Learning the tricks to easy outdoor living

My campaign to move the whole family operation outdoors starts as early as April. Goose bumps and blue lips be damned, I convince my family to hang out, grill, and dine alfresco even when the transitional chill calls for puffy vests and cozy throws. Even our postage stamp of urban outdoor space—a six-by-nine-foot deck and an even tinier patch of grass—feels like a rambling English garden after a winter spent huddled around the fireplace. The trick to easy outdoor living is to treat your outdoor space not as a patio, but as a kind of secondary seasonal family room. Here are a few rules to live by when reorienting your life outdoors:

1. Create a consistent indoor-outdoor feel. When making decisions about outdoor furniture, ask yourself, “Could I possibly live with this table inside?” If the answer is no, it probably shouldn’t be on your patio. I applied this theory in reverse: We moved our round marble kitchen table with a steel base onto our deck. (Though not all furniture is specifically designed for outdoor use, some pieces made of stone or metal can withstand the elements—just consider putting them away or covering them during winter.)
2. Remember it’s not camp, it’s your home. My neighbors, whom I’ve seen outside on their deck only twice in four years of living next to them, fold their table and chairs after each use. Hanging out outside should feel like an extension of your family room, not like a campsite, and should have many of the comforts of indoor living. God bless durable outdoor fabric — we had seat cushions made from it, and they not only look great but they require practically no upkeep. We also opted for comfortable teak benches and chairs; they may be more expensive, but their durability in all types of weather more than makes up for the cost.
3. Assemble a seasonal toy chest. Keep a stash of outdoor entertainment on hand in a weatherproof bucket, airtight bin, or storage bench for your arsenal of toys, sporting gear, and art supplies. You’ll spare yourself a dozen screen-door slams each day.
4. Create an outdoor “closet.” If you maintain a no-shoe rule in your house to minimize the tracking-in of dirt, keep a pair of outdoor shoes or flip-flops for each member of the family. Also have a supply of sun hats or baseball caps, as well as sunblock, bug spray, and sunglasses for family and guests.
5. Set the mood. In addition to whatever outdoor lighting you have wired into the bushes or on the side of the house, make sure you keep candles, oil lamps, and/or weatherproof lanterns that you can hang or place on the table or deck to create many points of ambient light. Floodlights beaming 100 watts off the side of the house are designed to scare burglars away, not to sip margaritas by.
6. Take a trip to your own backyard. For a different perspective, move the table to the middle of the yard. Better yet, if you have a group that’s too large to fit around the patio table, bring your indoor dining set outside—you’ll feel like you’re in Provence. For a little less effort, create a small nook for two (or, even better, for one) with a small café table and chairs, far out in the yard under a tree or next to your favorite flowering plant.
7. Create a garden that works for you. While I’m not much of a gardener, I do love to cook with fresh herbs and tomatoes, and I like my kids to experience firsthand where food comes from. I’m also very aware of my limitations. Every year I fill just a few pots with plants I know I’ll use all summer long: basil for salads and pesto, mint for tea and mojitos, cilantro for guacamole and grilled-fish tacos, and cherry tomatoes for just about everything.
8. Bring meals outdoors. Not just lunch or dinner, and not just on the weekends. Why not bring the eggs outside rather than to the kitchen table? It’s just a few extra steps, and it makes a world of difference to start the day listening to birds chirping—or, as the case may be, city pigeons warbling!

What tricks and tips do you have for making the most of your patio or backyard?

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