5 Best Outdoor Entertainment Ideas for Your Home

We love to be outside so much, we’re bringing all the comforts of the indoors out there with us with these fall party decorating ideas.

Outdoor entertaining isn’t only for summertime and these days, means more than a few lawn chairs, a cooler and a grill.

We’re watching TV outside. Perfecting our wood-fired pizzas. Snuggling up on a comfortable seating area in front of a crackling fire.

Who needs the indoors?

At the Hearth, Barbecue and Patio Expo in March in New Orleans, fire pits and outdoor kitchens featuring pizza ovens drew big interest.

There’s still plenty of great weather left, so consider boosting your outdoor entertaining scene and set just the mood and vibe you and your guests can enjoy with creative fall decor.

From outdoor TVs to wood-fired pizza ovens, here’s a look at five of the best outdoor entertainment ideas for your New York and Connecticut landscapes.

Outdoor TV Ideas

Watch TV with the breeze in your hair. The latest in TV technology lets you set up the screen by the pool for movie night or out on the deck for the big game – bringing your living room experience outdoors.

SunBrite outdoor TVs are completely weatherproof, so you can leave them outside all year long.

The weather-tight exterior seals all of the internal components and ports from the elements, including rain, snow, heat, dust, excess humidity, and insects.

Specialized gaskets help protect the wires. The outdoor TV is powder-coated with rustproof aluminum.

SunBrite claims its outdoor TV can withstand temperatures from -24 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. And torrential downpours.

You may want to head inside, but your outdoor TV will be just fine. And to make things even more convenient for you, Neave is now a Sunbrite TV exclusive dealer.

Outdoor Fire Pit Ideas

Everybody’s mesmerized by the flickering flames of a campfire.

But fire pits have come a long way since your dad dug a hole in the backyard and tossed in some firewood.

Today’s fire pits are stylish and elegant, made of a myriad of types of materials and often surrounded by sitting walls and benches plumped with outdoor cushions and pillows for settle-in comfort.

A fire pit adds atmosphere and elegance to your outdoor space and stretches your backyard entertaining time long into the evening. Who wants to head inside to watch TV when they could roast marshmallows and build the perfect gooey s’more?

A fire pit is also a fun way to extend your outdoor entertaining time into fall. No need to retreat indoors. Simmer up some hot cocoa and enjoy the fire.

The design possibilities are endless. Choose from brick, slate, tile, marble in any shape you can imagine.

Fire pits can use gas or wood as the fuel source.

While low, freestanding or built-in fire pits are still popular, the latest trend is tabletop fire pits.

Some stand at the height of a bar and have enough space for eight to 12 guests to gather around. Pro tip: In warmer weather, you can insert an ice bucket into the pit and use it as a cooler.

Outdoor Kitchen Ideas & Fall Decorating Designs

The outdoor kitchen continues to be one of the hottest outdoor entertaining trends. And it’s not just the sink and stove that are migrating outside.

The entire kitchen experience is at home out on the patio, and it’s bringing the family room and dining room with it.

While indoor kitchens are all about cooking, outdoor kitchens are as much about socializing.

Weatherproof cabinets, lighting, furniture, storage, fireplaces, space heating, refrigerators and music systems are all heading outside for a breath of fresh air.

There’s little reason to head back inside the house.

One of the hottest items in outdoor kitchens now is the wood-fired pizza oven.

In a recent survey released at the 2015 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, the number one item that current owners of outdoor kitchens regretted leaving out was a pizza oven.

They can be built in or freestanding, installed on top of a cart or other base.

Meet you on the patio with mozzarella.

Outdoor Entertaining with Pergolas

These enduring garden structures are more popular than ever, showing up over decks and patios, shading  the fun in outdoor kitchens and swimming pools.

Pergolas are made of vertical posts or pillars that support crossbeams and sometimes sturdy open lattice. The pillars and beams offer a perfect place to train pretty vines that offer dappled shade overhead.

