Outdoor entertaining is vital for any California home! The following 3 key areas to upgrade will give you a good starting point to enjoy the space nearly year-round for all the movie nights, parties, and late evenings you can handle.
The Centerpiece: An Outdoor Projector Setup
Movie night under the stars is an experience unlike any other when it comes to spending time in your backyard. Being able to cozy up with a warm beverage and blanket to spend hours of quality time with the family creates memories that will last a lifetime. The best part - achieving this doesn't have to break the bank! You can get an excellent portable projector for under $1,000 dollars like the Optoma HD39HDR. The setup is fairly simple and doesn't take much time, once you have it in place, plug in a set of speakers, and connect it to any streaming device like a Roku, Fire Stick, or Apple TV to play all your favorites on the big screen!
Outdoor Audio: Customize Your Solution
Outdoor audio can come in many different shapes and sizes, from simple portable speakers setups to a fully optimized surround sound system. Below are great entry-level, mid-range, and higher-end options to make your space sound better than ever.
Entry Level: SONOS Move + Port Combo
This is the definition of flexibility and a great starting place that may never need an upgrade. The SONOS Move is a very powerful, robust, and wireless portable speaker that can take outdoor entertaining to the next level. Something we've been implementing frequently for our customers is an outdoor TV in conjunction with a SONOS Port, which simply puts the TV audio on the SONOS Network. From there, you connect the Move and take the speaker with you to any area in the backyard. This allows you to listen to TV audio or switch to music at your convenience
Mid-Level: Sonance Outdoor Speakers
For a more permanent solution look towards the Sonance Outdoor Speaker Line for quality and durable solutions to your audio needs. Wall Mounted, or recessed in the ceiling, these allow for even spread of audio and are fairly adaptable to whatever space you're working with. Commonly used in sets of 2 on patio walls, they are a great addition to your backyard. Pair these with a SONOS Amp, and now your patio speakers are perfectly integrated into the Sonos ecosystem.
Higher-End: Sonance Landscape Series:
If you're looking to go all out, look no further than the Sonance Landscape series.
These speakers are discrete and the epitome of flexibility when trying to achieve evenly distributed sound. Specifically, if you have a large or multi-level backyard, these compact yet powerful speakers will carry quality audio throughout your whole space. In conjunction with their in-ground subwoofer, it's immersion like you've never experienced.
Landscape Lighting With Philips Hue:
For an option that is sure to impress look no further than Phillips Hue. Coming in mains power and low-voltage options these lights are truly a must-see. With complete color customization, you can opt for whatever you're in the mood for. Being able to change from subtle accent lighting to spicing things up with bright and vibrant colors that are perfect for parties is a luxury you won't want to live without.
We hope these tips can help kickstart your journey into creating the backyard space of your dreams! A little goes a long way in any entertaining space, and implementing some of the options above will ensure an amazing foundation that will truly transform the feeling of your backyard.