How to Make Outdoor Hosting Easy This Summer

If you love to host family and friends outdoors during the warmer months, it’s important to set up functional systems in your home to make hosting a breeze! 

Here are some helpful tips and trips to storing your outdoor serve ware and supplies so that everything is handy and accessible for events and last-minute gatherings: 

Designate

Designate a place in your kitchen, or near the door to your outdoor space, for outdoor-only serve ware, utensils and cooking tools. Whether it’s a kitchen cabinet full of melamine cups, dishes and serving ware or a bin filled with those items, create a place in your home that’s only for outdoor items only!

If space is limited, transition your kitchen to accommodate the seasons! In the summer, place outdoor items in prime real estate, and then switch out and put those items in your garage, basement or spare closet during the off-season. During winter months you can put holiday serve ware in prime real estate. 

We also love using weather-resistant storage containers to contain outdoor supplies, in case your gathering is struck by a summer sunshower! 

Contain

Containing outdoor utensils and serving ware will make setting up your outdoor tablescape easier than ever. Containment makes transport super easy from indoors to outdoors. Here are some different ways you can store your outdoor supplies to make setup really easy:

We love using clear bins to separate and contain different types of utensils. This plastic tote and inserts or divided lazy susan are also great products to divide and conquer your outdoor utensil organization. The divided inserts allow you to store forks, spoons, knives, and other tools separately, making setup and breakdown post-party so much easier!

If you don’t have room in your kitchen to store your outdoor hosting supplies, contain the items in a bin with handles in a spare closet or mudroom to make travel to your outdoor space seamless. 

Pro Tip: You could even leave utensils in the divided lazy susan and guests can grab as-needed right from there!

When the party’s over, place the bin or lazy susan right back in a cabinet, pantry or spare closet!

Grab & Go

We encourage clients to take items out of the plastic packaging to save time when it’s time to set up for a party or outdoor dinner. This makes grab-and-go and setup, much quicker when you’re prepping for guests to arrive. 

When dining outdoors, weather can be a factor. It’s important to put systems in place that allow for quick setup (or breakdown) should the elements strike! 

If you need some extra help but aren’t sure where to start, reach out to Horderly to schedule a consultation for in-home or virtual organizing. 

For more information on all things Horderly – including lots of great tips, tricks, and other #HorderlyHabits – check out our blog or reach out for more information!

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