When the first beautiful day of spring rolls around, it makes you want to bust out the patio furniture and invite over the neighbors for a barbecue. Before you can soak up the sun in your backyard with friends, though, you likely need to perform some much-needed updates to your deck or patio and maintain it after months of cold weather. If you don't know where to start with creating the perfect outdoor party space, here's how to bring your vision to life.

Essential Features of an Outdoor Entertaining Space

Add Lighting

Seen above: San Marcos Chain Hung Lantern In Black w/Antique Copper Accents — ML-72494-68

With summer days comes later sunsets, but for those evenings when the party continues after the porch light comes on, you'll need outdoor lighting around your living space. Patio lights can have a massive impact on the entire look and feel of your yard. They set the mood for a relaxing and comfortable lounge space while providing much-needed task lighting for more active areas.

If you plan on installing an outdoor kitchen, for example, a series of pendant lights over the prep space creates illumination over your grilling. For general lighting, outdoor f

Ceiling fans circulate air in a room, allowing you to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Installing a new one adds style and will enhance your home's decor. If you’re in the market for a new fan, there are tips that can help you make the right decision.

What Should You Consider Before Buying a Ceiling Fan?

1.      Room Size

When a ceiling fan is too big, it can overwhelm a room visually. When it’s too small, it won’t adequately circulate the air.

Before you shop, measure the room’s area in square feet by multiplying the length of the room by the height. Then, measure the height of the ceiling. This will give you an idea of the height you’ll want to hang the fan from.

Bathrooms and guest bedrooms tend to be 10’ x 10’ or smaller. A small ceiling fan in these rooms will keep the space comfortable. Rooms that are up to 20’ x 20’ should use large fans. If the room is larger than 20’ x 20’, you’ll need a Great Room fan or two fans.

To find the right size fan for your room, try our Ceiling Fan Size Calculator.

2.      Its Location

Ceiling fans can contribute a lot to a room. They create comfort on hot summer days and provide a familiar sense of home that few other fixtures can recreate. A tried and true bastion of residential interiors, the ceiling fan is a fixture that designers have long sought ways to reinvent year after year. In 2020, interiors take aim at the base of the fixture, opting for bolder hues that carry a sense of calm as the fan spins overhead. Here’s everything you need to know about this latest trend.

Pantone’s 2020 Color of the Year

For those unfamiliar with this tradition, Pantone Color Institute dubs one shade the “color of the year,” dictating trends in fashion, interiors, and beyond. For 2020, they’ve given the title to none other than PANTONE 19-4052: Classic Blue.

A timeless hue reminiscent of the sky at dusk, classic blue inspires calm and connection, providing, as the institute stated, “a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.” Relaxed and approachable, this shade is surprisingly neutral for a pop of color. It can find a home in any room, whether as an accent wall, a cabinet color, or even a ceiling fixture.

How to Use Blue Ceiling Fans in Your Home

Ceiling fans are historically overlooked as a design element, pegged too often as a strictly functional component of a living s