BY DEBORAH RIDER ALLEN
If you are looking for the Schaefers in Chesdin Landing on a sunny day, you can probably find them entertaining outdoors.


That is because three years ago, the family — Tom and Lori Schaefer and their children, Kelsey and Kyle — put in an outdoor kitchen with a grill, warming drawer, rotisserie and smoker, a bar complete with a drink machine and granite countertops, comfy furniture and cable television.

“It is a place we move into in the warm weather and stay there until it gets cold,” said Tom Schaefer.

“It is like having a whole extra room in the house and everything is there. We can hang out there all weekend in good weather and don’t need anything.”

Outdoor entertaining has gotten so popular that you need not look far to find equipment and furnishings to suit any style or mood.

First, seed and feed

Begin with the basics by preparing the lawn and gardens.

Jack Cahoon, vice president-general manager of Sawyer’s Lawn Equipment in Mechanicsville, says you need to seed and fertilize your lawn before it is ready to be groomed.

“If you are going to be entertaining in your yard you want your grass to be green, pretty and groomed. But remember, it takes time when you start on your lawn for you to get to the grooming stage,” said Cahoon, whose company sells everything from small push mowers to fast, zero-turn riding mowers as well as leaf blowers and edgers for the flower beds.

“Trees also need to be pruned so they are not shaggy and in the way,” Cahoon said, adding that some saws can reach heights of 9 to 10 feet so that a ladder isn’t needed.

And if you really want the groomed look for your lawn, lawn brooms can attach to mowers and provide that linear, baseball-field cut.

“It is an easy attachment that you put on that drags and stands the grass up to make it look sharper.”

Islands and fridges

When you think about entertaining outdoors, you usually associate it with grilling. But for today’s homeowners, the grill is only a part of the outdoor cooking experience.

“The traditional materials over the past 20 years were the deck, the grill and a couple of chairs. Now you can have paved patios with an island kitchen and sinks and refrigerators,” said John Murray, vice president of Ultimate Backyard, a store that offers products from patio furniture and grills to play equipment.

He added that the best-selling grills are high-end stainless steel models with cooktops and warming areas.

Luisa Piacentini, vice president of Southern Hearth & Patio, said many buyers coordinate their outdoor cooking area with their home’s exterior, choosing ceramic, granite, stone, stucco or brick for the tops of their equipment.

“We also do gas fire pits that are already preassembled with the burners and the gas logs,” she said. These units can be hooked up to a gas tank or a gas line and also come in a variety of finishes from stucco to brick.

Don Weaver, general manager of Deck City of Richmond Inc., said more people are adding amenities such as benches, overhead pergolas and fire pits to their decks.

“We make an area out of slate or something similar so they can set the fire pit on the deck and not damage the deck,” he said.

Beyond tables and chairs

When it comes to outdoor furniture, don’t limit your thinking to tables and chairs.

“The thrust is that anything you have inside your home you can have outside your home,” said Lisa Keyser Peters, buyer and manager for JoPa Co., which sells standard outdoor furniture such as gliders, chaise longues and tables as well as love seats, ottomans, cocktail tables, chat tables and bar sets.

One-of-a-kind tabletops are another trend.

JoPa recently got in lava-stone tabletops from Italy. One is hand-painted in a compass and desert wind design. Tabletops also come in cast aluminum, real and faux stone, copper, tile and marble.

While there are a variety of materials, some take less maintenance and last longer than others.

“We carry outdoor cast aluminum and outdoor wicker that you can use on patios, screened porches or by the pool,” said Maury Childress, vice president of Virginia Wayside Furniture.

He said wicker can be painted with specialized outdoor paint, or you can buy a vinyl wicker or synthetic resin wicker that looks like the real thing.

“My recommendation is to use the painted [wicker] for porches but the wrapped vinyl can be set outside year-round.”

Specialized powder-coated paints are used on wrought iron products for better maintenance.

“We have the wrought iron that is powder-coated so it will not rust and you do not have to keep painting it, and it is not affected by the weather,” said Piacentini.

Other low-maintenance materials for furniture include polyethylene, teak, cast aluminum and tropical hardwoods.

Some newer fabrics hold up better and are less prone to mildew.

“The outdoor fabric has cushioning that drains and there is no foam inside, so the water will run through and it dries right away after it rains,” said Childress.

Murray said accessory boxes can store cushions as well as furniture covers.

The accessories

When the big items are taken care of, don’t forget to add the little touches that add flair to your outdoor living space.

“We have all kinds of hanging baskets and potted plants to set around to soften the edges and make it colorful,” said Kathy Traylor, manager of the garden center at the Mechanicsville location of Strange’s Florist and Garden Center. Strange’s also carries fountains and landscape plants.

Beverly Binns, estate sale director-buyer for Martha’s Mixtures, said a fun theme can refresh your tabletop or outdoor scene.

“If you buy the pink flamingos, then roll off with the pink-themed color using white dishes and pink flowers and napkins on the table and pink candles. Fun decorative items add atmosphere to whatever type of entertaining you are doing.” she said.

The cuisine

Beverly Townsend, owner of Belle Kuisine & Kitchen Kuisine, said certain products — an upright, nonstick rib rack that holds five rib slabs or a vertical roasting wok that grills an entire meal at once — can add excitement to your grilling experience.

“Savor the flavor of nature’s cuisine with roasting and grilling planks in cedar, alder and maple,” she added. “And complement your foods with some tasty gourmet rubs or sauces.”

For something different in outdoor cuisine, Townsend suggested a fondue party.

“Start with cheese fondue with the traditional recipe of Swiss, Gruyère and Emmenthaler cheese. Then progress to the main course by presenting beef and chicken cubes surrounded with an array of dipping sauces. Finish with a delicious chocolate fondue in milk, dark or white chocolate, or even better, use all three chocolates with your favorite fruits and pound cake for dipping,” she said.

But no matter what you cook, how you decorate or what furniture or appliances you have, the key to entertaining outdoors is to make the outdoor area an extension of your home.

“The best outdoor living space includes the convenience of home and a comfortable place to entertain friends and family. So take your home and expand your living space to the outdoors,” said Murray.