Home visit: host dinner and movies in the garden

It’s a warm summer’s evening and everyone’s in the mood for staying outside. Take your plans for dinner and a movie, and make them alfresco! Here’s how…

Chloé setting the table outside in her garden, with wooden furniture, plants, trees and canopies with light chains.

Chloé stacking bowls on a wooden table in the garden.

Take life outdoors

Chloé’s family created a relaxed room outdoors using a dining table that’s easy to fold out as the night goes on and more guests turn up. “Our indoor dining area is pretty small, so we always prefer eating outside together,” says Chloé. “We’ll cook with home-grown herbs from the backyard. And we’ll stay outdoors till late, because the sunsets here in LA are incredible!”

A stack of dark blue and wooden bowls on a woven placemat and driftwood on a wooden table.

Create a natural table setting

Look to your surroundings for inspiration for your table setting. Pair natural materials, such as seagrass and linens, with this season’s inky blue colour palette for the tableware. Chloé’s backyard already has plenty of foliage, so instead of using flowers as decoration, she scatters driftwood along the length of the table. The family enjoy collecting pieces of wood on the beaches nearby.

LED block candles on a wooden table with driftwood.

Get cosy with artificial candles

Think about the things you use to make your interiors feel warm and inviting, and make them work for you outdoors. Love candles? Use artificial ones to add warmth and cosiness to your alfresco setting. These candles are LED-powered, so they won’t blow out if the wind gets up. They’re also safer for when children are around.

White paper and coloured pencils and a small bowl of snacks on a wooden table, next to driftwood and a place setting.

Keep kids entertained

Barbecue food can sometimes take a little longer to cook, so keep children busy with some pre-dinner fun. Try stretching out a roll of drawing paper across one end of the table (you might want to place a flat surface underneath, to stop them drawing into the gaps!). And, while parents chat after dinner, little artists can get back to their masterpieces before the sun sets for movie time.

“

I love a spontaneous party. It doesn’t need to be planned in advance, and we don’t need much to prepare. It’s better to just leave things open and go with how we feel.

”

Chloé

White chairs facing a picture projected onto an exterior wall, with a canopy and light chain above, and candles and potted plants below.

Set up a cinema at sundown

“We’ve always wanted to host an outdoor movie night,” says Chloé. To create a pop-up cinema, she brought out a laptop and projector, and set up the wall of their bungalow as a screen (you could also try hanging a white sheet). The family already had outdoor lounge chairs, which also come in kid’s sizes, so they simply added cosy throws and cushions from inside. Grab some snacks, and you’re set for showtime!

A small child sitting on blankets and cushions watching a cartoon projected on an exterior wall, next to a potted cactus and LED candles.

“

It really is the best to be outdoors with the girls. We’re still discovering all the ways to have fun with this space.

”