One of the summertime activities I most eagerly anticipate is spending time outside with friends and family on a warm evening while we relax, grill, and take in the cool winds that blow through the yard. You must feel the same way about your summer nights! In today’s post, my friend and fellow blogger Shannon of {aka} Design will share some tips for constructing the ideal outdoor conversation area that will ensure your guests stay longer throughout the warmer summer months. Please give Shannon a warm welcome as she provides her top advice for setting up a cozy chat place in your own yard.

For parties, barbecues, and family gatherings in the hot summer months, outdoor dining spaces have long been a favorite. You can get a ton of wonderful inspiration for designing a comfortable eating area and conversation area outdoors online and in printed materials.

It’s simple to build an outside conversation area that suits your lifestyle with the many attractive and reasonably priced outdoor furniture sets currently on the market. However, creating a space for extended conversation involves more than simply setting up a couch and some chairs outside. Here are some ideas for starting a friendly discussion outside, no matter how big or little the area is!

Make a focal point first

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Create an intriguing focal point to build your conversation area around. This might be a fire pit, a coffee table, or an outside ottoman where you can put your feet up. Making a circle of chairs around a focal point makes it simpler to engage in face-to-face communication. A fire pit is good since it fosters a campfire-like environment for telling ghost stories or not and works well for toasting marshmallows. You can set your drink down or raise your feet on an ottoman or coffee table, which is a great excuse to linger a bit longer.

2. Include Greenery

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Your outdoor conversation area will be improved by adding additional layers of greenery made of plants that thrive in your region. Greenery offers that priceless living factor, whether it’s container gardening or more permanent surrounding gardens. Plant annuals and perennials that will grow to various heights and sizes to achieve it. Include potted trees, ferns, hostas, and grasses in your landscaping for that desired variety of textures. Use unique artifacts or inventive containers when making your arrangements, but avoid using flowers that will draw bees or your guests may end up fleeing the conversation area!

3. Aim for Comfort
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Include plenty of cushions and pillows for comfort and coziness in sturdy outdoor materials to encourage both you and your visitors to stay longer. A variety of choices in designs, from modern florals to striking geometrics, are available in outdoor fabrics in addition to stripes, which are a sure bet and a classic summer style. With these contemporary options, you can add interior comfort and design to your conversation area while maintaining an outdoor sensibility.

4. Incorporate Original Art
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There are countless opportunities to add whimsy or even a bit weirdness to your yard with outdoor art. You can select anything made of metal, including obelisks, ancient ladders, barn stars, and iron sculptures. If you have a blank wall, try growing succulents, vines, or espaliered fruit trees vertically as living art. Anything goes in the vast outdoors as long as your art, living or otherwise, can tolerate constant light and frequent exposure to water. Cover a wall in live green art or nestle a fun sculpture among the grasses. Fountains give a calming element to your outdoor space by producing the relaxing sound of running water, which is attractive to visitors.

5. Lighting, the last layer!
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When the sun begins to set but is still warm, it is one of the most romantic parts of summer. Lighting up your outdoor space with globe lights strung casually across the yard or flickering candlelight combined with outdoor lighting that enhances the beauty of the outdoors even after the sun has gone down will keep you and your guests happy during those enchanting hours as darkness approaches.

I appreciate Shannon giving us her advice today; I’m definitely motivated to hang some globe lights above my outside dining area! Visit Shannon at her blog 2 to learn about her most recent endeavors!

What’s your go-to method for creating the ideal ambiance for lengthy chats held outside in your yard?
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