15 Stylish Outdoor Entertaining Essentials You'll Use All Summer Long

Entertaining is a breeze when you have a dreamy summer day for a backdrop. With the scene set, Shannon Wollack and Brittany Zwickl, the designers behind Studio Life.Style, say the secret to keeping the party going long after the sun goes down (and well into the summer months) is to envision your outdoor space the same way you would an indoor room.

Here, pots of cornflowers and a bloom-dappled tablecloth set a serene scene for dinner with friends. Offset them with simple stoneware, faded terra-cotta urns, and baskets for décor that feels equally intentional and easy to pack up once outdoor entertaining season wraps up. 

Wollack and Zwickl also recommend using a basket to keep throw blankets and outdoor rugs on hand—an effortless way to bring your indoor living room outside and a practical solution for guests looking to kick back after dinner is done. Sprinkling votive candles and hurricane lanterns throughout an outdoor living space is another easy way to keep the atmosphere warm and inviting even as evening temperatures dip. And upholstered seating—covered in a durable, weather-proof fabric like canvas, of course—helps give an outdoor space a more lived-in look that is both comfortable and stylish.

Just as you would indoors, set up a few distinct "zones" for guests to perch, treating each as its own spot to congregate. The modern outdoor essentials we've rounded up here cover all the details for an alfresco gathering—and they'll make guests feel cool and comfortable, whether you're hosting at home or farther afield. 

Cotton napkins are a greener alternative to traditional paper options, and they look prettier too. These come in eco-inked prints and are flour sack-sturdy. We also like that these beauties are BBQ-friendly: They're pre-shrunk, so you can wash them in stain-lifting hot water.

Cotton June & December Mixed Woodblock Chicory Napkins, $38 for four, junedecember.com.

With their oval shapes and hand-painted florals, these platters look artful on any table.

Niels Refsgaard Dansk "Vandvid" Ceramic Platters, $95 for 3, food52.com.

Chic and low-profile, acrylic wineglasses are just the thing for poolside pours. We like that these can be easily stacked, too.

Crate & Barrel Stacking Acrylic Clear Wineglasses, $4 each, crateandbarrel.com.

You can slice limes on the teak lid of your all-weather outdoor bar cart, then lift it to access ice and cocktail mixers. This woven option, reminiscent of Parisian bistro chairs, is mildew- and fade-resistant.

Serena & Lily Riviera Outdoor Bar Cart, $898, serenaandlily.com.

Good light and good music are essentials for any outdoor party. This rechargeable speaker combines a vintage hurricane lamp's good looks with high-tech light and Bluetooth audio. 

Keen Hsu LED Lantern Speaker, $110, store.moma.org.

To streamline a self-service meal, arrange end-of-the-buffet items in a galvanized three-tiered server, then switch in sweets at dessert time.

Martha Stewart Collection Galvanized Three-Tiered Server, $79, macys.com.

A rattan-wrapped thermos gives iced tea or even plain H2O island flavor.

Amanda Lindroth Rattan-Wrapped Thermos, $150, amandalindroth.com.

Bring salads and fruit in these lightweight containers. They stack neatly in a cooler
and will look sleek in your picnic spread.

Container Store "Lustroware" Containers, $30 for five container-lid sets, containerstore.com.

Greener than disposables and nearly as light, faux-bois melamine dinner plates hit a neutral, natural note.

Merritt Heartwood Melamine Dinner Plates, $10 each, bloomingdales.com.

Serving an extra-messy meal? Upgrade your dining experience with kitchen towels in place of napkins. The extra square inches fully protect clothes for cross-legged eating.

IKEA "Vardagen" Kitchen Towels, $4 each, ikea.com.

This wheeled cooler is heavy-duty and ultra-roomy. Pack provisions
of all shapes and sizes (hot dogs and buns, bottles of rosé), and get rolling.

Yeti "The Tundra Haul" Cooler, from $400, yeti.com.

Ensure each guest has the utensils they'll need by zipping wooden-handled flatware into a canvas utility pouch, which buffers the pointy tips and keeps everything together.

Skandia "Kona" Flatware, $100 for 20 pieces, bedbathandbeyond.com; The Floral Society Canvas Utility Pouch, $44, thefloralsociety.com.

With a handsome Italian-leather handle and 20 hours of playback time, this speaker lives up to its name, which means, "Let's go!"

Tivoli "Andiamo" Speaker, $199, tivoliaudio.com.

Part rug, part blanket, and 100 percent nap-ready, handwoven frazadas encourage cloud-gazing at any event.

Intiearth Vintage Peruvian Frazadas, from $320 each, intiearth.com.