I always dreamed of having a large deck to entertain on. I thought of all the parties I could throw and all the people that would fit on my large deck. Finally, I was able to get a home that had a large deck off the kitchen. I was delighted but soon realized that sometimes decorating a large space can be harder than decorating a small space.
At Showhome furniture we know that it important to balance things out, pick good furniture and define spaces in order to create the maximum entertaining space for your time and money.
When I designed my deck, I found it easier to break my space up into different zones. I had the eating zone and the sit back and chill with friends zone. Sticking to just two different zones allowed me to also have enough room to move around and look out at the view even when there were many guests over.
For my eating zone, I opted for a gazebo kit to frame in and shade my guests while we ate and conversed. If you live in a very windy location like a few of my sisters, you might not be able to get away with a box kit and may have to hire someone to come and build you a permanent structure that is windproof.
I learned the hard way when I lived in Southern Alberta near the foothills, that you must build according to the needs of your location.
For the visiting area, I just got a good quality sectional, a rug and a coffee table.
No living space inside or out is complete without accessories, and since we were creating an outdoor living space, I made sure that my deck was loaded with plants or different shapes and colors.
One thing I did not do, but many have is to add a fireplace or fire bowl because even though my deck was large, I wanted to leave lots of space for mingling guests and running children (who are often in large numbers at our gatherings).
What I did do though was add a lot of different candles and lighting to my space. The mixed lights let me enjoy our deck even when the evening grows long and dark.
Whatever your deck size, decorating it properly is a must in order to realize it full entertaining potential.
