An outdoor party is the best kind of party – here is all you need for celebrating en plein air this summer …
FURNITURE FOR RENT
To help reduce negative environmental impact, hire party furniture and accessories rather than buy.
Stylewise, adding natural textures – rattan chargers and bamboo chairs – suits an outdoor party. Signature Rentals has the best selection of naturals; www.signaturerentals.ie.
Yellow stripe cushion; www.signaturerentals.ie.
Rattan charger plate; www.signaturerentals.ie.
FANCY GLASSWARE
Ditch mundane glassware: fun and interesting glasses will get the conversation going and make cocktails much more enjoyable.
Amber glassware, from €4.99 each; www.hm.com.
SLIDE ON IN!
Dining benches are a great way to add more seating space at the dinner table instead of crowding in too many chairs. Budge up – there’s enough space for everyone!
Olive Palissade Park in/out dining bench, Hay, €2,098, at Arnotts.
FLATTERING LIGHTING
Alfresco dinners can go on late in to the night and candles don’t provide enough illumination. Brighten your night with portable lights instead. Dimmable, rechargeable lamps are as elegant as they are energy-efficient – this season’s hottest table prop.
Green Ray rechargeable lamp, Menu, from €219; www.lights.ie.
HOT SUMMER HATS
A wide-brimmed sunhat will provide-much needed shade for your face, neck and shoulders during a long lunch. A straw lampshade-shape hat or floppy bucket style are on trend.
Crochet paper hat, €45; www.cos.com.
LONG TABLES
The best outdoor parties are casual, but still elegant. If you are thinking about throwing a party en plein air, consider a long table – as long as your space allows.
Rent folding trestle tables or join up a series of indoor/outdoor tables and top with a sheet of pre-cut mdf (3.2mm x 1220mm, €5.49, at Woodies). For a laidback feel, cover tables in a natural linen, hopsack or cotton. Find hopsack by the metre at Provenance, Clifden, Co Galway and online at www.provenance-interior.ie.
TABLE TOUCHES
Looking for an easy way to add wow to your long table? Foraged greenery and natural unscented Irish beeswax candles (€14 a pair; www.brookfield.farm) inside Ikea’s Cylinder vases (€13 for set of three) in a variety of heights, look great placed along the length of the table. Add nightlights randomly in between. Replace ordinary cloth napkins with cheerful bandanas (€11.37 for ten; www.amazon.com), or box-fresh Ikea tea towels. Try not to overcrowd the table – less is usually more when dining outside.
