Having an outdoor kitchen can be a unique luxury. Some homes are built with an outdoor kitchen – with a fully working stove and other appliances. However, most homes don’t come with an outdoor kitchen, which means that you have to improvise. If you love to cook and entertain, having an outdoor kitchen can add a whole new dimension of enjoyment when friends and family come to visit. Cooking outside – when the weather is warm – can be incredibly fun. When it comes to outdoor kitchen design, there are a number of things you want to keep in mind so that you can get the most out of your outdoor cooking area.
Here are five important factors to consider when designing an outdoor kitchen.
-
Shelter
An outdoor kitchen can be used all year round if you have the proper shelter. If you don’t have some kind of protection, it will be difficult to make meals during some parts of the year – you have to worry about light drizzles and falling leaves. This is why you may want to put some kind of roof over your outdoor kitchen – to protect against the direct elements.
-
Storage
This is an incredibly important factor to consider. There is a good chance that you don’t want to keep bringing items from the house to your outdoor kitchen – that can start to get a little tedious. This is why you want to think about installing shelves and cabinets. You may even want to have a small refrigerator where you can store items – you can also chill wine, champagne, and other beverages. Other than that, having a place to keep tools and other miscellaneous items is important, because you don’t want them to be strewn all over the place.
-
Working utilities
Will your outdoor kitchen have access to running water? What about fuel for running the stove or oven? When you are designing your outdoor kitchen, you may want to think about extending your utility lines. This may increase the cost of installing and building your outdoor kitchen, but it will make it a lot more functional. If you don’t want to extend your utilities, you can also search online and invest in a nice coal-burning barbecue, which will allow you the opportunity to cook all your meals.
-
Size
It is also incredibly important to think about the size of your outdoor kitchen. In most cases, the size of your outdoor kitchen will be contingent upon the size of your backyard. If you have a small backyard, your kitchen will be smaller. Of course, if you are willing to sacrifice some square footage of your backyard you could make your outdoor kitchen slightly larger, but it is smart to be prudent.
-
Aesthetics
Another factor you want to consider is the look of your outdoor kitchen – will it match your home or will it have another look entirely? Ideally, you want to make your kitchen match your home, especially if you are adding a lot of details. In the end, you don’t really want your outdoor kitchen to look out of place.
