Outdoor Living Ideas

Is your backyard swimming pool as much for entertaining adults as it is for children? Or maybe you’d like it to be? This floating party table (called the “AquaPub”), complete with attached floating chairs, can give the adults a place to hang out and have a drink.

I remember when I was down in Cancun, I got a big kick out of the swimming pool bar. You could get your pina colada and sit at the bar in the water and drink it. Or you could take your beverage and toodle around the pool. Though this table doesn’t come with a complete bar, it would at least give you some place to sit and enjoy your beverages in between sun bathing and chatting with friends and family.

The party table comes with 6 chairs, 6 drink holders, and 2 removable ice trays so you can keep drinks and snacks cold. The AquaPub is available via Vacation Gadget Man for $125.

Here’s an accessory for your backyard swimming pool. Okay, maybe I’d call it more of a toy than an accessory, because it looks like it’d be fun to play with. The motorized pool lounger gives you a couple of joysticks to drive yourself around the water without going through all the effort of kicking or paddling. Want to see what’s going on over in the deep end? Just tap the joystick. Oops, you got too close to the diving area. No problem. Another tap puts you in reverse. A motorized pool lounger is probably the epitome of laziness, but who cares? It’s not like you’re flopping down on a pool toy in order to get a workout anyway.

The lounger is available from Vacation Gadgets for $130 plus shipping.

I’m not sure birds really care what their birdhouse looks like, so long as it’s warm, dry, and out of the wind (and there’s some decent grub nearby), but this acorn-shaped dwelling is sure to make your human guests smile. Much less of an eye sore than some of the drab plastic feeders and birdhouses you can pick up at Wal-mart or other unimaginative stores, this cast-porcelain acorn would be a fun addition to your outdoor living space.

The $40 birdhouse is “a charming, woodsy addition to your yard that will stand up to nature’s worst year after year, even in rugged northern climates.” This is thanks to a durable fired-enamel finish. Meant to hang from a branch, the acorn house comes with two cords and swivel clips for stability.

Available at Plow & Hearth

You spent the spring and the summer creating the perfect garden, complete with a seating area where you can bask in the back-to-nature feel surrounding you. The only problem? The neighbor’s second story back deck and kitchen window look right out over your yard. It’s hard to feel relaxed when your privacy is in question. And nude sun-bathing is right out. That is unless you fence yourself off a bit.

A fence can be purely functional, but as long as you’re spending money, why not get something that is as much a piece of art as your garden? I love the bamboo fence panels from Master Garden Products. They come in several different designs and sizes made up of various patterns. The panels shown here feature vertical and horizontal bamboo accented with eye-catching black bamboo lattices on the top. The fence panels provide privacy, but they’re also attractive enough to make them feel like a natural extension of the garden.

Master Garden Products

If your kids are bugging you for a slide for the backyard swimming pool, but you think they’re too expensive to install (permanent structures do tend to be costly), maybe this inflatable pool slide could be a suitable compromise. Granted, it’s not going to entertain big kids (although the product description says it can hold up to 150 pounds), but if your youngsters are still toddler-sized, they may have a blast zipping down this.

It’s designed to be hooked up to a hose (there’s a built-in “spray strip”), so it becomes a water slide. Made of heavy-duty PVC, the slide should stand up to some wear and tear. Since it’s inflatable, you can simply let out the air at the end of the summer for easy storage.

The price is $120 from Plow & Hearth.

If you live in a warm climate (or just wish you did) and do a lot of outdoor entertaining, you might get a kick out of this bamboo tiki hut bar. Definitely reminiscent of some tropical island, the covered bar has plenty of storage for drinks, glasses, and snacks. You could hook up outdoor plumbing and electricity if you wanted to have a full service bar. Imagine the relaxation potential: string up a few hammocks around the yard, put on the Hawaiian music, and have your personal man servants (i.e. the kids) bring you drinks from your tiki bar.

The tiki hut comes in two sizes 6′ x 6′ and 8′ x 8′ with counter widths of 18″ and 24″ respectively. You can have your choice of tropical grass or Asian bamboo tiles for the roof. More details over at the retailer’s site:

http://www.mastergardenproducts.com/tikihutbar.htm

If you want to create an outdoor living space that looks and feels like something out of a zen garden, this gong from VivaTerra could be a fun addition. The work of music- and instrument-designer, Garry Kvistad, the Emperor Gong is handcrafted and made from materials that allow it to endure the weather and last for years. The gong “captures the romance and splendor of the Far East with a beautifully rich, deep shimmering sound.” I just think it looks cool. Can’t you see it next to one of those sand and rock meditation gardens?

The gong costs $75: VivaTerra