1. Patio tables come in so many shapes, sizes, styles, and materials that shopping for one can be outright daunting. Before you get overwhelmed, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and picture your dream outdoor table experience. Is it your family chowing on burgers at an outdoor dining table? Is it a poolside brunch buffet for a dozen of your closest friends? Or is it just you and your BFF swapping celebrity gossip over a split of Chardonnay? Setting the scene will help you set - and shop for - the perfect outdoor table.
2. If you're serious about using your patio table as an outdoor dining table, err on the side of elbow room. While it's easy to pull up extra chairs for surprise guests, most of us don't have extra patio tables tucked away in the garage. Unless you go so big that you're crowding guests off the patio, you'll find that more is more when it comes to outdoor tables.
3. A lot of patio tables come equipped with umbrella holes. A patio umbrella is a great addition to an outdoor table, especially on hot summer days. Already got it made in the shade, thanks to a patio cover or a screen porch? Cover the umbrella hole with a hurricane lamp or a pretty vase, and voila! Instant centerpiece.
4. Do you come from a family of messy eaters? We won't speculate if it's nature or nurture, but we can recommend an outdoor dining table that cleans up easily. Recycled plastic patio tables wipe up easy-peasy with soap and water (or bleach if you're really hardcore), and they'll never fade or lose their luster. Metal patio tables are pretty simple to wash too, although you'll need to touch up any scratches on a wrought iron table. If you love wood, it's all good, but you might want to keep a tablecloth handy for outdoor fondue night.
5. Add a splash of whimsy to your backyard with an old-fashioned picnic table. Also available in children's sizes, picnic tables are a great outdoor answer to the "kids' table" we were all once relegated to at family gatherings. This time, though, the kids' table can be the cool kids' table.
6. A plastic bag caught in an updraft may be beautiful, but a patio table flying through the air is downright scary. If your house is routinely pounded by gale-force winds, make sure that your patio table doesn't end up across town. Wrought iron patio tables are a great choice for windy areas. They're nice and heavy, staying put while the wind whistles by. Whew!
7. Do your neighbors come running the moment they hear you spark the grill? OK, so ours don't either, but we totally want to be that popular. When you reach the pinnacle of backyard entertaining fame, make sure you have enough outdoor table space to fit everyone. Nesting tables, stackable tables, and extending tables (with collapsible leaves, just like the one in your dining room) are sneaky ways of having lots of outdoor dining table space without feeling lonely when you're hosting a smaller crowd.
8. A summer night without a campfire is like a roasted marshmallow and graham cracker without the chocolate: Still pretty awesome, but just short of transcendent. An outdoor table with a built-in fire pit gives you all the ambience and warmth of a campfire without the stress. Pass the marshmallows!
