How To Design The Ultimate Outdoor Entertainment Area featured image

How To Design The Ultimate Outdoor Entertainment Area? So, you’re sitting on a camping chair in your backyard along with a few friends, and your little chill section is looking kind of dull these days. It dawns on you that your current ‘entertainment area’ isn’t much of an entertainment area. It’s no place to receive guests or host gatherings. Now, what should we do about it?

Achieving a great outdoor entertainment area is a common goal for many homeowners. Whether you want to relax outside by yourself, with family, or maybe like a place to enjoy an afternoon barbeque with friends, having a beautiful entertainment area is a great idea.

Everyone’s space is different, but it doesn’t matter what setup you currently live in. Maybe you have a backyard filled with nothing but patchy grass and a few concrete slabs that once made a pathway? Or perhaps a patio that’s looking a bit rough around the edges? Not to worry, with a bit of thought, planning, and time, you can transform your outside section into your favorite spot to be.

Here’s how you can design the ultimate outdoor entertainment area for your home.

Plan Your Layout

Knowing what sort of floor plan you’ll have for your outdoor entertainment area is key to making it suitable. What you don’t want is to freestyle your design in your head and empty your wallet, only to find out that you’ve cramped up the area or that the final result isn’t quite what you had in mind.

Before doing anything, you should determine the layout of your new entertainment area. Of course, you want to ensure that you’re effectively utilizing what space you have available.

You could do this the old-fashioned way by measuring, drawing, and planning everything by hand. This will give it a more personal feel if that’s important to you. Another option is to hire a professional designer to help bring your plans to life, which is excellent if you feel your design skills are lacking, although it’ll add extra expense. Fortunately, if neither of these options sounds appealing to you, technology has your back!

You can use software to develop the perfect design for your outdoor entertainment area. Landscape design software enables you to produce and visualize awesome designs before building anything. It’s easy, and you can keep the personal touch while letting the software handle the heavy lifting.

Read more: Tips For Insulating Your Home On A Budget

Consider The Function Of Your Entertainment Area

This is an essential and often overlooked question when designing an entertainment area. What activity do you want to enable inside that area? Will it be a place to sit around with guests? Maybe you want to host game nights? An outdoor grill or barbeque? The list goes on.

Naturally, the purpose of an entertainment area is to entertain people. Still, you probably want to be able to enjoy it on your own too.

You might consider including some extra functions if there is still spare space. For example, a play area is an excellent addition to your entertainment room. It’s a great way to keep the kids happily busy while you watch your show or do something else. Go for commercial-grade playground equipment for safe and fun playtime. There are tons of play equipment to choose from, including spring bouncers and log tunnels to balance beams and hideouts. You may also want to add a dartboard for playing an odd game here and there. Or you may consider adding a foosball table, where you can hang out with friends and family.

Functionality is part of what makes your space unique. Think about what you can do to personalize your entertainment area truly.

Set The Ambiance With Some Mood Lighting

Time indeed flies when you’re living the moment. Often, these times end up lasting late into the night, especially when it’s a beautiful summer’s day. For times like these, outdoor lighting is vital.

Luckily, outdoor lights don’t have to be something that breaks the bank. You’ll often be able to find some beautiful but not expensive lights around a few shops. There are more than one affordable options for you to pick from.

Solar-powered lights that automatically switch on when the sun goes down are an excellent choice. They’re relatively easy to find and are low maintenance.

Creative Seating

An outdoor entertainment area needs plenty of seating options. After all, you don’t want your guests or family to be on their feet all day.

Built-in seating is a great space-saver and becomes part of the design and atmosphere. Chairs may take up more space, but they allow everyone to have their own seat and are perfect for sitting around a table to eat. Alternatively, benches are great too and give you some flexibility in placement.

You may consider adding creative and fun relaxing ways, such as a hammock, rocking chairs, or something you can rest your feet on. Honestly, there’s so much that can be done with seating. What you do is up to your preference and will be influenced by the nature of your space. The critical thing to remember here is to ensure ample seating space for your entertainment area.

Read more: Finding the Right Outdoor Seating for Your Style.

Plants Are Life

Plants are living, breathing organisms. They’re beautiful and are a great way to bring life into your area. People naturally expect to see greenery when they’re outdoors. Adding plants to any indoor or outdoor space is rarely a bad idea. You could need decorative plants to complete your ultimate outdoor entertainment area.

plants in your place

Many people might shy away from plants because they’re concerned about maintenance and worry that they will wither. The truth is that taking care of plants isn’t as scary as some anticipate it to be.

Succulents and other low-maintenance plants are relatively easy to keep alive and may only require occasional watering. You don’t need to be green-fingered or a botany whizz to bring some flora into your entertainment area.

Include An Outdoor Kitchen

Outdoor kitchens were briefly alluded to earlier, but they’re so incredible that they deserve a special mention. Easy access to drinks and food could take your outdoor entertainment area to the next level if you have the space and budget.

outdoor kitchen

The nature of your outdoor kitchen may change depending on what food you envision yourself cooking. Grills are a popular feature and may be all you desire. Still, if you have space in your budget, a fully-fledged outdoor kitchen will be your new best friend on those clear summer evenings.

Remember, keeping the kitchen close to the house in your design plan will be advantageous if you want electricity or running water. Some amenities, such as a woodfired oven or grill section, can become fun DIY projects for your free time if that’s your thing.

Coverage Is Essential

Being under the sun for long periods can become intense and make relaxing difficult. No outdoor entertainment area is complete without some form of sun coverage. Limiting sun exposure can make things much more comfortable on hot, sunny days.

If you’re clever about it, you may be able to design your entertainment space around any existing trees in your backyard to provide some natural shade. There are multiple ways to achieve this. Some options include covered patios, gazebos, umbrellas, and pergolas. Just ensure your privacy before celebrating your backyard or front lawn. Maybe it’s time to install those decorative privacy panels for your security.

Flooring And Other Hardware

The materials you use to build your space will significantly provide the overall atmosphere of your entertainment area. Different materials will favor different atmospheres and aesthetics. It’s best to use several different materials to make up the floor and any other surfaces you’ll include.

Different wood, stone, and brick are the standard recommendations for building an outdoor area. For example, wooden surfaces and furniture bring a warm and natural feeling to the surroundings, perfect for outdoor entertainment. Stone flooring in the main seating area is generally considered aesthetically pleasing and is low-maintenance. While keeping some well-kept lawns provides an ideal space for at-home picnics.

With the endless list of combinations, the assistance of a contractor or landscape design software may be beneficial here.

Additional Decorative Features

Once you’ve figured out the basic design of your outdoor entertainment area, consider adding some additional decoration to bring it all together.

Water features, fire pits, and straightforward rock displays are great ways to touch the aesthetic appeal. They don’t need to be big and fancy. Even small additional features can make a significant change.

Something a tad more adventurous, like a koi pond, is an excellent feature for those who want to make their outdoor entertainment area even more impressive. Imagine showing your guests what your koi pond looks like at feeding time!

Conclusion

If you enjoy hosting gatherings, family days, or parties but aren’t satisfied with your current entertainment area, now’s the time to upgrade. You can take your outside patio, backyard, or deck and turn it around no matter its current state. All it takes is a little effort and consideration to transform your backyard with the perfect design.

Hopefully, after reading everything here, these tips have helped you find the inspiration and know-how to come up with a design you and everyone else will love. Your ultimate outdoor entertainment area awaits! Don’t hesitate anymore and get cracking.

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