ARIZONA OUTDOOR ENTERTAINING

This post is sponsored by Hayneedle.

The best thing about living in Arizona is the weather. It's dry and sunny almost every day of the year. Even during our high temperatures we find ourselves outdoors because we have a pool, and also because we have a backyard that feels like a sanctuary. Last year, we got patio furniture so we could enjoy the space more, and this year we finished decking out our outdoor grill area thanks to Hayneedle. 

Hayneedle offers the best outdoor decor and entertaining essentials and great prices. You better believe we will be enjoying some margaritas and carne-asada this week for Cinco de Mayo. We love using our grill, and we are able to sit and enjoy each other's company while we cook using these woven bar stools. I selected these because they appeared durable, more heat resistant than metal, and brought texture to the space. I freshened them up with some color using outdoor pillows with blues and aqua. 

We also put up a living wall to cover the ugly block wall we have, as well as to have a space to plant herbs and spices. Since the area gets sun all day long and the hot days are coming, I planted lavender and rosemary for now. They will grow in almost any weather. 

We also added some green with our big planters and covered some of the boring beige stucco with our log hoop. It's functional and it adds some interest to the space.

I thought adding some lanterns to the area was a pretty way to make the bar come alive. It's also functional for evening entertaining, and the lanterns won't blow away (something to think about for outdoor styling). 

Shade is important in Arizona, so we ordered an umbrella for the bar. I like the striped pattern for interest, but I stuck with the white and tan so it didn't over power the space.

Being able to eat poolside is amazing, but safety is important too. I ordered some durable plastic plates and other entertaining essentials. You can see the rest of my selects on the Hayneedle's blog. 

Photography by Rennai Hoefer