Whether you want a shaded walkway or a sitting area, pergolas provide a beautiful, romantic feel to your outdoor space. They offer protection from the harsh sun while still allowing a nice breeze to drift through.

A pergola is a great spot for entertaining. If you want to entertain outside but want to stay close to your kitchen, you can plan your pergola for right next to your house. Add comfy outdoor furniture underneath and – boom – you have an extra outdoor room.

Don’t forget about your pergola at night. Twinkling white lights strung in the lattice overhead create an outdoor bistro. Add wine and a few friends: instant outdoor party.

Outdoor Lighting Decor Ideas for Entertaining

Add all of the great outdoor entertaining ideas you want, but without lighting, the fun ends when the sun goes down.

Several new lighting trends have taken the landscape lighting world by storm and some offer a quick and easy DIY option.

Put On A Show

RGB lighting is the latest in lighting techniques and has great potential for outdoor entertaining if you love to put on a show.

It stands for red, green and blue, which sounds simple enough. But these three colors combined, when varied in intensity, have the ability to produce millions of different colors. That means stupendous light shows.

These high-tech lighting systems have built-in wifi receivers, remote controls to change the effects at whim, and limitless color and design options.

Entertain your guests with a spectacular light show with more than 30,000 color choices, and change them with the push of a button.

Who needs an expensive resort? You can program and control your own light show for Halloween, Christmas,  or to wow your guests at your next pool party.

Smart Controls

Lighting control using your smartphone or iPad has really taken off this year. You can control any of your outdoor lightings remotely with the device you already have in your purse or pocket. Just click and aaahhhh…

Line Up The Lights

LED strip lights are one of the most popular LED lighting products on the market this year, with huge potential for outdoor entertaining during a dinner party.

Just like the name describes, these are flexible strips with tiny LED lights embedded in them. They come on a roll and usually have an adhesive backing.

They’re available in a wide range of colors — and they can change colors.

These are great for lining counters or bar tops in outdoor kitchens, for subtle lighting on your deck railings or patio, or outlining stair treads for an elegant look that also offers safety. You can also easily find LED string lights for hanging up around your outdoor space to add a twinkle everywhere you look. 

Another easy party idea that can help add a soft glow to your space in minutes? Try adding some tea lights to mason jars and it will light up your outdoor dining space or enhance your tablescape well into the evening hours. Or combine LED lights, tea lights, mason jars and fall gourds for the perfect centerpiece on your patio dining table!

Neave Has All The Outdoor Patio Entertainment Ideas

Neave Outdoor Solutions is all about helping you make your outdoor entertaining space the best it can be.

Home decor isn’t only for indoors. We can set you up with a SunBrite outdoor TV so you can enjoy lounging and watch movies by the pool or settle in on the deck for the big games this autumn.

The skilled artisans at Neave Masonry are experts in fire pits and outdoor fireplaces. All you have to do is buy the ingredients for s’mores.

Outdoor kitchens are one of our specialties. Our designers can help you create the outdoor kitchen of your dreams and equip it with appliances from the top manufacturers.

The experts at Neave Carpentry can help you design the perfect pergola for your deck, patio, poolside or garden. Then Neave Landscaping can step in to provide the climbing vines and plants to add the finishing touch.

And the lighting pros at Neave Outdoor are skilled in the latest outdoor lighting designs to illuminate all of this, so you can enjoy your outdoor entertaining space long after the sun goes down.

Outdoor entertaining — Neave has you covered. If you’re in the Hudson Valley, call us at (845) 463-0592. If you’re in Westchester County, call (914) 271-7996; from Connecticut, dial (203) 212-4800. Or, fill out our simple web form, and we’ll contact you about setting up your free consultation.

And if you’re looking for a little more outdoor entertainment inspiration, check out Neave’s portfolio of beautiful work on Houzz by clicking on the graphic below.