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 ambiance and warmth of a campfire without the stress.
Pass the marshmallows!
