Your home’s outdoor space is the most valuable area you have when it comes to entertaining people. It’s a place where you can hold parties, cookouts, and cocktails with your family and friends. Unlike an indoor get together, your visitors feel more free to party outside your house. They don’t need to think too much about making your floors dirty or messing up your couch.
Most of use the backyard for holding social events. Meetings held at the back of the house makes it feel private. If you want to make your barbecue nights even more sociable, especially to your lovely neighbors, put the party up in your front yard. When you do, you open opportunities to connect with the community around you. You’ll discover more people in your neighborhood.
Before holding that party plan, make sure your front yard is dressed to impress people. Here are fresh ideas, straight from the architects, to inspire you:
Build a Deck
It’s not the first option when it comes to the front yard because we’re used to have a deck in the backyard, but it’s a good way to extend the front side of your house.
Here, you’re most likely going to need the help of a local designer and builder who’s highly knowledgeable with the building codes in your area. The council may have preferred building materials used for decking. Right now, most decks are still made of cedar, redwood, ipe, or bamboo. If you’re going for wooden decks, make sure that you’re buying from a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified company. Don’t support those who illegally harvest wood.
If not wood, there are other options such as plastic and composite decks. Composite one’s are made from wood fibers or recycled sawdust and known for its dense qualities and strength. Plastic decks are stain resistant and won’t require any finishing. Both materials won’t splinter and warp under your feet.
Create a Courtyard
A courtyard is an outdoor space surrounded by high walls, creating a sense of enclosure and privacy. It’s like a surprise area for someone you invited over for coffee, tea, or dinner. This might work for you if you have a small front yard space but you still want to entertain a couple of people.
If you want to build a courtyard, use materials which complement the style of your house. Brick and wood are flexible building materials to work with. You can also plant luscious plants within your courtyard to enhance good vibes from nature.
Place more seats
If you have a spacious deck or covered patio which can accommodate more than two people, it’s time to arrange more sitting areas. Always maximise your outdoor space.
First is to layout an ideal landscaping pavement based on your local climate. You can cover your area with a single underfoot or you can mix and match your building materials. Just make sure that the design looks coordinated to avoid a disjointed looking entertainment space.
Then, place your outdoor furniture. Ideally, you’d want different sets of furniture to create different areas in your patio. Purchase two distinct sets of outdoor furniture which work well together, visually. You don’t want these areas competing in one space. If you have more space in the front yard, consider growing more plants to improve your landscape
Just create one wide patio
If don’t want to bother in creating different areas in your patio, you can create an extend one. The furniture and the outdoor flooring used must be the same all throughout the space.
Use gravel
People will love the texture of gravel under their shoes. It will make your front yard more interesting. Crushed granite, for example, is best placed under your outdoor seating or dining space. It’ll make the area more charming and natural.
As you can see, granite also fills the space between flagstone and concrete beautifully. Use this to create walkways in your front yard.
Decorate your porch with hospitality
Your porch should always have a welcoming vibe to it. It serves as the homeowner’s morning and afternoon nook—a spot where they can watch people and passerby.
You can also use this space to talk with your friends and neighbours. Use homey outdoor furniture, preferably wicker, because it’s versatile and comfortable.
Enclose your porch
If you like your porch to become a social space but you’re irritated with bugs, enclose it or screen it. Through this, you can enjoy your porch all throughout the year.
Then, install an overhead ceiling fan to help move air inside the enclosed space.
Plants that offer a little privacy
While you want your front yard to be friendlier and open, you still need some privacy. You can take advantage of plants to conceal some parts of your front yard.
Try planting soft greens from the fence to your porch. Vines that crawl and bloom flowers will make a great statement for to your front yard. Of course, you have to maintain the look of these plants. If not, it might send a “keep out” message to everyone who sees it. If you want, you can put up trellis or arbor systems which can hold your vines in a lovely way.
You may also put up low walls with openwork panels. This will work if your house is directly sitting next to your neighbour’s. This way, you’re separate you and your neighbour’s yard but you can still see over and right through the walls. You can still hear each other out!
It’s time to invite people over for a barbeque night!
Now that your front yard is ready for socials, go on and ask your neighbours or your friends to a meal at your place. From there, you can raise a toast for a healthier and happier relationships with others.
