The kids are out of school, the days are getting longer, and temperatures keep topping the charts. This can only mean one thing: Summer has arrived! The best time of year to spend in your backyard has returned and there has never been a better excuse to consider remodeling your outdoor kitchen.
With concerns about the current COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people are choosing to spend this summer in the safety of their homes. Staying at home doesn’t mean you have to stay inside though. Don’t get stuck in the house when you could be enjoying the great outdoors of your patio! Now is the perfect time to enhance your personal sanctuary by upgrading your outdoor kitchen environment.
Considerations for an Outdoor Kitchen
When it comes to creating your perfect outdoor kitchen, it’s essential to focus on personalizing the design to your lifestyle. Consider how you plan to spend time on your patio. Will you be the BBQ master of the grill? The bartender serving up cocktails by the pool? Or maybe you want to do some socially distant entertaining of guests outside. You will be much more inclined to go outside and enjoy your space if you have customized your outdoor kitchen to meet your culinary preferences and entertainment needs.
Outdoor kitchens can be simple in design or quite complex. For some, a simple grill and dining area is perfect, while others may find having an entire kitchen’s worth of appliances an essential factor for an outdoor kitchen. Want to run a load of dishes outside? With the right design, it can totally be done.
Pro Tip: As you create your design, make sure to plan for features that you don’t necessarily plan to build (at least not right away). By doing this, you future-proof the space for additions later on. It can be very expensive to install plumbing and drains or run electrical after-the-fact, so it’s best to lay the groundwork for upgrades in your initial design. Trust us, your future self will thank you.
Here are some of today’s most popular outdoor kitchen design concepts to draw inspiration from.
Outdoor Kitchens for Masters of the Grill
Let’s start with the design that is most common among summer BBQ enthusiasts: The Grill-Master’s Kitchen. Whether it’s grilling up hamburgers or smoking salmon, these designs put the heat in the driver’s seat.
The All American BBQ
An open flame, raw meat, bottles of seasonings, and a cold beverage – what could be more summer than that? But before you can get your grill on, there are several factors you must consider. Do you want a gas grill, or are you a charcoal purist? How big of a grill will you need? Some grills are the perfect size for simply cooking hotdogs, while other grills are large enough to fit an entire pig on a spit inside. Will your grill be free-standing or built into a countertop? Will you also be installing a smoker? It is crucial to consider your available space and grilling ambitions when choosing what grill to install.
If you are looking to up your outdoor cooking game, one fancy addition you can consider is an outdoor burner. Some gas grills come with built in side burners, but with enough space you could consider expanding your cooking potential with a 2-4 burner set up, maybe built into a countertop. You won’t have to limit yourself to just grilling food while outdoors if you add a few burners into the mix.
The Pizza Oven
Grilling isn’t the only way to enjoy cooking with fire in your outdoor kitchen. Enjoy a taste of Italy at home any time with the hot new trend in outdoor kitchens: the pizza oven. There are options for all levels of pizza enthusiasts, from the small personal pizza ovens to the massive woodfire ovens that require a built-in woodpile to keep it burning.
The best part of an outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven is that it brings everyone together and gets the whole family involved with the dinner making process. Have everyone custom build their own pizza and then all you have to do is man the oven. Start practicing your pizza dough twirl if you install one of these, because you will never have to wait for a pizza delivery guy again.
Pro Tip: Always be conscious of the placement of your grill, smoker, or pizza oven chimney. It could be disastrous to build your cook station in a poorly ventilated area or near a fire hazard. Try and account for where smoke will flow and if all else fails, consider adding a vent hood to your outdoor kitchen if need be.
Outdoor Kitchen Bars
Next up is the most popular design spaces amongst those who plan to avoid the coronavirus by “partying at the pad”: The Outdoor Kitchen Bar. As the name implies, these spaces are all about the beverages.
The Full Bar
Most outdoor kitchen bar designs feature a sink and a refrigerator, which is the perfect place to start customizing to your needs. The sophisticated wine enthusiast might consider installing a dedicated wine fridge, while beer drinkers might lean towards a beer dispenser (which is the nice way of saying “kegerator”). If you are a cocktail connoisseur then you will definitely want an ice maker, and don’t forget to design in several electrical outlets so you can plug in the blender when it’s margarita-o-clock. With the right bar design, every hour will be “happy hour” this summer.
The Pool Bar
If you plan on beating the summer heat by hanging out at your pool, you’ll want to make sure your favorite beverages are within arm’s reach. When people think of pools and bars, they often think of a “wet bar.” But if you’ve ever been to a wet bar, you know they aren’t extremely practical if you are lounging on a daybed next to the pool. A better and more affordable solution is a rolling cooler. It is the perfect solution to keeping you hydrated poolside all summer long and they come in all shapes and sizes.
Cozy Outdoor Kitchens
Not all outdoor kitchens designs have to be focused on making food and beverages or hosting parties. If you are the type of person who enjoys a quiet evening outside, maybe with a good book, then these designs are for you.
The Fire Pit
Fire pits are strangely magical. There is just something about a roaring fire that brings people together and invokes memories of summer camp. Gather the family around for ghost stories, skits, making s’mores; the possibilities are endless when you have a fire pit in your outdoor kitchen.
The Outdoor Fireplace
Imagine, the sun has set and the warm summer evening is upon you. What could be more idyllic and comforting than curling up next to a fire with a good book? With an outdoor fireplace, you can do just that. You can really cozy up the place with an outdoor couch and ceramic lighting to tie the whole space together.
Pro Tip: Outdoor Televisions
You can really lean into the relaxation with an outdoor television. Mount a screen (or several screens) around your outdoor kitchen area and enjoy your favorite shows while you unwind next to the fire. There are special outdoor covers that you can affix to your televisions to protect them from the elements when not in use.
The Outdoor Kitchen Dining Area
While not technically a category on its own, the dining area is an often-overlooked part of the outdoor kitchen design process. It’s all good and well to be able to grill up enough food for the neighborhood, but what good is that if no one has a place to sit and eat?
Whether you are planning an elaborate design or something more modest, it’s essential to factor in seating. Couches with coffee tables, full outdoor dining tables, bar top counters; the options are vast. One popular design is the half-moon outdoor kitchen island that often wraps around a bar or grilling area. Just make sure that your family has a place to enjoy the food and beverages you’ve whipped up for them in your outdoor kitchen. Throw in a couple of outdoor televisions and you’ll be the talk of the town.
Putting It All Together
So now that you are aware of some options and styles, it’s time to get to work on designing your custom outdoor kitchen. Will you go all out for the grill, or are you going to focus on the bar? Fire pit or outdoor fireplace? The options are endless, but it’s important to take into account your culinary preferences and plan out your party space accordingly. Make sure to plan for all possible appliance additions later on and don’t be afraid to focus your design choices on comfort. With the right design, you could be living the good life this summer in your outdoor kitchen.