No Room For A Formal Dining Room? The Outdoors May Provide The Perfect Alternative

Not everyone is blessed with a perfect dining room that allows the privilege of hosting and entertaining. If you're living in a small home or apartment, chances are, you're a little short on dining space. Even if the house has a designated dining space, you may have to sacrifice a formal dining room for something more pressing, like a living room you can't do without or a home office for working remotely. But does this mean you say no to hosting good times with your friends and relatives? Not at all. As long as you have some kind of outdoor space, like a garden with a patio, you can still enjoy long conversations with loved ones, alongside good food and bottles of wine! Set up a shade structure on the patio, with some groundcover or grasses for compartmentalizing the space, add comfy furniture with nature-inspired tablescaping, and voila, your outdoor dining setup is ready!

There are a few things to keep in mind before you begin designing your outdoor dining spot. If you have the space for an outdoor kitchen, it can elevate the outdoor dining experience. An outdoor kitchen can add a lot of value to your home as well. If you don't have that luxury, keep the outdoor dining area as close to your kitchen as possible. This will facilitate better hosting, since you can monitor your cooking and serve items more conveniently. Furthermore, having a few cart tables for moving food and drinks is useful for connecting the dining area with the kitchen. Using a teak bar cart is recommended, as it is functional as well as easy to move around.

If you have a garden or patio outside your house, it is enough to design a small dining area. Use short plants, grasses, and hedges to separate the dining area and give it a secluded look. You can also use succulents, border plants, or compact trees, like Mugo pines, for delineating different zones in the setting. The plants serve the dual purpose of providing transition and giving your outdoor dining space a more lush, natural appearance. You can also employ some hard landscaping for defining zones in your garden. For instance, a paving pattern in a different color can help make a particular part of the space stand apart from the rest.

While such a setting can make your outdoor dining functional, you can step things up a few notches by adding a shade structure, like a pergola or shade sail, to the patio. There are multiple ways to shade a patio. If you already have a large tree in your yard, you can place the dining table near it for natural shade. Even without these fancy elements, something as simple as a colorful umbrella can create a canopy for the spot. Nonetheless, a sturdy shade can also save you from the whims of the weather.

Apart from the setting itself, your garden can also dictate your choice of tablescaping for the dining space. Experts agree: Anastasia Casey, founder of Design Camp for Austin, likes including a lot of natural elements in her outdoor tablescaping. "My process starts with a trip to the farmer's market, where I can take notice of the seasonal flowers, herbs, and produce in season and let the bounty speak for itself," she tells Livingetc.

But you can also use the colors and the textures of your own garden and patio to inspire your tablescaping. In fact, it helps to keep things rather simple, especially during the summers. Grab a few herbs from your garden, add the usual crockery from the kitchen, bring in a few layers of soft textiles for visual interest and a sense of warmth, and let the natural elegance of your garden do the rest.

When it comes to choosing furniture, go for comfort above anything else to put your guests at ease. Comfortable seating ensures that the vibe persists during long dinners and lunches. Make sure the furniture is waterproof. If the floor is not level (say, you're setting things up on the ground itself), adding a set of stakes can stop the dining table from toppling over in the lawn. In an outdoor setting, it also helps to have foldable furniture for better accommodation. Lastly, add a bit of string lighting (or low-level illumination on the tabletop, if you want to create more interest with shadows), and you have the perfect relaxed atmosphere for your weekend dining plans.