Houston Interior Designer Danna Smith Shares Her Design Tips for Outdoor Entertaining Spaces

Ready to host the next block party and be the backyard envy of the neighborhood? While some families embark on fun vacations to the beach and good old-fashioned road trips, others choose to spend their summers right in their own backyards. Summer means different things to different people depending on each person’s location, traditions, and outdoor entertaining amenities. Ready to ditch the chaos of traveling and create your own outdoor oasis? Let’s take a dip into backyard design for entertainment.

Backyard Design in Houston, TX

This summer, you can find our Houston interior design team swimming in our backyard pools and entertaining family and friends with barbecue cookouts! Summer in Houston is full of memorable gatherings and late summer evenings in our backyard entertaining spaces.

There are so many fun things to do in the summer. Backyard entertaining is a way to have all of your family and friends in one place to enjoy your home and your hospitality. Let’s take a look at how we can dress up your backyard to make the most out of your upcoming family gatherings!

My Own Summer Memories in Texas

When I went away to college, my parents moved into a new home and had a pool installed. I can still remember the overwhelming feeling of excitement when I realized we were getting a pool in our backyard! Growing up, I did not have a pool. So, I thought this was the best thing ever. The first weekend I was home from school, you couldn’t get me out of that pool. There is a photo somewhere in my parent’s house of me in the pool before it was filled with water. I look so small in the “deep” end. Little did I know that the pool and our new backyard would become the centerpiece of many of my family’s core memories.

One of Our Mediterranean Style Pool Installations in Houston, Texas

Over the years, we hosted countless family get-togethers at our house. Some of my favorite memories came from all of the time we spent together as a family in our home. My parents were quite the entertainers. There was always something to drink, and the assortment of ice coolers was filled to the brim each summer. Blue ice coolers were for sodas, white ice coolers were for water, and the red ice chests were for “adult” beverages. There was plenty of food for everyone at each event, and everyone had a great time! After a while, the parties at our house became a family tradition.

What made these incredible family affairs a success was not only the food and the company but also the organization and planning of the outdoor space that made them so great. We had an area for lounging, an area for eating, and an area for cooking. When designing outdoor spaces for my clients, I always look back to those picture-perfect family nights at my parent’s home with the desire to create a space that allows for lifelong memories with the people they love. 

Let’s take a look at some suggestions below to make your outdoor get-togethers a success.

Outdoor Furniture: Blending Function and Comfort

When we get together with friends, we love to chat about what is going on in everyone’s lives—a bit of “catching up,” if you will. Welcome your guests to your patio or lounging area in the best way by creating an open seating area with comfortable outdoor furniture. I love to start these seating layouts with a nice, wide, and durable couch for maximal seating. I use the couch as a centerpiece and build the rest of the seating area around it.

Recent Outdoor Furniture Upgrades

Outdoor seating has come a long way from the scratchy, woven, webbed, slat, folding tubular aluminum-framed chairs that used to be available. Remember those? I know you do! The back of my legs hurt just thinking about them. Now, we have awesome furnishings to make our outdoors look as good as the indoors. 

The number of outdoor furniture options available to us nowadays can be overwhelming. There are beautiful sofas with frames that are still aluminum but have the look of wood or woven rattan. Teak wood frames are also now available in many different finishes. The cushions in this new furniture era are more luxurious and made with indoor/outdoor fast-dry foam that helps drain the water away. The fabrics are lovely, too, with so many patterns, colors, and textures available. Outdoor fabrics have become so good that they’re even used indoors now. Our team at Pamela Hope Designs uses these fabrics indoors frequently, especially for families with pets or young kids. They look and feel that good! Many of these new fabrics are plush and are woven with great textures.

Outdoor Design: It’s All in the Details

To visually “anchor” the furniture, we like to strategically place an indoor/outdoor rug. These types of rugs are available in countless patterns and textures and can add color to the space. They are made with fibers that are also quick drying and colorfast, so they don’t fade like a regular indoor rug and can better withstand the weather. We use indoor/outdoor rugs all the time for our client’s indoor stair runners. The texture of these more durable rugs provides a secure feel underfoot while still being very comfortable and quite attractive. 

Design an Outdoor Kitchen

Once your outdoor design and furniture are laid out, the next key component to outdoor entertainment is food. Create your recipes in the moment and be present while hosting with an outdoor kitchen! When hosts only have an indoor kitchen to work with, they typically find themselves inside tending to the food, no matter how much preparation was done beforehand.

Along with outdoor furniture, outdoor kitchens have also come a long way. They can be designed as simply as with an old smokey grill or as lavish as a restaurant kitchen with elaborate gas grills and pizza ovens! We are installing a pizza oven for one of our client projects now, and it adds a delightful touch to the entire ambiance. This client is a family of five, and they love to entertain and eat their meals outside. We can’t wait to finish their pizza oven so that we can have some beautiful photographs to show you. In the meantime, here’s a video Pamela took on a recent visit to the job site. 

Gather Around: The Importance of an Outdoor Dining Area

Another way to bring your guests together is by designing and creating a functional and inviting outdoor dining area. Outdoor dining furniture is available with great-looking table bases made of aluminum or Teak wood. We love coordinating dining chairs with seat cushions to add a pop of color to the design. A few colorful placemats and florals for your outdoor place settings will finish the dining area to perfection.

Enjoy Your New Outdoor Space

Remember, when you want to upgrade your space to become the hostess with the mostest, your options are endless. Create memories that will last a lifetime by designing a durable, functional, and cozy outdoor entertaining space! 

Picture this: you step out of your home into your backyard, with a comfortable sofa and chairs, plush cushions, and a beautiful area rug. The smell of freshly made pizza comes from your outdoor kitchen, specifically the pizza oven. To your left is a dining area with color-coordinated place settings, florals, and decor. Your guests are starting to arrive and are awestruck by your new outdoor entertaining space. We can already picture it…The new and most popular hangout space is right in your backyard! Enjoy the festivities and create memories that will last a lifetime with a well-designed space. 

If you need help with your outdoor entertaining, give us a call, we would love to help!

As always, let your creative juices flow!

– Danna

Meet Danna, A Luxury Interior Designer in Houston

Danna Smith has more than 30 years of experience in the design industry. She has been a buyer and merchandiser for four luxury showrooms in Houston and Dallas. Smith teaches an evening course at Houston Community College to nurture her passion for developing future design stars. Since joining Pamela Hope Designs in 2015, she has worked on some of her most beautiful and innovative projects yet. 

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