Jonathan Adler's "Happy Chic" Summer Entertaining Tips

It may be hitting record temps, but that doesn't mean your style can take a vacation. The summer months are all about poolside parties, backyard barbecues, and outdoor entertaining, and the king of "happy chic," Jonathan Adler himself, is sharing his trademark secrets to throwing the most stylish of soirees.

And to get everyone in the spirit, Adler — who creates everything from quirky pottery to vibrant throw pillows to swoon-worthy chaise lounges — has designed some super-festive straws to add to the mix!

What goes into designing something as simple as a straw, you may be asking yourself? Well, I trekked over to his studio to find out. (Watch the video above for more on that!) Plus, Adler reveals the importance of food, ping pong, and Carly Rae Jepsen.

You clearly don't shy away from color. What's your favorite color combination?
Honestly, red, white, and blue is my favorite color combination and has been ever since 1976. So, Fourth of July makes me particularly happy, but I think — as you can see — I just love color in abundance, and summer is the best and most appropriate time to go crazy with color.

Any sure-fire tips for incorporating color into, say, a backyard BBQ?
Do it with abandon. I like to mix and match colors. I make a lot of really bold table linens that are colorful. I design games, like tic-tac-toe, dominoes, backgammon…

And your favorite game is?
Ping pong. I'm a ping pong person. i have a ping pong table in my apartment, I have a ping pong table outside at the beach. I make these groovy ping pong table covers.

Throwing a party can get expensive. Where in particular do you suggest people splurge? And where can they save?
i hate the "save" part, but for splurging, i'm a complete pig so I always splurge on food, food, food. I'm Jewish, so I always want more food. Food is important in my culture! Whatever the number of people that's coming, I always get twice as many of everything.

Okay, so now we know how we should host a fête, but how does Jonathan Adler really throw a party?
My parties are always really casual. I'm lucky to have a house that's technically in the Hamptons but in the most feral bit of the Hamptons, so we're kind of feral at home, and it's very chillaxed. I just throw a bunch of stuff together, put on some nifty tunes and have at it.

What's your song of the summer?
It's really embarrassing because I'm a grown man, but I have the musical taste of a 12-year-old girl. I'm all Carly Rae Jepsen all the time. "Call Me Maybe."

Jonathan Adler's limited-edition straws are available at select Target stores. They're free with a purchase of 8-packs or 12-packs of Diet Pepsi, or they're sold separately for $7.99.