September 10th, 2012

Making Your Outdoor Dining Area More Cosy

Having a dining area outside is a wonderful way to take advantage of your outdoor areas, and by making an effort to do it up you can create a warm, comfortable and cosy spot. The following is a brief look at some of the ways you can turn your outdoor dining area into your new favourite place to eat.

Heaters

It is going to be hard for anyone to get cosy in your outdoor area if it is freezing cold out there, so rather than give up on dining outdoors during anything but perfect conditions, invest in a couple of heat lamps. Even just one or two heat lamps can significantly warm up an area and make those otherwise chilly evenings just perfect for enjoying your dinner outside.

Comfortable seating

Your seating has got to be comfortable if anyone is going to be able to relax, unwind and start feeling cosy, so even if you have to spend a little bit more for comfortable seating, it will be absolutely worth it. Often you can make pretty ordinary chairs far more comfortable by simply adding some well-selected cushions, but if your current seating is starting to look at bit rough and is becoming a little less sturdy, it might be time you seriously consider upgrading your chairs.

If you can’t find the seating you want, custom furniture is a fantastic way to have your outdoor chairs designed just perfectly, as whether you want dining chairs or bar stools, you will be able to have them made exactly as you want them.

Plants

One of the best ways to make your outdoor dining area cosier is to bring in as many plants as possible. The plants will make your dining area look full of life, and the friendly, inviting, and positive energy of the plants will have your guests feeling like they are in a safe, happy, cosy place. Your plants can also provide a very useful privacy screen, and having a little more privacy will often have people feeling like they can relax quite a bit more.

Lighting

The lighting in your outdoor dining area will have a profound impact on how it feels to eat a meal there, so make sure you use your lighting to create a cosy, intimate mood, as opposed to blinding people or having them eat in the dark. Using dimmers or even different shades of coloured lighting can add a lot of warmth to your dining area, and whether you use lamps, candles or pot lights, it will be easy to change up your lighting and try something new.

Add a fire pit

Incorporating a small fire pit in with your outdoor dining area is a fantastic way to add some warmth, light and energy. Your guests will love the cosy feel of dining by the crackling and flickering of the fire, and you can even set up your area so that it is easy for everyone to relocate there once they have finished eating.

Blankets

For those extra cold nights that are still too beautiful to eat indoors, have some warm blankets on hand to keep your guests comfortable, because often just having some extra warmth on your shoulders or legs can make a significant difference.