The Entertaining Season: Spaces That Invite Connection

A Guide to Summer Hosting at Home in the Pacific Northwest

June in the Puget Sound region is a kind of awakening. The rain slows, the skies soften, and suddenly there’s this collective pull—everyone wants to be outside. We’ve spent months moving through cozy routines and quiet evenings indoors, and now? We’re flinging open the doors, tending to our gardens, and making plans to gather outdoors.

Whether it’s a long lunch under the cherry trees, a spontaneous rosé hour with the neighbors, or a full-blown deck party, this is the season where connection and home come together in the most beautiful ways. And when your interiors are aligned with the way you live in summer, everything just flows.

Here’s how I think about designing for this moment:

1. Flow First: Setting the Stage for Connection

Summer entertaining starts with movement. When I work with clients in Seattle, Bellevue, and around the Sound, I pay close attention to how people naturally gather and move through their spaces.

A few tips:

• Create easy transitions between kitchen, indoor dining, and outdoor areas. Keep the flow clutter free and guide visitors using strategically placed rugs, open doors and with placement of plants.
• Consider multi-functional furnishings like extendable tables or nested stools for impromptu add-ons.
• Think in layers: conversation zones, serving areas, lounge nooks. Not everything needs to match—but everything should feel intentional.

2. Outdoor Spaces That Feel Like Home

In the Northwest, outdoor space is precious—and the weather fleeting. So, when the sun’s out, we want to live out there.

• Anchor your patio or deck with comfortable, design-forward furniture—this isn’t the year for weathered folding chairs.
• Add outdoor rugs, lanterns, and planters to extend the feeling of your interiors into the open air. Don’t forget the blankets for sunset too.
• We love using natural materials like teak, woven rattan, and linen to connect with the landscape and echo what’s inside the home. This is the one space where we think matching neutral furniture is ok – there is so much color already outdoors.

Even if you’re working with a small space (hello, city lots), it’s all about creating a mood. A bistro table, a few potted herbs, and soft lighting can turn a balcony into your favorite summer “room.”

3. Styling for Ease, Not Perfection

When your home feels ready, hosting becomes less of a stressor and more of a pleasure. It doesn’t have to be styled within an inch of its life. It needs to feel like you.

• Keep entertaining essentials organized and easy to access—serving trays, glassware, linens, candles.
• Incorporate moveable pieces—like a bar cart or a console that can double as a buffet.
• Set the tone with scent, sound, and light: a curated playlist, flickering (real) candles or cordless lamps, maybe even a subtle garden-inspired diffuser in the entryway.

4. Bring the Outside In

Even when you’re inside, when we inevitably will get another drizzle, summer interior design should reflect what’s happening just beyond the windows.

• Bring in seasonal greenery or clippings from your own yard (or a neighbor’s!)—no need for fussy arrangements. A tall branch in a ceramic vase is often enough.
• Lighten up your color palette: swap out darker accents for brighter sun-colored hues, warm neutrals, or fresh greens that echo the landscape.
• Use natural textures—cotton, linen, cane, wood—to make the space feel breezy and lived-in.

Design isn’t just about what a space looks like—it’s about how it feels to live in.

And in summer, especially here in the Puget Sound region, that feeling is all about lightness, connection, and joy.

So, whether you’re hosting a big event or just having a friend over for wine and snacks in the backyard, your home can be a beautiful backdrop for it all.

Here’s to the season of togetherness and laughter—may your doors stay open, your glasses full, and your home exactly as it needs to be.

Ready to refresh your home for summer entertaining?

Whether you’re dreaming of an effortless flow between your kitchen and garden, or want to reimagine your outdoor space as an extension of your interiors, we’d love to help.

Let’s design and decorate a home that feels just as inviting for a summer gathering as it does for everyday living.