A home thrives around its kitchen. Right from Sunday brunches to midnight cravings, this amazing corner disappoints none, regardless of age and gender. And to make your cooking corner stand out, you have to research and plan accordingly, be it your indoor kitchen or an outdoor cookhouse.
Image by luxstorm from Pixabay
Planning outdoor kitchens can be fun if you have the right concept and materials. You must have come across a great number of outdoor kitchen building ideas in your favorite magazine. However, conceiving the same while preserving its true essence is no less than a challenge for nonprofessionals. In this guide, you will learn about the basic steps to plan and style your outdoor kitchen.
Steps to Take When Planning Outdoor Kitchens
Assess the Shape of Your Kitchen
You might have fallen for a hi-tech kitchen island you found on the web recently and imagined something alike in your backyard. But does your imagination fit into your reality? When planning outdoor kitchens, you have to have a fair idea about your ideal kitchen shape and yard space ratio.
Try to create it in an L shape if it isn’t very expansive; U shapes are for greater diameters. But whatever your choice might be, keep the zone airy, allowing sufficient ventilation.
Pick the Right Wall Shade
Your outdoor kitchen is also a part of your house. And just like the shades of your walls sets the tone for the rooms or the entire house, you have to be decisive when it comes to kitchen paint.
When luxury designers and the overall feel influence your house is quite subdued, explore the shades of white, cream, champagne, silver, etc. Don’t pick one of the cool colors as they seem to reduce appetite.
Get It Textured
Plain walls are fine as long as you are happy with it. However, if you desire to attain a voguish cooking space under the sky, go for textures. From backsplash to accent walls, the tiles and stones add dimension and sophistication. Remember, the stones used on the walls are faux stones, made of polymer, which are lightweight and able to withstand even extreme weather conditions.
To keep your investment efficient, start with appliances that fit easily into your existing habits and preferences. For example, a fire pit may be a great piece if you need to keep warm in the evening hours. Or an outdoor wok station may be a habit-match for the chef who already prepares a lot of fish, stir fries or other high-heat dishes.
A Thematic Overhead Structure
As you are planning an outdoor kitchen, you can embrace the rustic theme. Go with the wooden structures and be consistent when building the countertops. Enhance the countryside feel by hanging the metallic lanterns and fixing candle holders. Use the overhead structure for mounting the main light to brighten your cooking zone.
Intelligent Shelving
Planning outdoor kitchens can be different from designing traditional in-house kitchens. You cannot install the glass door cabinets or open shelves, for they can easily be affected by the debris, raindrops, stormy wind, etc. Always pick the outdoor kitchen specific storage drawers, access doors, or the door drawer combos so that your outdoor making and baking remains seamless and safe.
Set Up a Bar
The outdoor island serves you in two ways—extra storage and entertainment. So a bar would heighten your party mood, letting you place your kegerator, ice maker, wine cooler, or compact refrigerator under one roof. It would further help you to organize your yard better.
Arrange Comfortable Seating
Although your guests might prefer taking a stroll while you are hosting the celebration from your outdoor kitchen, they would, of course, enjoy the supper, sitting comfortably. Several online brands offer uniquely designed outdoor furniture sets, including dining tables and chairs, bistro sets, among others.
In case your patio consists of a relatively smaller roundtable, purchase a nice outdoor umbrella to savor your daytime feasts without getting tanned.
Accessorize It with Simplicity
You are a firm believer in minimalistic approaches and do not have the leverage to overspend. Planning outdoor kitchens within a limited budget can be tricky; however, you can still maintain its poise by investing in the right appliances.
If your adjacent open area is pretty compact, you can bring home the latest fire pit tables or the fire bowls. They are sleek and invoke the nocturnal spirit of the night when dressed with the reflective fire glasses on top.
The wood-burning fire pits are more naturalistic, but please be careful with children around.
You can also turn them into a barbeque pit. That way, you can refrain from spending on the grilling apparatus. Make sure to keep the grilling grate and a tripod handy, and the meat would be cooked to perfection.
Your kitchen must embody the elegance your home reflects. A little bit of information and a whole lot of creativity can help you achieve your dream kitchen—which, even if not an à la mode, would always make you proud.