Patio designs should be customized on both functional and aesthetic levels that will support these activities.  If parties are large, then the patio should be built furniture friendly so that people have a place to comfortably sit after standing for a period of time.  Also, space must be dedicated to serving areas so that everyone gets what they want to eat and drink.

Lighting must be adequate so people can safely walk around, and it needs to be bright enough so they can see one another as they enjoy the night. 

The pool patio design is perhaps the first thing all of us think of when we visualize a patio for an outdoor party.  The swimming pool tends to be the one place in the yard that draws the largest number of people.  Be it a birthday party, a wedding reception, an anniversary, or a holiday party, people will stand, sit and mingle by the water regardless of whether they actually like to swim or not.

Beauty being equally important to swimming pool patio design, your guests should see an obvious correlation between the way your patio looks and the way your home looks.  The patio should tie home architecture to your garden design and lawn as well.  The materials and color of the patio should look like they belong as much in the world of nature as they do in the world of man.

If you want more of a formal atmosphere for your next event, you should consider investing in an outdoor dinner patio.  This element is especially useful for a very large back yard with a great deal of unused space in the back.  You can furnish this space with a dining room table and outdoor furniture to work like an outdoor living area without walls.

This is similar to the dining areas of summer kitchens, but it will accommodate a much larger group and offer a great sense of freedom and release.  Keep in mind that many such patio designs are actually developed in relationship to a nearby outdoor kitchen and used for additional overflow seating if the guest lists is too long for the kitchen building itself to accommodate.

If your property borders one of the many bayous that cross the Houston landscape, you may have a backyard the runs into a steep drop off.  This part of your yard can be made one of the more interesting areas of interest by adding a view patio at the top of the hill. 

View patio design involves combining sound patio construction techniques with hill landscaping ideas to create unique seating and standing areas where people can admire the beauty of the tree line, the flowing water, and watch for wildlife moving through the vegetation.

If you have nature lovers at your party, this is a good place for them to entertain themselves if they want to get away from the crowds.  It is also a good place to take the kids for bird watching and learning about nature. 

A courtyard patio is another remarkable element that will impress your guests with a landscape design that ties your home integrally to the softscape elements that surround it.  Courtyards represent a blend of hardscape and softscape because they require a great deal of construction intermingled with plants, trees, gardens, flower beds, water features, and light.

Building an entry garden courtyard to one side of your home will give you the opportunity to introduce your personal lifestyle in a very unique way to newly arrived guests.  As they enter the festivities through the courtyard at one side of your home, this very special type of patio design gives them the strong impression that your nature and architecture are united on your property. 

This gets them in the mood for outdoor festivities, but it also gives them a very reassuring sense of human comfort that makes outdoor living every bit as relaxing and safe as being indoors.