We’re so excited to finally be able to share this official article and photos featured in today’s Globe And Mail’s Entertaining section with you after posting a few up on Facebook and twitter a few weeks back while the shoot was taking place in Andrew Bockner’s lovely backyard in Leaside. The article focuses on casual outdoor entertaining with expert insight from Bockner, including great tips and tricks for the budget conscious host, and a complete summer entertaining menu. 

Collections featured in the shoot were our Uptown Sectional, Tranquility Lounge Chairs, Tranquility Bed, Sofitel Dining Set, and our brand new Teak Muskoka Chairs. Read the full article here and check out the tip sheet and photos below.

1. Keep it simple

An array of scrumptious yet uncomplicated recipes (finger-friendly tarts, a pizza bar, peaches on the grill) can be just as impressive as caviar and souffles.

2. Call it in

If you don’t cook, save on catering expenses by ordering dishes in from your favourite restaurant. Instead of mixing individual drinks, serve one signature cocktail and set up a self-serve bar.

3. Service with a style

Low on serving ware? Don’t be shy about using tasteful dollar-store acrylic pieces. For a fun dessert, serve fruit cups in hollowed-out orange halves.

4. Why wait?

Even if it’s just one, hire a server for the affair: Your guests – not clearing glasses – should be your priority.

Setting the scene

“I’ve seen people run over to their neighbours to get all of their chairs, which they end up lining up around the periphery [of a garden] like it’s a high-school dance,” Bockner, whose own outdoor space is pictured on these pages, says with disapproval. “Empty space,” he counsels, “is fine. Standing up is fine. It’s okay if you don’t have seating for everyone. People will mingle.” What should be encouraged, Bockner says, is circulation. “ I love various little pockets: a drinks area, a dining area, a couple of seating areas.” The outdoor space, he says with conviction, “should be an extension of your home.”

1. Go for the spare

Don’t clutter a space up with excess chairs, but have at least one comfortable seating nook, heat lamps if it’s cold and a breeze source to beat humidity.

2. Keep it moving

To encourage circulation throughout a garden, set up a bar area in the rear of the space. Keep food stations and buffets near the house for easy access.

3. Cozy up

To soften hard edges in outdoor spaces, pad furniture with pillows and scatter seat cushions on the ground. Have throws on hand to ward off nighttime chill.

4. Take a rain check

Parties can go on even in the rain through the strategic use of umbrellas, overhangs and awnings.

Fun and games

Whether it’s cooking contests, dominoes under the elms or a spirited round of lawn tennis, “I love engaging guests with games,” Bockner says. “It draws people in and creates memories. Giving guests an experience is what it’s all about.” To that end, he’s not averse to theme parties and has executed many for clients. But he cautions that they should be done smartly to avoid cheese factor. “If you’re throwing a ‘Latin American’ party, for example, don’t mix food from Mexico with drinks from Brazil.” Instead, choose a single focus – Argentina, say – and feature wine, food and other trappings from that one place. “You’ll want to choose one or two authentic elements,” Bockner says, adding that, yes, Buenos Aires is a hot inspiration source right now.

1. Put your game face on

Don’t have space for badminton or bocce? Have playing cards, dominoes or trivia cards on hand.

2. Play to the audience

If you do have room for active games, set up spectator seating nearby.

3. Keep it cool

Have plenty of water or lemonade at the ready to ensure games players remain hydrated.

4. Stay authentic

Mojitos don’t gel with “fiesta” nights, while sushi has no place at your Chinese banquet. If you’re going to do a theme party, do it right.

It’s almost time for our annual industry night and boy are we ever thrilled and excited to host everyone in our space for the third year in a row! We’ll be tweeting up a storm during the event so be sure to follow us on twitter (@ARD_Furniture & @ARDevents) for all the up to the moment coverage of #SummerSecret!

We’ll be at the Hospitality Design Show in Las Vegas yet again this year, starting today, May 18th until Friday May 20th, showcasing our current collection for the 2011 outdoor season at Andrew Richard Designs. Although our outdoor furniture designs are widely known and used in residential spaces, many don’t know that all our Andrew Richard Designs products are built to commercial grade standards and are used around the world at the most exclusive hotels and resorts, golf and racquet clubs, corporate spaces, and restaurants

, including Four Seasons Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto Lawn & Tennis Club, Palazzo Hotel and Casino, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, and the Norwegian Cruise Line, to name a few. To view our full client portfolio, click here.

Collections on display in our booth at the 2011 HD Expo, which is number 5931, include Cityscape, Strobe, Cabo Lounge, Sillouette, Sofitel, accented with Tuuci umbrellas. For a full floor plan of the show click here. We look forward to seeing you there!

We’ve got some very exciting news for all you aspiring designers out there! We’ve teamed up with Canadian House & Home Magazine in search of the next great design talent who can come up with the most innovative outdoor lounge chair design!

The wining chair will be exhibited at the 2012 Interior Design Show, and the designer will be awarded a $1,500 cash prize, a pair of their lounge chairs, coordinating side table, and a three-month internship opportunity at Andrew Richard Designs!

We encourage all contest entries to check out our current collection online as well as our downtown showroom for inspiration! All entries must be submitted by August 29th, 2011 before midnight EST! For submission, judging, and contest rules and regulation information click here.

Check out our promotional video below featuring House and Home’s Mark Challan and of course Andrew Bockner of Andrew Richard Designs.

The Interior Design Show is the most anticipated trade show we partake in each year and with 2011’s exhibition fast approaching in the next few days, we’re building momentum by looking back at past years exhibiting at the show.

It will be our seventh year exhibiting and we’re thrilled to be introducing four brand new outdoor furniture collections designed right here in Toronto. 2011’s inspirations for both the collections and our booth design came from our principal, Andrew Bockner’s travels around the world; from his hometown Toronto, to the exotic locals of Bali, Thailand, Southern Europe, the South Pacific and back again to his favourite retreat in Muskoka.

This year, Andrew Richard Designs is taking a clean modern approach to outdoor living design, blending organic materials like birch bark and teak sourced from sustainable forests with raw industrial stainless steel elements and punches of our signature woven furniture designs.

As a part of the Toronto International Design Festival, 2011 marks the 13th year since the Interior Design Show launched back in 1998 and has since become Canada’s largest contemporary design fair hosting over 4000 participating designers, firms, studios, and companies for over 555,000 public, trade, and media each year.

We look forward to seeing everyone this year and invite you to come by our booth to experience our new collections! Also, be sure to take a look at the photos below from our booth at IDS in past years.

CONTEST |

Wait! Do you and a friend want a chance to visit the show for free this year? We were feeling generous, so we’ve decided to give away a pair of free tickets to IDS 2011! To enter, simply leave a comment below or on our Facebook wall for your chance to win! For increased chances, be sure to click the Like button while you’re over on Facebook and be sure to follow us on Twitter @ARD_Furniture!

The winner will be chosen at random on Friday January 28^th and the tickets will be left at will-call for free entry to either Saturday or Sunday’s show dates! Good luck design lovers!

UPDATE |

The winner of two tickets to the 2011 Interior Design Show is Alex Tasciotti! Congratulations and thanks to everyone who entered!

It’s coming!

Be sure to stop by our booth at the 2011 Interior Design Show in Toronto starting January 27th to see what Andrew Richard Designs has in store at this years booth!

We’ll be blogging, tweeting, and all over facebook during the show, so be sure to keep it locked on Andrew Richard Designs for all the up to the moment news at IDS 2011.

We’ll be launching a few new collections this year, so you definitely don’t want to miss out! For ticket and event information please click here.

Because we’ve always got the outdoors in mind, we suggest planning ahead with items to accent and enhance your yard for next year. From sleek stainless, beechwood, or floating torches by Blomus for the BBQ loving-man in your life, to crisp white Ibiza Lanterns for the more bohemian feminine females in your family, we’ve got a wide array of unconventional gift ideas for the holidays.

Another great idea for anyone in the family are our Fatboy hammock’s, or Headdemock’s as they call them, which come in a variety of colours and are made specifically for outdoor lounging, as well as our Original indoor, Buggle-Up outdoor, and Marimekko indoor bean bag lounge chairs, which also come in a huge range of colours and measure 55″x75 “.

So weather your children are lounging on them in the family room or outside in their snow forts, they’d make a great last minute gift, and what’s more, all new lounge orders placed before December 19th are guaranteed to ship by December 24th, just in time for the big day!

Click here to contact us for more information.