How to Host a Backyard Gathering (Even When it Rains)

The playlist is loaded, the appetizers are plated, guests are on their way to your festive backyard gathering and then … the unmistakable sound of raindrops! Your party doesn’t have to be ruined or even brought inside. With a luxury louvered roof in your outdoor living space, the celebration continues, rain or shine. 

 

How Louvered Roofs Make it Easy to Host a Party Outside

You may be familiar with patio covers and pergolas, but have you seen how a louvered roof works? Because of their adaptability to changing weather conditions, louvered roofs take your outdoor living space to a whole new level and are exceptionally appealing for people who love to entertain outdoors. These are just a few of the ways a louvered roof can help keep the party going, no matter the weather. 

 

Weatherproof Entertaining

Louvered roofs are built with slanted horizontal slats that can be opened and closed at the touch of a button to adapt to changing weather conditions. When rain arrives, louvers in the closed position form rain channels that fill, go over the lip, and flow onto the ground, protecting your guests. The roof will respond automatically to rain or you can close the louvers yourself with a one-touch app or remote control. Maybe it’s not rain you’re worried about but the unrelenting sun on a hot day. Louvers come to the rescue with a design that easily allows you to customize the amount of sun or shade you and your guests are experiencing underneath your roof.

Keep it Lit and Toasty or Cool and Breezy

When you’re entertaining at night, your guests will appreciate an outdoor living space with lighting and heating to keep them comfortable. On a hot afternoon, cooling elements will be just as important. Many louvered roof designs are available with features including heating elements or ceiling fans that can be integrated seamlessly and customized to your specifications. It’s like having all the comforts of home, but outside.

 

When it comes to lighting, consider how the mood you create affects the success of any event. It’s just as important to outdoor entertaining as it is to indoor entertaining. You’ll want task lighting to be able to see clearly while cooking or grilling, along with lighting that feels intimate or festive. It’s important that the design of your louvered roof incorporates lighting and heating in a way that is safe, functional, and smartly designed to eliminate detracting from the overall look and feel of your outdoor space. 

 

Not Your Basic BBQ

A louvered roof expands your indoor space into your outdoor space, elevating the ease and elegance of all your entertaining. Whether you’re grilling burgers for friends and family or creating gourmet appetizers to serve with tasty cocktails, having a full outdoor kitchen beneath your louvered roof makes every gathering more memorable. A louvered roof can be an inspiration to rethink the comprehensive design of your outdoor living space. Maybe it’s time to go from a grill and cooler to a full outdoor kitchen? Even without a full outdoor kitchen, a louvered roof creates a sense of definition in your outdoor space that makes a simple BBQ feel more like a special event.

 

It’s Your Party

Before you make any decisions about your outdoor living design, the first step should be considering how you live today and what your aspirations are for the future. As you’re considering the overall space and whether or not to include a kitchen, a fireplace or fire pit, a sound system, or a TV, think about the mood and frequency of your entertaining. Do you like impromptu gatherings of friends to watch a big game? Are your dinner parties elegant and intimate? Do you prefer to entertain mostly during the day, or mostly at night? A skilled professional will be sure to go over these questions with you before suggesting the ideal louvered roof in an outdoor living space for your home.

 

Tips for a Successful Outdoor Party

  • Keep your menu simple so you can relax with your guests and not spend all of your time in the kitchen.
  • Design your own signature cocktail! Align your cocktail with your party theme or use your local surroundings, whether that’s the beach, mountains, or desert, for inspiration.
  • Make sure you have plenty of comfortable seating so you can draw guests from the indoor kitchen where many party-goers tend to congregate, into the outdoor space.
  • Create distinct areas for drinks, snacks, and entertainment so people are encouraged to move about and mingle.
  • Consider your surroundings as part of your party “decorations.” If your outdoor living space has a view, schedule a party time that embraces the sunset. If you have a garden, fresh-picked flowers from your own home are often more memorable than a formal bouquet.

 

Entertaining outdoors can be successful in almost any season, especially when your outdoor living area is designed with a louvered roof. When you can effortlessly embrace both your surroundings and unexpected rain or heat from Mother Nature, you’ll experience some of the best parties of your life!

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