The palette is a cocktail of peach and blood orange hues, mixed with fresh white and blue.
Whether you have a small patio, pool area or large dining space, it’s a pick-and-mix of alfresco ideas that will help you make the most of your time outside. We all want somewhere to sit and relax, fire up the barbie and rest between dips. We’ve got backyard ideas to cover all bases.
To help kickstart your imagination, check out Home Beautiful stylist Lucy Gough’s outdoor entertainment area ideas featuring our favourite trends from the latest drops.
Outdoor entertainment area ideas
1. Geometric curves
Rounded edges are rising to the top. Of course, circular tables have always been in but now they’re really taking centre stage. Scalloped edges and organically curved decor are also a contemporary choice, juxtaposed with sharp lines like those seen in these tree-like candles.
2. Cool stools
If you’re looking for outdoor entertaining area ideas that are casual and versatile, consider stools for outdoor dining. They allow for your group numbers to fluctuate without adding too much bulk in the way of chairs and can be moved around easily for a perch by the barbecue, pool or wherever the sun, shade and chat takes you.
3. Elevated concrete
Think smooth, cream-coloured and with an Italian sensibility like this concrete coffee table. Make it feel extra modern by pairing with the season’s latest spectrum of rust shades and sculptural decor.
4. Retro block walls
The breeze block wall, like the one in this Queensland worker’s cottage is having a revival. If you’re after outdoor entertaining area ideas to add an extra layer of privacy, this is great behind a barbecue or sitting area. Usher it into 2023 with an all-white palette paired with organic textures and shapes or a fruity punch of colour.
5. Browns, blues and blood orange
The colour forecast for the incoming seasons is warmer than usual. We’re talking a big shift away from grey towards colours with more brown undertones. So pink, lilac and beige, along with pale to rich blues. This will continue into 2024.
6. Modern meets island
Embrace the modern wave of bright shades and balance them out with natural fibres such as rattan and subtle hints of island life. Laying your table with a mix from different sets creates an eclectic, casual aesthetic that suits an informal outdoor soiree. Ensure you use similar tones and ground the look with neutral elements.
7. Bright everything
While white on white isn’t going anywhere, bright on bright is inching in. Choose a shade to match your beverage and double down in pool chairs, a parasol and matching glassware. Blood orange with Barbie pink is unexpected but bang on trend.
8. Bar carts
A bar cart makes any gathering into a party and they’re coming in hot this summer. Load them up with the latest in coloured glassware and cocktail-making necessities, accessorised with natural fibres. Coloured everything is the go, so hit the hues in coloured cutlery too.
& Boch. Swizzle sticks and cocktail shaker (far right) in Terracotta, $44.99 as part of Cocktail Essentials Kit, Sunnylife. (Photography: Alana Landsberry / Styling: Lucy Gough)
9. Casual corners
Like a nook but for outside, create moments around your backyard to encourage interaction when entertaining a big crowd (who you might need an extendable outdoor table to accommodate). Layer a blanket with cushions and casual chairs to make people want to hang around. Make it fun with clashing prints: stripes, checks, stripes and moons all work within a tight colour scheme.
10. Outdoor games
Gone are the stuffy dinner parties and in are fun times and relaxed vibes. Bocce, Finnish Throwing Game and other outdoor games are guaranteed to lighten the mood. Set them up around your backyard then sit back and watch while your guests entertain themselves.
Shop outdoor entertaining area ideas
01
Biscay Dining Package, Freedom
$2099
If you thought a concrete table and stools couldn’t be chic (and comfy), think again.
02
Royal Doulton 1815 Bright 16 Piece Set Multi, Myer
$369
A rainbow of the coolest colours in one set? Sign me up.
03
Bistro Five Gracia Outdoor Dining Chairs, Temple & Webster
$439 (set of 4)
The kind of chair you fall in love with at first sight.
04
Sorrento Acacia Wood Outdoor Dining Table, Temple and Webster
$649
Easily seats six and it’s just the right shade of wood.
05
Salt & Pepper Vera Highball Glass Set, Myer
$49.95 (set of 4)
A hint of lilac adds fun to any table setting.
06
Lila Interiors Cayman Rattan Bar Cart, Temple & Webster
$849
A rattan bar cart with wheels so you can roll it inside or out.
07
Fazeek Wave Set Coupe Set of 2 In Pink
$119 (set of 2)
Cocktail season is incoming… any excuse to buy these pretty glasses.
08
Business & Pleasure Co. The Sling Chair, The Iconic
$299.99
For lounging wherever your mood (and the sunshine) takes you.
09
Sahara Natural Placemat, Pillow Talk
$9.95
The perfect jute placemat to balance out this season’s bright tableware.
10
Maya Scalloped Pink Table Linen Range, Pillow Talk
$6.95 (napkin) / $12.95 (placemat)
The punchy colours and scalloped edges are everything.
11
Byron Palm Dinnerware in Biscuit, Pillow Talk
$4.95 (small bowl) / $8.95 (large bowl) / $19.95 (oval plate)
Dinnerware with palm trees for a taste of the tropical life.
