A Complete Guide to Outdoor Dining Sets

Now that we’re in the winter months, the outdoor dining season may be behind us, but before you know it, it will be Spring again. Since time flies, it’s never too early to start thinking about how you might create or refresh a patio dining area.

In this guide, we offer tips, suggestions, and advice to help you craft the best outdoor dining deck in the neighborhood.

First Steps: Look at Your Deck or Yard Space

As step one, you might have a decision to make depending on your backyard configuration. Would an outdoor dining set look better on an attached deck, or would it be best on a patio arrangement further away from the house?

Once you select where your dining area should be, it’s time to take measurements. There are many different types of dining furniture designs, and the variations can often affect dimensions.

Once you have your space measured, double check everything, and then you can decide how many people you’d like to host based on your space. After these crucial first steps, you can start looking at furniture styles.  

Traditional Styling

Traditional outdoor dining set designs add a rustic look to a deck, or patio. These are great for emulating the feel of small towns, farmhouses, or countryside retreats.

When it comes to traditional designs, we at highwood® offer the Lehigh collection. Individual chairs, tables, stools, and bundles of seating and tables are available, with various dimensions and configurations. Whatever the needs are for your deck or patio, you’ll find a way to craft a classically styled dining area each guest will love.

Modern Styling

Modern design covers a wide range of looks, but in general, it includes straight lines and right angles. Modern dining sets look stunning in front of large windows, as a centerpiece of garden patios, or when used with modern architecture.

The straight lines and right angles we mentioned are embodied in our Weatherly dining furniture. These modern pieces give you and your  family room to enjoy an outdoor meal together without overwhelming the feel of your space.  

Adirondack Styling

In addition to traditional and modern-style options, highwood® also has a treat for Adirondack chair lovers. If you can’t get enough of Adirondack contoured seats and even-lined back slats, take a look at our Hamilton dining sets.

These pieces take the timeless look of our Hamilton Adirondack chair and applies it to deck chairs appropriate for a dining deck. Retaining both the look and the comfort of Adirondack seats, these sets are a sturdy and relaxing option that family and guests alike will love.

Regular, Counter, and Bar Heights

Besides design and style, another point to consider as you put your dining area together is the furniture height. Besides the classic dining height typical of families eating outdoors, you may also want to consider slightly taller counter height dining furniture, or even taller bar height sets.

Counter height sets offer a bit more stature than regular height pieces, but have a similar feel to standard dining furniture. These are great for large patios, or decks attached to houses. Rectangular balcony sets can also be offered in counter-height variations. 

For a slightly different experience, consider outdoor bar kits for your dining area. These provide a similar feel to tall seating at restaurants, and can grant a unique feel for evening social gatherings. Versatile, comfortable, and cool, they look great against walls, or deck railings.

At highwood®, we offer both traditional and modern style bar and balcony sets. Whether you appreciate the rustic impression of our Lehigh collection, or want the distinctive aura that our brand-new Monroe collection provides, you’ll have options to choose from.  

Bring Out Your Creativity with Color

Last, but certainly not least, once you have the space, style, and furniture picked out, you can get creative with color. Whether you want to blend in with your surroundings with black, browns, or greys, or want to stand out with blues and reds, we have plenty of choices that would fit perfectly in your outdoor dining area!

If you want some inspiration when it comes to choosing what colors would be best in your space, order a set of our product swatches, each of which includes sample pieces of all our color selections.

Add Some Accessories and Décor

While you’re thinking about what colors would be best, it’s also a good time to start thinking about accessories and decorations that would look amazing with your dining furniture. Even though it’s not the time for outdoor eating yet, its not too early to start planning for summer evenings outside on the patio.

While warm weather is nice for eating outside, it can sometimes get a little too hot, especially if you live in an area without much shade from trees. For these situations, it never hurts to think about adding an umbrella to your dining table. Many of our own tables include umbrella holes for that exact reason!

For gatherings that go past daylight hours, tiki torches can help add a breezy, tropical feel. Many of these also include nice scents, so it’s more than just a visual experience.

Speaking of scents, if your backyard is prone to mosquitoes and other insects during warmer weather, citronella candles offer a sweet-smelling solution that may also reduce the number of uninvited guests interrupting your meal. For more tips on how to keep mosquitoes away, check out our blog.

Get Your Deck Ready for the Spring

We hope this guide has been helpful when it comes to planning out an outdoor dining area. How will you get ready for warm-weather dining? Let us know in the comments! Also, we love seeing what you do with our furniture, so if you have a highwood® dining set you’re proud of, feel free to send in a picture and share it with us!