Cafe String Lights
We’re major fans of any outdoor lighting that makes our skinny townhouse backyard feel like an Italian sidewalk cafe. Hang these over your outdoor seating area for a truly al fresco dining experience. Each strand is nine feet long and comes with eight bulbs.
$39 at potterybarn.com
Badminton Set
We love the retro-preppy look of this portable, all-pieces-included game set. Why not invite friends over for mint juleps and a match or two? Adult or not, you know you still get a kick out of batting around the ol’ shuttlecock.
$79 at restorationhardware.com
Notebook Foldable Charcoal Grill
This take-it-anywhere cooking surface comes equipped with built-in handles and enough grilling space to fit six burgers at a time. If the closest thing you’ve got to a backyard is the neighborhood park, this is the perfect picnic accompaniment.
$29.95 at cobbq.com
Picnic Table Condiment Set
Borderline tacky, we know, but nieces, nephews, and never-left-childhood college friends will love dousing their hot dogs and corncobs with condiments from this quirky set.
$18 at uncommongoods.com
Platta Decking
Need a flat place to put your furniture? Build your own outdoor flooring with affordable acacia-wood pieces. These almost-one-square-foot tiles come in packs of nine and link together to stay in place.
$34 per nine-pack at Ikea (in store only); check to see if your store has them in stock by using the search box on the right here.
Twig Skewers
Remember playing caveman when you were a kid? Yeah, we don’t either. But if we had, there’s a good chance our imaginary meals would have been roasted on something pretty similar.
Set of four for $9.99 at amazon.com
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Sarah is the Editor-in-Chief of Washingtonian Bride & Groom, and writes about weddings, fashion, and shopping. Her work has also appeared in Refinery29, Bethesda Magazine, and Washington City Paper, among others. She is a Georgetown University graduate, lives in Columbia Heights, and you can find her on Instagram at @washbridegroom and @sarahzlot.
