Extending Your Living Space with Outdoor Kitchen Landscape Design
Outdoor kitchen landscape design is an increasingly popular trend in garden planning, not just in the year round warmth of southern California, but in cooler climates as well. Modern outdoor design takes the elegant style of your interior living space and continues it into the yard, creating the same functional living space on the outside. Because the kitchen is an integral part of entertaining at home, many people prefer an outdoor kitchen or sometimes referred to in the cooler climates as a 'Summer Kitchen' for convenient cooking and dining in the beautiful outdoors.
Planning Your Outdoor Kitchen
Designing an outdoor kitchen for your landscape design requires careful planning. Today’s kitchens are much more elaborate than the traditional outdoor grill near a picnic table and there are many things to consider to ensure a living area that is both functional and attractive.
Below is a concept drawing of an outdoor kitchen elevation that we designed for a client in Orange County, California. Notice the detailed design work that is needed to ensure a successful project. The door to the right leads to an underground wine cellar.
Outdoor Kitchen Appliances
Outdoor kitchens can be as simple, or as grand, as the homeowner desires. Many design plans for these functional outdoor living spaces recreate the modern conveniences of the indoors with outdoor plumbing, elegant counter tops, cabinets for storage, and refrigeration.
The size and number of your
outdoor appliances and accessories
will depend upon your budget, as well as the space available for your kitchen and the number of people it will typically be used for.
An
outdoor grill
or barbecue is the most basic component of your design. There are a variety of styles and types of appliances designed for the outdoors including the Viking outdoor cooking equipment shown in this photo.
Choosing Your Outdoor Grill
There are a wide variety of barbecue grills available. The right one for your outdoor kitchen will depend on the number of people you typically entertain in your home. A large cooking surface or double rack design will allow you to prepare bigger meals, but a compact model will be sufficient for more intimate gatherings.
Today’s outdoor grills feature a number of accessories and add-ons as well.
Side burners are the best way to prepare a full meal without the inconvenience of being trapped indoors.
Choose from simple models with one or two burners or large barbecue grills with full sized cooking surfaces for the feeling of an indoor kitchen. Cabinets and storage areas are also popular options.
Luxurious outdoor kitchen landscape designs often feature a barbecue island to provide a functional, yet attractive, workspace for meal preparation as well as room for storage. Outdoor kitchen islands can be custom made from fine wood, polymer, or brick or can be purchased in prefabricated sections for convenient installation.
Custom outdoor barbecue islands are:
Easily suited to the appearance of your home with matching brick or complementary wood.
Built on site for permanence.
Designed according to your specifications so your outdoor kitchen landscape design meets all your needs.
Prefabricated outdoor kitchen islands offer:
A simple, piece together installation.
A more affordable price.
A variety of styles, materials, and colors to blend with your overall design.
Several different options to personalize your outdoor kitchen.
Other Outdoor Appliances and Accessories
Your barbecue island can be designed to contain your grill as well as several other appliances and accessories that make outdoor entertaining more convenient and enjoyable. Refrigerators are extremely common elements of outdoor kitchen landscape designs. Sinks, beer taps, wine coolers, pizza ovens, warming trays, cabinets and storage, and even dishwashers can also be integrated into your plans. A custom outdoor kitchen design can provide unlimited possibilities for cooking outdoors.
Because your outdoor kitchen will be open to the elements throughout the year, it is important to select materials designed for outdoor use. Polymer is a strong, weather-resistant material preferred by many landscape architects because of its ability to not peel or crack with changing climates. Brick is another long lasting material for outdoor use that has a luxurious appearance in your landscape design.
Counter tops and surfaces are typically finished with natural stone for a sophisticated look similar to your indoor kitchen design.
Granite, marble, and slate counter tops are common in high-end outdoor kitchen designs and ceramic tile is also an option hat can be found in several colors.
The final touches to any outdoor kitchen landscape design, regardless of how simple or elaborate, are outdoor accessories that enhance the overall style of your home. Dining furniture, decorative accents like sculptures, throw rugs, or potted plants, and the right
outdoor lighting design
can help unify your outdoor kitchen with the rest of your outdoor design as well as with the interior of your home.
Creating a unified look throughout your property is extremely important for a professionally designed appearance. Our landscape design team specializes in upscale designs, including outdoor kitchen landscape designs, and provide free consultations to property owners in the southern California area. We also offer
online landscape design services
to individuals worldwide.
Contact us
by phone or email for assistance with your landscaping needs.
The size and number of your
Today’s outdoor grills feature a number of accessories and add-ons as well. 
Counter tops and surfaces are typically finished with natural stone for a sophisticated look similar to your indoor kitchen design. 
