Extend your home with an outdoor kitchen and take the alfresco dining experience to the next level. Increase the value of your property and enjoy the pleasure of outdoor cooking.
Here are some of our favorite outdoor kitchen ideas, tips, and tricks:
1. Corner Outdoor Kitchens
When designing your garden kitchen, clearing an area in one corner is a great place to start, especially if you have limited space. You want to ensure that you have enough space to include a worktop and you can utilize this to incorporate a breakfast bar to entertain guests.
2. Built-in Barbecue Outdoor Kitchens
Integrating a BBQ into your outdoor kitchen units will create a high-quality finish that feels complete. There are many different ways in which you can achieve this, however, the type of appliances you have will determine your options. If you have a large lidded BBQ with detachable legs, you can easily remove the legs and create a slot on your worktop. You will need to ensure your countertop is heat-resistant to use this style. If you have a free-standing round-shaped BBQ or grill you can easily create a space for this on your worktop by cutting a larger parameter in the worktop and placing it on a stone or concrete shelf to lift it to the appropriate height.
3. Integrate Herb Planters
No one likes a bland BBQ, so incorporating a herb garden wall in your outdoor kitchen not only livens up your cooking but also softens the kitchen, to merge the lines between kitchen and garden. There are several ways in which you can add your greenery and herbs.
- Hanging pots on a nearby wall
- Placing larger planters at the end of your kitchen worktops
- Integrating herb planters into your kitchen worktops
4. Weatherproofing Kitchens
One of the biggest concerns when building an outdoor kitchen is preparing it for the winter elements and also ensuring it is usable even on a rainy day. The first thing to consider is kitchen counter materials. If your kitchen will be in an exposed position, consider using highly durable materials such as concrete, stone, stainless steel, or bricks to construct your kitchen work surfaces. If your kitchen is in a sheltered position or under a pergola, treated wood can be a very stylish solution. If you want to adapt your outdoor kitchen for year-round use, adding a bioclimatic canopy is the best way to ensure all-year-round use. If you want a cheaper alternative, create a roofed canopy as an alternative by using wood or clear sheet material.
5. Outdoor Heating
One of the main selling points for building an outdoor kitchen is to create a communal area so you can chat with friends and family whilst cooking. To make the most of this area, adding outdoor heaters for chilly evenings is a great solution for keeping guests warm without building more permanent fire pits.
6. Temporary Outdoor Kitchens
If you don’t have the budget or have a smaller garden, a temporary kitchen unit is a great solution. This can be tidied away in a shed for storage over winter or on rainy days. This simply consists of a mobile table with integrated cooking equipment – you could even add a portable garden bar to slot on the end!
7. Lighting Your Outdoor Kitchen Area
Lighting can make a big impact on the usability of your outdoor kitchen. If you are planning a more permanent garden kitchen, having an electrical point is a must-have for additional weatherproof lighting. You should consider the effects of different types of lighting when considering your design.
- Ornamental Lighting
To create ambiance in our outdoor kitchen and dining area ornamental lighting is a must. The perfect place for string lights is framing your outdoor kitchen or hanging directly overhead your dining table to draw attention to the key entertainment areas.
- Practical Lighting
Task lighting can be very important if you’re planning on entertaining and cooking later in the evenings. If you can’t get a mains electrical source, Solar-powered lighting is a great solution. You can easily find these on platforms such as Amazon etc.
- Fire Pits
Firepits offer a great amount of light and obtain an intimate feeling. There are many options for portable firepits to suit your kitchen and dining area, ranging from large floor-standing pits to smaller tabletop solutions.
Thanks for reading our top home outdoor kitchen ideas & designs. We would love to see your home DIY projects so please tag us on social media with @customsplashbacks.
This blog contains:
- Top kitchen garden ideas & designs
- DIY kitchen gardens
- Kitchen garden lighting
- Kitchen dining table lighting
- Outdoor kitchen design
- Outdoor kitchen for durability
- How to utilise your outdoor space
- Outdoor kitchen layout
