Summer is mere days away and with the equinox comes backyard barbeques! The sun is up well into the evening, causing the kids—and the grown-ups—to be up well past their bedtimes. Grilling smells from all the neighbors’ houses float and swirl together through the trees making even the squirrels salivate. Alright, let’s not get carried away. It makes all the humans around the grills really happy that they are about to be eating soon, while the squirrels go about their business as usual.

We at MDG believe that there are some crucial elements for the perfect al fresco dining experience. Below, you will find our tips to keep your guests coming back for more.

1. To be the ultimate host, one needs to be prepared for anything. Whether you’re serving kabobs, grilled pizzas, veggies, or good old burgers and dogs, get all your grill accessories cleaned and seasoned.

2. Fresh-squeezed lime in a margarita, grapefruit in a mimosa, or lemonade for the kiddos will set the tone from pre-dinner drinks to way-too-late dessert cocktails.

3. Backyard frivolity is all the more reason to dress up your table with pretty plates and dishes. Mix and match patterns and colors, high and low.

4. Yard games allow you to play for fun, play for the win, or play for the rights to host next.

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We at MDG have once again found ourselves agreeing with Jack Sparrow that rules are more like guidelines. We are maybe not even surprised that sometimes from the unheard of arises the no-brainer. Not only is pizza better with Ranch dressing, but we are also mixing metals in our interiors. Rose gold and chrome, yellow gold and silver, the possibilities are endless. Well, within reason. Below, you'll find some of our favorite tips for mixing metals.

1) Choose one metal as dominate and one as an accent. If you're unsure of the ratio, 70/30 might be a good place to start. A warm metal, like brass or gold, is a bold pop of color with cool metals like silver.

2) Mix your textures, too! Antiqued gold compliments sleek chrome and matte silver pairs with hammered copper.

3) If you're worried about mixing metals and textures with other colors and patterns in the rest of the room, start with making metals the focus and decorate the rest of the room in neutrals.

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