How you style your home plays a big role in whether or not your house is an entertaining hotspot or something of a social dead zone. If you don’t have somewhere to serve drinks and your furniture is covered in dog hair, it’s unlikely that all of your friends are going to be gathering in your living room. On the other hand, if you’ve got space for games and a great sound system then everyone is going to want to come over.

Now that summer’s on the way, however, it’s time to move your entertaining outside – but what should that look like? If you’re not sure how to set up your patio to welcome your friends and family over, here are a few design tips to get you started.

Scrub Down And Cover Up

Concrete is the most practical outdoor flooring option, but if you want to keep your concrete patio looking great in the long term you’ll have to take good care of it. This summer, get off to a good start by cleaning your concrete patio and then putting down outdoor rugs. The rugs are especially important if you plan to put down patio furniture – and of course you do! – as they’ll protect your patio from scratches.

PIck Some Plants

Even if you don’t have much of a green thumb, a patio tends to look incomplete without at least a few plants. If your patio is small, stay away from ivies and trailing plants that may take over and instead opt for a few small flowers or potted shrubs. And for those who are afraid that they’ll kill anything they put out on the patio, succulents are very trendy right now and happily rather difficult to kill.

Create Comfort

Your furniture choices are very important in determining how successful your summer entertaining ventures will be. After all, it’s easy to pick a comfortable indoor couch, but outside – where you need to worry a lot more about durability – it can be much more difficult.

Look for a patio set in neutral tones that offers a level of comfort you would expect inside with the functionality you can only get outside. Add pillows with easy to clean slipcovers and you’ll be able to change the look of your space any time you feel like. Just remember to bring all the cushions inside if you’re expecting rain!

Accessorize Wisely

As with interior decorating, the accessories really make the space. Choose colorful outdoor table settings that will really pop and repurpose items like wall mirrors to put on surfaces for an unexpected element. If you bring a measure of class to outdoor entertaining – think dinner party rather than barbecue – your place will be a hot spot for friends tired of eating hot dogs off of paper plates.

It’s time to set up the patio and call up your friends – summer is coming. After all, entertaining is a real joy when you have the right tools on hand.