4 Tips for Outdoor Entertaining at Your California Home

One of the main advantages of having a beautiful outdoor living space in California is the opportunity to host your friends and family for an afternoon or evening of fun. If you look after your yard and have a good hosting space, then the possibilities are endless for you when it comes to using your outdoor space to forge stronger relationships with the people you love. That being said, you might be feeling a little bit short of ideas when it comes to hosting people. Don’t worry, stick with this article, and we’ll get you up to speed along with the more than 40% of Californian homeowners who used their outdoor space for entertaining in 2017.

1. Spruce Up Your Outdoor Space

Before you host anyone, you need to make sure that your outdoor living space looks perfect. You can do this by decorating the hosting area with plants, adding statues or fountains, or just giving the decking or fence a lick of paint. You won’t regret touching up the paint job in the yard, as, according to Forbes, you can expect a good paint job to last for up to 15 years. Before you decide to host an event in your yard, take a look around and make a note of the things that you want to spruce up.

Think about adding some color to your hosting area too. This can come in the form of colorful centerpieces for the table, linens for dining areas, or even the addition of a fire pit can add a zing to the area that your guests will love. Don’t be afraid to get creative when you’re coming up with ideas. See what works, and discard what doesn’t.

2. Mood Lighting

Lighting can bring your yard to life. A few lights strategically placed can add a touch of magic to your outdoor space that is difficult to replicate with other things. We’d recommend installing smart light bulbs that you can control from your phone. That way, you can pick the lighting that best suits the occasion that you’re hosting. You can also use smart bulbs to wow your friends as you host your own light show in the backyard. Pretty cool, right?

If you want more static lighting, then you have options there too. Solar-charged lights that can slot straight into your grass on stakes also make a great option for lighting walkways and patios. Your lighting choices are up to you, but just make sure that they help to highlight the best parts of your yard. Your guests will notice if you do.

3. Consider Hiring Catering Staff

If you’re hosting an event for lots of people, then how about hiring some catering staff to help keep everybody fed and watered? Hiring staff can be a great way to keep your stress levels low and ensure that you can enjoy the function that you’re hosting. It might be an outlay in terms of cost, but it will make for a more memorable event. If you’re going to do this though, you need to be caught up on labor laws in California. If the staff work more than eight hours in one day or 40 hours in one week, then you’ll need to make sure that they’re getting overtime pay.

4. Your Yard is Part of Your Castle

Making your outdoor living space a place for functions doesn’t have to be hard. As you can see, there are just a few tweaks that you can make to your yard to turn it into the most magical place for hosting any number of family and friends. If your yard isn’t ready, don’t rush the process. Just make sure that you’re working in the right direction to get your yard set up for hosting. You’ll be throwing soirées before you know it.