As summer quickly approaches, you’re starting to dust off the grills and get your outdoor spaces ready for some fun. What better way to have fun outdoors than to create an outdoor kitchen, perfect for hosting parties, family dinners and nights in with friends. Designing an outdoor kitchen including kitchen cabinets can be a lot of fun, allowing you to personalize the space to meet your wants and needs. Get started today by considering these five things before you begin:
- Include the four essential spaces
In the kitchen, there are four essential spaces—prep, cook, serve and clean. When you’re designing your outdoor kitchen, it’s important to keep each of these spaces in mind. Having enough room to do all four of these things in your kitchen will make both entertaining and cooking much more enjoyable. Also, including all four spaces allows you to do most, if not all, of the work outside with your friends and family.
- Don’t forget the bar top
One feature to consider including in your outdoor kitchen is a bar top. By designing a space where friends and family members can pull up a stool, they can help to prep food or even just sit and talk while you’re working in the kitchen. Bar tops are great for conversation and interaction, but also keep those that aren’t cooking out of the kitchen. - Think about the traffic pattern
While your new outdoor kitchen may have a lot of bells and whistles, it likely won’t be a replacement for your indoor kitchen. Because there will inevitably be something you need outdoors that’s indoors (or vice versa), take some time to consider the traffic pattern between the two spaces. Eliminating any furniture or blockades between your kitchens will only make your life, and your cooking, easier. - Introduce new appliances
An outdoor kitchen is a fun space, perfect for entertaining, relaxing and spending time with family. To make the space perfect for your lifestyle, introduce new appliances into the space. This could include grills, smokers, built-in refrigerators, kegerators, ice makers or even a pizza oven. Fun, new appliances are not only chic, but can also add some personality to your space. - Choose the right materials
Since the outdoor kitchen will be exposed to the elements, it’s essential that you choose materials that can stand up to whatever Mother Nature throws at it. When you’re choosing cabinet and countertop materials, consider and ask about any treatments available to make the surfaces weatherproof. Commonly used cabinet materials include reclaimed lumber, teak, bamboo and even waterproof polymer materials. When it comes to the countertops, you can typically find granite, soapstone, bluestone, stainless steel, tile or concrete topping the cabinets.
An outdoor kitchen can bring your family functions and parties to the next level, especially during the spring and summer months. If an outdoor kitchen is on your remodeling wish list, stop in to the Firenza Stone showroom today to speak with our experts about designing the outdoor kitchen you’ve been dreaming about.
