apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We have a small bistro table (no umbrella) on our balcony, but we RARELY eat outside. Frankly, the bugs, sun, wind, flying grit all make al fresco unappealing to me. Never a fan of picnics...

I don't like eating outside for the same reasons SherryBin mentioned. If I'm at a bbq, I don't mind eating off my lap. If you like lounging, keep your comfy furniture. If you have the storage space, you could always get a foldable table for meals outside.

We eat breakfast outside on Sundays on our deck. We have a long ovular table, and a giant umbrella. Eating outside is best in the A.M., because the bugs aren't out quite yet :)

Love eating out in the evenings when the hot sun dies down. Unfortunately, it's been pretty cool here in chicago this spring so we really haven't had the opportunity.

Living in Southern California, eating outside is always my favorite option, wether I am at home, a friend's house or a restaurant.

We have an oval teak set with 4 sturdy chairs (with arms). We love eating outside any chance we get. We have a big tray that we load up (to save trips in and out).

Something my mother-in-law does to avoid bugs is burn those cardboard takeout trays from the coffee shop. I've never been around when she does it, so can't attest to smell, but she's described it like incense and swears by it. I wonder about how green this is, though...

As much as possible, I dine outside on my patio on Ikea's Tullero set. It's comfortable enough for hanging out too. It's been nice since I have no dining room! I may have to invest in one of those outdoor heaters for winter.

I'd love some ideas in this regard too! My husband and I dine out regularly as often as we can in Boston. We have a small space with a square teak table that sits 2-4 comfortably, any more we're lap eating which is fine. My challange is converting to something more comfortable for lounging. The table is great to eat, but not so much for cocktail hour. Teak chairs, even with cushions, are not condusive to lingering!

Some of the CB2 chairs look comfy, maybe with a round fold down table? What do the rest of you do?

Folding chairs, a little round glass-top table, and a cooler full of beer!

We have a small bistro set on the balcony and try to dine outside as much as possible, before the summer comes because it gets really really HOT in the Summer (arizona).

theres nothing better than coming home after a long day and sitting outside, having a bite to eat, under the apricot tree in my front yard thats strung up with lights. One of my favorite things.

I have a huge teak outdoor dining set with beautiful reclining chairs. I have been trying to utilize it more this summer so I put them on the front porch where there is less sun instead of the back porch where I rarely go to relax because of the blazing sun setting. I love to have my watermelon or fruit bowls outside. I had a marvelous barbecue about a month ago. We had a fresh mozzarella and tomato platter with fresh sweet basil, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil drizzled over. After that we had sirloin hamburgers on whole wheat buns with a side strawberry, red onion, and romaine lettuce salad (homemade dressing, of course). Our first dessert was fresh cut watermelon. After our walk by the river, I brought out the grand finale, homemade angel food cake with maraschino cherries and homemade whipped cream.

Best barbecue I ever hosted.

My patio is in the backyard. I have the whole dining suite with cotton duck umbrella and matching cushions. It looks inviting.

Unfortunately, the yard belongs to my big dog and even a cleaned backyard reeks of piss.

It's a great diet aid.

In my opinion, keep the comfy casual furniture - it gets more use than a dining set would.

It drives me insane to eat outside with bugs and stuff everywhere - the bistro set on my balcony (on the few occasions I'm even out there) gets used mostly as a place to sit the laptop when I'm wanting to get some work done in some fresh air.

We have a smallish back porch with a wicker loveseat and bistro set (Ikea Bollo). When we have more than just the two of us, we move the bistro table and chairs over to the loveseat - the table has just enough room for 4.

A nice thing about the Bollo table is that it folds flat, and is inexpensive enough that you could get two or three, then just stow them away when you're lounging outside, and arrange them however you like when you bbq.