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When Atlas Ceramics published the 2022 Kitchen Trends Index, it stated that 2.18 million annual Google searches, 71.7 million views of TikTok videos, and nearly 0.5 million Instagram hashtags featured one thing: outdoor kitchens.
If you’re like us, you believe summertime is meant for sizzling barbecues, chilled beverages, and making memories with friends and family. Taking your culinary escapades to the great outdoors with an outdoor kitchen makes all of this possible. Plus, no more darting back and forth to your main kitchen!
Don’t fire up the grill just yet, though. Selecting the perfect outdoor kitchen involves a bit of know-how – figuring out the size, deciding what to include, choosing the right materials, and finding the ideal spot for your culinary masterpiece.
4 Essential Tips For Outdoor Kitchen Design
Essential #1: An outdoor kitchen shed
Go beyond your regular backyard setup and avoid any issues presented by Mother Nature with an outdoor cooking shed! These cooking cabins are a whole new level of awesome. We’re talking treated lumber and designs that are easily customized to be as unique as your culinary creations. Rain or shine, you can keep that grill sizzling!
These sheds have plenty of room for storage, cooking, and for your guests to sit – bar style. It’s the type of inclusion that takes your outdoor cooking game to a whole new level while improving the value of your home.
Essential #2: Choosing the right sizing
Before you start gathering your summertime recipes, you need to plan the size of your outdoor kitchen. Size does matter, especially when it comes to your outdoor kitchen. Go too big, and your backyard might feel like it’s been gobbled up by the cooking space; go too small, and you’ll be wrestling with limited room for grilling and prepping.
So, how do you strike that perfect balance? It’s all about finding the Goldilocks zone for your grill and burners. Think about your squad – or your hungry clan – and match that with the right firepower. A four-burner barbecue? Perfect for the couple or the cozy family of four. But if you’re the neighborhood grill master or you’ve got a small army to feed, consider cranking it up to a six-burner beast.
Essential #3: Choosing the right materials
Your alfresco masterpiece will be facing the wild, wild world of weather, and we want it to stand tall, rain or shine. Durability is the name of the game. You don’t want your outdoor kitchen crumbling under the pressure of the elements. So, look for the tough stuff – cast aluminum or grade 316 stainless steel for the barbecue body and lid. These bad boys can handle whatever Mother Nature throws their way. And when it comes to the countertops, think rugged – robust stone is your go-to.
Granite countertops are non-combustible, heat-resistant, scratch and weather-resistant and will keep your space looking fabulous and performing like a champ for years to come. If the barbecue surround gets an extra dose of granite love, you’ll create a non-combustible barrier between the fiery grill and the cool cabinetry.
Essential #4: The positioning of your outdoor kitchen
You want this culinary wonderland to be the beating heart of your outdoor shindigs. If you’ve got a deck or a sweet alfresco seating area, that’s the sweet spot.
The pro tip? –Keep it cozy with the main kitchen. Easy access is the name of the game. The closer it is, the less of a hassle it is to hook it up to the essentials like power, gas, and water. The primary rule for positioning is to think about convenience, connection, and avoiding the blocking of any outdoor flow your area may have. Think open-plan living but for your exterior!
What shall we design next?
We love designing new things for the home or business at Dig This Design, which is why we’re your go-to resource for the latest ideas, inspiration, and more. Dream about possibilities in your space and add our site to your regular visits list. There’s always plenty to design!
Other posts you might enjoy:
Planning Your Outdoor Kitchen Design
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About the Author: Patricia Davis Brown
