If you ask us, there is no better venue for a party than outside. The light is flattering, the air is alive, and — let's be honest — there is something liberating about the fact that you can spill a drink on the lawn and no one has to get the carpet cleaner out.
Outdoor hosting is, in many ways, easier than indoor hosting. The space is more forgiving, the flow more natural, and the mess more manageable. Your job isn't to create a perfect room — it's to create a feeling. Set the scene, make people comfortable, and then let the evening take over.
That's the spirit behind everything we make: furniture that becomes the anchor of a great gathering, the place people settle into and don't want to leave. The party happens around the chairs.
Here is our best advice for how to make sure the rest of the party is just as good.
1. Start with an Intention
Before you think about the menu or the playlist or how many chairs you need, ask yourself why you're bringing people together. That single question will make every other decision easier.
Celebrating the beginning of summer? Let the menu lean into it—cold drinks, seasonal produce, something that feels like a reward. Want your friends to actually meet each other for once? Think about your guest list and consider a loose seating arrangement so people aren't anchored to whoever they already know.
An intentional party doesn't have to be a themed party. It just means the host has a point of view, and guests can feel that.
2. Give People an Agenda (and Something to Bring)
One of the most underrated things a host can do is tell people what to expect. When are you eating? Is this a dress-up situation or is everyone in linen? Is there a pool?
Guests spend more energy than you'd think worrying about these things. A simple line in the invitation or a reminder text—we're sitting down to eat around 7, dress code is festive but comfy, park on the street—takes that off their plate and lets them show up relaxed.
And give them something to bring. Not in a potluck way, but in a you're part of this way. Ask everyone to bring their current favorite fizzy drink to share, or a candle for the table, or a song for the playlist. Low stakes, high reward and it becomes an instant conversation starter the moment people arrive and compare notes.
3. Set Up Multiple Beverage Stations
One cooler in one corner is a bottleneck. Multiple drink stations scattered around the party keep people moving, mingling, and — crucially — not forming a queue at the only cold thing in the yard.
It also gives you a chance to have a little fun. A beer corner with a few local options. A spritz station with prosecco, Aperol, and some garnishes. A non-alcoholic setup that's just as considered—sparkling water, a big batch of something pretty, maybe a few citrus slices and herbs so it looks intentional. Think of it like an easter egg hunt: guests wander and discover, which naturally gets them talking to people they haven't found yet.
4. Make the Playlist Matter
Music is the backdrop of everything. One of our favorite hosting tricks: send out a link to a shared playlist a few days before the party and invite guests to add a song or two. It gets people excited before they even arrive, and it means the playlist already belongs to the group a little by the time everyone gets there.
You can also absolutely lean on a curated playlist from somewhere with great taste. Block Shop Textiles and Piecework Puzzles are a couple of our favorite purveyors of playlists with a point of view!
5. Add Interactive Touch Points
The best parties have things happening in them. Objects, activities, and corners that invite people to engage.
Cornhole on the lawn is a classic. Name tags with prompts like “My favorite season is:” or “What’s your current guilty pleasure TV show?” Coffee table books that people can flip through and ooh and ahhh over. Decor that has a story, so someone asks about it and suddenly two strangers are in a conversation.
The goal is to give people something to do with their hands and their attention, so that mingling doesn't feel like an assignment.
6. Keep Guests Cozy
Nothing ends a backyard party faster than a chill slowly but surely creeping on. It happens gradually—a sweater appears, someone mentions they should probably get going, and before you know it the evening is over at 8:30.
Offer your guests a way to stay warm to keep the party going after sun down. Stash a basket of blankets nearby and invite guests to grab one and settle in. Of course, heated furniture takes it further: warmth built into the seating itself, so no one has to choose between being comfortable and being part of the party.
When people are physically at ease, they linger longer. And isn’t that the whole point?
Good furniture doesn't make the party — but it holds the space for one. Explore our outdoor collection and find your anchor piece for the season ahead.
