• Your outdoor barbecue space can be decorated as creatively as you'd like.Ben Bloom/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  If you and your family love having outdoor parties and grilling in the backyard during the spring and summer months, chances are you have or want a barbecue area that is attractive and festive. Decorating your outdoor barbecue area can be enjoyable and easy and should match your family's style and preferences.
  
  

Color Coordinated Decorations

• You can use one color to decorate your outdoor barbecue and the surrounding area for a monochromatic look that can be either sophisticated or eye-catching. For instance, a red outdoor barbecue area, including a bright red barbecue grill, a deep red or burgundy tablecloth and chairs made from mahogany or cherry wood, will give the area a slightly elegant feel while making it the main attraction of the backyard. You can even create a canopy or awning over the table in red to provide shade for your guests, and add a centerpiece featuring red flowers for outdoor dinners that are a little more formal.
  
  

Theme Decorations

• Outdoor barbecue space with a theme is particularly appealing as well. For instance, decorate in a tropical theme by purchasing a grill with a brightly colored lid like blue, green or pink to represent the water, vegetation and flowers of the tropics; you can also paint a few palm trees or flowers onto the grill lid. Use wicker furniture for the table and chairs in the space as well as seat cushions with tropical flower print on them or cushions in yellow or orange to represent the sun.
  
  

Family-Specific Decorations

• Adorning the outdoor barbecue space with items that are specific to your family will make the barbecue area especially welcoming and relaxing. Use a plastic tablecloth or plain white cloth and allow your kids to paint or draw on the cloth to make it an original work of art; you can change the tablecloth every year to reflect the way that your children's tastes have changed. Or have your family monogram or seal painted on the lid of the barbecue grill so that the item will be completely original. If you've already purchased a table for the outdoor eating area, allow each family member to pick his own chair to create a space that you won't find anywhere else.