The Well-Kept Home

GOOD LIVING

HAPPY TO HOST

It’s summertime, and the entertaining is easy when you enlist a few clever strategies (and we don’t just mean making the guacamole ahead of time). Follow our guide to a stylish backyard party, and the only things you’ll have to worry about are keeping your own glass full and winning at croquet.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY KATE MATHIS TEXT BY REBECCA DOLGIN

Update your cooler: An oversize resin Champagne bucket has all the practical appeal of a galvanized-steel one, but will look chic storing supplies in your kitchen, too.

RAISE THE BAR

The ideal drinks setup is streamlined, well stocked, and self-serve. Case in point: A batch of freshly squeezed lemonade will please practically everyone. Ice it down in a fourgallon stainless-steel dispenser and no one will get stuck manning the bar. Kids can help themselves; adults can punch theirs up with vodka and citrus and herb garnishes, which double as décor. Supplement with an easy-tosip aperitif (we like floral Lillet) and sparkling water, and you’ll have all the refreshments you need. As for quantities, here’s our rule of thumb: Plan two drinks per guest for the first hour, then one each per hour after that; one gallon equals 16 eight-ounce drinks.

THE DETAILS

Sansone Fusti dispenser and spigot, $147, gourmet italian.com. March Oaxacan glasses, $8 each, marchsf.com. Kinto Baum canisters, from $28 each, amazon.com. Tina Frey Champagne bucket, $380, shophorne.com. Restoration Hardware French Beam teak console, $1,995, restorationhardware.com.

The Well-Kept Home

GOOD LIVING

Refine Your Table

Dinner outdoors can be just as gracious and comfortable as one you’d host inside. To encourage guests to sit back and stay awhile, set a table with sturdy ceramic plates and flatware, hefty (but unbreakable) glassware, and colorful linens. To anchor your tablecloth in a breeze, clip a fishing sinker onto each corner (see our how-to at marthastewart .com/tablecloth-weights). Echo the natural surroundings with wooden accents, floral prints, and statement-making palm leaves, which won’t wilt in the heat.

THE DETAILS Kerry Cassill Tropical Fiji table linen, 67" by 98", $136, shop.kerrycassill.com. Williams-Sonoma Italian washed-linen napkins, $50 for 4, williams-sonoma.com. Homenature resin-handled cutlery, $195 for a 4-piece set, homenature.com. Cost Plus World Market Reactive Glaze Muir dinner plates, $32 for a 4-piece set; Reactive Glaze Muir salad plates, $28 for a 4-piece set; and Driftwood chargers, $20 for 2, worldmarket.com. Terrain Picnic wineglass, $8, shopterrain.com. Sur La Table Wooden Pinch bowls, $35 for 4, surlatable.com.

TURN ON TUNES

Connect a few Bluetooth speakers via wifi, and anyone with a smartphone can DJ. This sleek model with surround sound (Deganello & Pardo UMA Sound Lantern, $479, store .moma.org) emits a warm, campfire-like glow. Queue up a few songs, or get our playlist at marthastewart .com/summer-playlist.

Light the Way

Once the sun sets, create ambience (and prevent twisted ankles) with generous, wellplaced lighting. Oversize lanterns lit by flameless LED candles can hang or perch along any path that needs brightening. String battery-powered, outdoor-safe bistro lights between trees for extra illumination sans outlets.

CB2 Kini natural-rattan lantern, from $50, cb2.com.

UNINVITE PESTS

Run an electric fan and cover food with mesh domes to keep bugs away. This artistic deflector, inspired by a Mexican street-vendor trick, shoos flies naturally: Sunlight reflecting off the water-filled glass bulb confuses and repels them.

De La O Anti-Fly Sphere 3.0, $85, delao.mx.

WIN $25,000!

Win $25,000 to create your own backyard retreat! Visit martha stewart.com/25k backyard to enter. For details, see page 118.

FUN AND GAMES

Keep the good times rolling with handsome lawn-party classics. To ensure that everyone stays hydrated without missing a turn, place a drinks tub with bottled water nearby.

| shoot hoops |

Three teams can aim for the wicket with mallets handmade by Amish artisans.

Lehman’s Amish-Crafted croquet set, $219, lehmans.com.

| hold court |

Divide the party in half and face off in this easy-tolearn Italian game.

Mark and Graham Canvas bocce set, $199, markandgraham.com.

| rattle and roll |

Toss these jumbo-size dice till you hit Yahtzee.

Crate and Barrel wooden yard-dice game set, $60 for 5, crateandbarrel.com.