With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, many of you are probably getting ready to entertain a house full of guests for the holiday. Today John Elliott Interiors has a few tips to help you get ready to throw an outdoor party everyone can enjoy. 

Designate a Party Area
The easiest way to keep the inside of your house clean while throwing a party is to encourage the guests to stay outside. With decorations and clever furniture setups, you can make it clear to everyone where the party is happening. The more festive you make that spot look, the less likely anyone will be wandering into areas of the house you'd prefer to keep private.   

Have Seating For All
We sell many gorgeous pieces of outdoor furniture at the Lake of the Ozarks, perfect for making your outdoor space look luxurious and feel inviting. People always make sure that they buy enough seating to accommodate everyone that actually lives in the house, but often extra pieces of furniture are needed when you host a gathering. You could rent some extra furniture, or possibly borrow a few items from a neighbor.

Another idea is to use some of your indoor pieces outside for this special occasion. Only do this if you have a place where you can keep your indoor furniture protected from outside elements. If you have a covered patio, this could be a perfect spot to try this out. Also, be sure to stage a few different seating areas in various spots around the yard to promote conversation.   


Keep Things Cool
Spring and summer sun can get hot quickly, so make sure that you provide shaded areas for your guests to get out of the sun. You could use umbrellas or set up canopy tents. Having extra suntan lotion handy for guests to use is also a very nice touch.

If the weather is forecasted to be extremely warm, you might want to place a few fans around the area, and misting fans are wonderful if you have a pool in your yard and people will be getting wet already. Making sure there are plenty of ice-cold drinks and lots of water easily available to everyone is important too.

Keep Pests Away
We're not talking about unwanted guests in this case, but rather those pesky little bugs that always seem to show up when the weather is nice. Decorative citronella candles or tiki torches with citronella oil can help. Setting up mosquito netting around a gazebo makes it easy for guests to relax knowing they are safe from the bugs inside it, yet still able to enjoy being outdoors. 

Have a Rain Plan
Weather forecasts can give you a good idea of what to expect, but Mother Nature can still do whatever she feels like. Even if there doesn't seem to be a cloud in the sky, be prepared to move the party indoors if necessary or have a large enough area outside where you can put up a rented tent that will keep the elements away from your party. If the latter isn't an option, prepare for the indoor party by setting up an obvious party area inside, just like you did outside.

Make sure that any pieces of furniture or home decor that are easily broken, stained, or just too special to take the risk with are put away in a room where nobody will bother them. You can protect indoor tables by putting down a plastic cloth and then cover that with a decorative tablecloth. Try to contain food and dark drinks that can stain easily to areas without carpet or furniture with delicate fabrics. Have plenty of cleaners on hand, just in case, plus lots of extra napkins and towels.


If you aren't completely happy with the look of your outdoor space but would love to start throwing more parties out there this summer, give our Lake of the Ozarks interior design team a call. They are excellent at decorating exterior spaces too. The gorgeous furniture that we carry at John Elliott Interiors makes it easy to do that, and simple for you to find the pieces to give your outdoor living area a look that you, and any guests you invite over, will love!