Outdoor Kitchen Design Ideas:

Al Fresco dining comes with the strategic utilization of functionality, beauty and coziness. Planning for budget, mapping out the positioning and considering the climate are some of the most prevalent factor to turn your outdoor kitchen ideas into reality –the most happening part of your house. The outdoor kitchen can be set up in your backyard, beside the private swimming pool, in your garden or on the patio.

  1. Utilize the space Creating an L-shaped kitchen area makes cooking and serving hassle-free with different areas for storing food items, dinnerware, washing and cooking.
  2. Keep Space Between Grills and Pizza Ovens For safety, it is recommended to keep ample space around the oven, fireplace and grills. This will let you move effortlessly.
  3. Don’t Clutter Main Kitchen Space While a full modular kitchen comes with microwaves, cooking ovens, pizza oven, cake oven and so on, ask yourself if you need them daily or would even need them occasionally. The outdoor kitchen should always be easy-breezy rather than looking like a restaurant kitchen.
  4. Strategic Lighting Although outdoor kitchen means you will have ample natural light during daytime, the evening dining needs proper lighting to create a cozy ambience. Adjustable lighting in dining areas, bright light at cooking areas and romantic lanterns are the perfect outdoor kitchen design ideas.
  5. Outdoor Kitchen Should Be Near Main House Don’t set up far from the main house as this will make accessibility inconvenient and you will find it difficult to arrange certain things important for cooking or weather safety.
  6. Add A Fireplace Place the fireplace as the centrepiece of your kitchen area or set up at the gathering area –fireplace adds to the rustic charm.
  7. Arrange Dining Area With kitchen, comes the dining area where you as well as invitees can warm up, watch tv, sip a drink or listen to music. Plan accordingly.
  8. Stack Up Firewood Keep sufficient supply of firewood as these will come handy to roast something during power cut or when the woods in fireplace or oven are burnt up.
  9. Sheltered Lounge Area Sudden rainfall, snowfall or hailstorms can mar your outdoor dining. So, a roofed lounge with cozy couches, tables and firewood area is perfect.
  10. Ventilation and Temporary Shelter Having retractable awning or umbrellas can safeguard the kitchen and dining space from adverse weather. The areas near combustible appliances should also be well ventilated to prevent any fire accident.
  11. Have Ample Counter Space To chop veggies, mince meats, bake cakes and garnish dishes, a spacious counter space is need. There should be serving area where you can serve food or try out mixology!
  12. Select Accessories Practically Your outdoor kitchen design should include weather-resistant items which are easily cleanable. Stack woods like Cedar, teak and redwood which do not rot. Have stainless steel appliances for easy cleaning and heat resistant items to avoid overheating during daytime.
  13. Plan Kitchen Zones Keep the cooking place separate from the lounge but don’t isolate so that the cook can interact freely. The hot section is for grilling, cold section is for washing, dry section for storing food and sheltered area for hanging out.
  14. Multitasking Counterspace Use burners/ induction by grill so that you can heat the side dishes while grilling. Have cabinet under the countertop to find the ingredients and cooking vessels easily.
  15. Keep A Trash Section Well, gross as they sound, but every kitchen has a heap of trash items after the task and al fresco is no different. Include a trash bin in your outdoor kitchen ideas to dump dishcloths, empty packages and discarded food items.
  16. Add sink by the Grill Washing fruits, veggies, meats, fish etc along with dishes and utensils is convenient with a sink installed by the grill.
  17. Use Portable Storage Steel or vinyl racks to store utensils, steel holder for hanging spoons and ladles will help you keep things arranged.
  18. Add Greenery Set up the kitchen where lots of green plants are there to emanate fresh smell to alleviate typical kitchen-smell. You can also add herbs like rosemary and coriander which both add to the look and come handy in cooking!
  19. Kitchen Flooring Stone, concrete, tiles and bricks are suitable choices for flooring as they can withstand weather.
  20. Stay Natural Don’t go too contemporary with your outdoor kitchen design ideas, rather add vines to cover the dining area or lounge to give the proper outdoor feeling.
  21. Small Bar Area Keep a small table area by the wine celler and add some stools –you are done.
  22. Refrigerator or Cold Drawers Without making a separate bar area, you can add a fridge or attach refrigerated drawers to keep the beers, champagnes and wines chilled. Utilize these ideas to make your outdoor kitchen fun, happening and romantic at the same time for dining and gathering.