Incorporating a fabulous outdoor dining area is very important to most people who have a garden or usable outdoor space. In great weather it’s an extra room for socialising and relaxing… without building an addition. And there are some key items you MUST include.

When you’re designing your garden, there are many options. You can create an area for the kids to play in or use the space for growing vegetables and other plants. However, the most popular is an outdoor dining area.

An outdoor dining area is perfect for cooking and eating meals with your family and it’s the ideal place in which to host amazing garden parties.

However, turning your garden into an outdoor dining area isn’t as easy as you might think. You can’t just stick a table and a few chairs outside and be done with it. If you want to create the perfect outdoor dining area for your home, there are five key elements to include.

 

Choose The Right Flooring

People don’t tend to think about flooring much when they’re designing an outdoor space but you need to. The flooring in an outdoor dining area needs to hold a lot of furniture as well as cooking equipment and, of course, people.

That’s why you need something hard wearing. You’re outside as well remember, so something that is waterproof is an absolute must. You also need to think about the flooring inside the house because you want to create a smooth transition.

Choose something that goes well with the floors that you’ve got leading into the house. Good wooden decking is probably your best option for the flooring for your outdoor dining area.

The right flooring should be hard-wearing, easy to maintain and good looking. If you do get wooden flooring too wet then mould remediation should be undertaken immediately. Get professional help to save your investment.

 

Get The Right Furniture

Good furniture is an absolute must here. Normal outdoor furniture is fine but it’s not ideal for eating. You’re best off going for a longer table rather than a small round one so you can get plenty of people around it and you’ve got space for all of the food.

You can get good outdoor furniture by homemakers which is perfect for your purposes. You also need to cover the furniture properly to make it an inviting dining area. Get some nice tablecloths that you can put over and some cushions for your chairs as well.

When you’re picking chairs, think about space. If you get some good stacking chairs that can really help you to open up space when you’re not using the area for eating.

As well as furniture for eating, you should also consider getting some furniture for after dinner. Get a few nice sofas out there for people to relax on and have drinks after their dinner.

 

Build A Barbeque

You can create an outdoor dining area and just cook inside but if you really want to make the space great, you should put a bbq in there as well.

You could just buy one if you want to go the easy route. But you can save a bit of money and build yourself a great centrepiece for the area by building your own bbq out of bricks. It’s not too difficult to do and it shouldn’t cost you too much either.

After you’re done eating, you can build a fire inside there to keep everybody warm in the evening and create a nice atmosphere out in the garden.

 

Storage

You’ll have all of your furniture and cooking utensils etc. out in the garden so you’ll need somewhere to store it all. You could build a small shed to store all of that stuff in or, if the dining area is going to be covered properly, you can just use some small kitchen trolleys or boxes.

Keeping everything tidy with good storage is essential if you don’t want the dining area to be messy. It also helps you to pack everything away when you’re not using it so you can open up garden space for other activities.

If you’re really serious about your outdoor dining area, you could consider putting a small fridge there. You can store drinks when you’re entertaining guests and keep food fresh once it’s been prepared. Just remember to keep everything covered properly so the food is still safe.

 

Good Lighting

If you’re hosting parties in your outdoor dining area, you’re going to need some lighting for later on. Having a fire in your bbq will provide some light but probably not enough.

Invest in some some proper lighting around the garden. Hanging fairy lights around the trees and fences is a really cost effective way to get great lighting and create a good atmosphere.

The most important thing to remember when you’re creating an outdoor dining area is that everything needs to be protected from the rain. You need to have safe storage areas for any food items as well as furniture and people.