Seven useful tips for a terrace party
Summer calls for lots of festivities with family and friends, and if you have a terrace... well, you're lucky! Your terrace or garden is the perfect place for a small party where your guests will feel at home. When it comes to this type of event the devil is in the details, so we're here to share seven useful tips for throwing the perfect terrace party.
It will go off without a hitch!
1. Create a welcoming space
When it comes to throwing a party or celebration where food and cocktails are involved (and whatever happens afterwards), the most important thing is creating a welcoming environment for your guests to feel at home. That's why we decided to mix antique furniture, textures and colours, which allowed us to create a warm and relaxed environment. Make your life easier by using things you already have at home!
And even though it's summer, we recommend you put out some rugs to create an even more cosy ambiance. Finally, use quilts and pillows to transform your outdoor chairs into comfortable seating areas, where your guests can spend time without their backs aching.
2. A personalised centrepiece
One of the most striking and important details when it comes to setting the table for a special party or celebration is the centrepiece. You can do lots of different things with it, but we recommend sticking to your theme. What does this mean exactly? It means it will follow or serve as the common thread for the rest of the party's decor. For example, in the party we're showing you, we made the centrepiece in line with the menu we selected. So we created a structure of different baskets with herbs and veggies that we simply love.
3. A trolley to hold everything
One of the best options for a well-organised party, meal or celebration with friends is having a rolling trolley you can use to move things around easily. What can you put inside? Whatever you need: cups and glasses, serviettes, food when you need to transport it from the kitchen, or everything at once! To do so, you can also use organiser baskets and boxes if the trolley doesn't have protection along the sides. This way you will have everything organised and at hand, so anyone can get what they need when they need it.
4. Organiser baskets for any extras
As we mentioned in the previous point, if you store drinks in a wire basket in your trolley, you can then easily place it directly on the table for your guests to pass around. They're also great for bringing drinks back to the kitchen for refills. This same type of basket can be used to hold snacks, serviettes or any other extras for your party.
5. Details that make the difference
We said it before and we'll say it again: the devil is in the details! That's why we recommend sticking with the theme you've chosen to add small details all along the table. Is it a birthday party? You can use clothes pegs to attach a photo of the guest of honour on each serviette. Is it a baby shower? Use little baby socks to decorate the table, or a baby-themed tablecloth. For our vegan-themed party, we decided to decorate with wild asparagus and broccoli. Isn't that brilliant?
6. The importance of ambient light
When night falls, use battery-powered lights to create a cosier environment. These lights are super convenient for areas where there are no wall sockets, like large outdoor spaces. We chose hanging solar-powered lights and LED string lights, which can be left outside all summer long. You can personalise them using your favourite decorations!
7. A cocktail bar is a must!
We're finishing off our list of tips with something that every good party has: cocktails! However, since they're a bit tedious to make and everybody has their own favourite, we recommend setting up a bar equipped with everything your guests need to serve themselves (ice, lemon, fizzy drinks etc.) and enjoy the party!
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We love it when customers use our products in a creative way. Why not try to do something new with them yourself? But do remember, any modifications or changes that you make to IKEA products will prevent them from being resold or used for their original use, thus invalidating IKEA product warranties and your right to return.
