Posts Tagged ‘Outdoor Furniture’
Finding New Uses for Outdoor Furniture
Now that the harsh October winds are blowing across much of the Midwest and the East Coast, it’s not uncommon for homeowners to bring their patio furniture indoors for the season. A few weeks ago I set about transforming my screen room into its functional winter equivalent – a sun porch. Basically this process requires that I remove all of the screens from the windows and replace them with a pane of glass. Then I keep the sliding door to the rest of the house open, allowing the room to be heated.
In this way, I still get plenty of use out of my cedar patio furniture – even when the snow begins to fall and being outside for any lengthy period of time is simply out of the question. I like to retire to the sun porch to read a good book or to chat with family members. No matter what leisurely activity I might pursue, it’s heightened and improved by the stunning view out those windows.
Prepare for the Unexpected
If entertaining is your forte, you may have amassed a large list of friends to invite to every soiree. You also may know that big problems occur when there is not enough of something for everyone at the party – this can be food, drinks, utensils, plates, or seating. Don’t make anyone feel like a second-class partygoer – be extra prepared for more guests than you’re expecting. How many times has your cousin’s wife’s aunt’s son decided that he wanted to bring his new girlfriend to an event? Exactly.
The point is that you should be absolutely sure to have extra chairs on hand. These don’t have to be super fancy chairs that perfectly match your patio furniture. In fact, the most convenient chairs are folding lawn chairs. You can store extras in your garage and then magically pull them out as extra guests show up. No one will care if the extra chairs don’t exactly match the rest; the stragglers will just be happy to have a drink in hand and a place to sit.