Creating an Outdoor Drink Station

Today, we’re sharing an outdoor drink station idea that might make outdoor dining a little easier this season.

Now that we’re working from home more, we’ve had to really think outside the box when it comes to how we use our indoor and outdoor spaces and our furniture too.

Over the summer, we separated the hutch from the desk area in my old office,

to create an outdoor buffet and hutch feature on the lanai at my parent’s primary home, Bliss Barracks.

Despite being separated from the original hutch, (as pictured in the first photo) we were then able to update the French Country desk for a One Room Challenge bedroom makeover. 

This is truly one of those pieces of furniture that can be used in multiple ways and in multiple spaces.

In between those two makeovers though, we created an outdoor drink station for the back patio during the holiday season.

It made our outdoor dining experience and nights snuggled up by the fire pit so much easier because we finally had room for everything!

I know sometimes it feels like you have to have a lot of extra stuff to fill hutches like this.

But if you concentrate on getting the food, drinks, and other related supplies in place first all you to do is fill in the gaps with greenery and holiday goodies.

Here’s a look at how we decorated our outdoor drink station… 

We made these fudgy brownie bites, rolled them in crushed peppermint, and put them on pillows of marshmallows to make it feel festive.

Then we bought a few muffins (you could also use cupcakes) at the bakery and placed them on wood slices.

It’s a really easy way to add texture and using bakery goodies is such a time saver too.

Once we had the nibbles in place, we layered the items we planned to use for the outdoor drink station.  Things like: shaved chocolate, cinnamon sticks, peppermint sticks, biscottis,

generous mugs,

spices, flavored syrups, and creamers.

Keep in mind, some people might prefer a cold drink over a hot depending on the season.

So, consider having a place for hot water or an ice bucket for your outdoor drink station as well.

We used the desk drawer to hold packets of hot chocolate, ciders, and teas when we entertained on the back patio.

You could also put straws, napkins, or other paper supplies in here too to keep things convenient.

Just make sure to bring everything back inside once your event is finished.

Once the food and drink items were in place, we started filling in the gaps with seasonal decorative items.

For example greenery, festive plates, rustic signs, and logs.  Honestly, you can use whatever you like or have on hand.

With all the decorative touches in place, we added a rug in front of the outdoor drink station to help define “the drink zone” and called it good to go.

I hope this helps to show you how easy it can be to breathe new life and fresh purpose into old pieces of furniture.

As always, be sure to protect your outdoor furniture with a water and/or weatherproofing sealant.

Let us know if you’ve created an outdoor drink station yet or if you’re spending time outside this holiday season.

*This post was updated December 2020

Other Holiday Posts to Enjoy:

• Effortless Christmas Home Tour and Blog Hop 
• Outdoor Christmas Tablescape 
• Christmas Bedroom Inspiration 
• DIY Gingerbread Snowflake Ornaments 
• Effortless Christmas Wreath Ideas

Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo