Sure, we all want the patios we see in the movies and on glitzy TV shows. They are like outdoor ballrooms where you could invite everyone you know and still have plenty of free space for entertaining. But, once you come back to the real world, things aren't quite the same. Most real patios are not that large, and it requires a little care and planning to make sure there is enough patio furniture to do the entertaining you want, without making everyone feel as if they have been crammed into a small box.

For the most part, people entertain in the backyard with about 10-12 other people. That means you need patio furniture that can seat 10-12, comfortably. If you have an exceptionally large family or a lot of friends, you may need to adjust this number.

Stick with the patio furniture priorities first. This means seating and tables. These are the two things everyone is going to need. If you are like most people, you are going to want to make sure that all these patio furniture pieces match, or at least can go together without clashing.

Measure the space you have to work with. Now picture how you are going to put the patio furniture seating in this area. There are two plans to go with, either table groupings, where you put 4-6 people around a table, or social groupings with all the chairs around 2-3 sides of the room with shorter tables (much like coffee tables) in front of them for food and drink.

If you are going with the first option, you need to figure out how you are going to fit those patio furniture tables and chairs in the space you have. Not only do they have to fit, but people need to be able to get in and out of their chairs without too much suffering and struggling. Can you comfortably fit two or three tables here? If you can only fit two, you will need to purchase a few extra chairs to fit around those tables and make circles of 5-6 to fit everyone.

If you decide to offer more table space with your patio furniture, you will want at least three tables with four chairs around each one. This will give everyone plenty of table space to spread out their food and drink.

If you prefer the three tables, but are feeling it may be a little cramped, what else is on your patio besides patio furniture? Are there items that can move to another location? What about the grill? Often people put the grill on the patio. The grill, while maybe not too large, will take up a lot of space because no one wants to be too close to it, out of fear of getting burned. You may want to create a separate slab for the grill that is just off the patio, and open up more space on the patio itself.

The final thought on patio furniture for a small space is to find patio furniture that has double functions. Many patio furniture pieces come with storage units underneath. This will allow you to put more away, while still having the look you want in this space.