9 Tips for a Functional and Stylish Outdoor Kitchen
With a little planning and forethought, make your outdoor kitchen a stylish and popular addition to your home
We all love dining outside and now it’s time to make cooking al fresco a pleasure, too! From barbecues to pizza ovens to fully equipped kitchens, you can create your meals with the sun on your face and the wind at your back. There’s no need to compromise on quality, utensils or bench space – and there are solutions to every challenge. Let’s eat!
Get expert advice from an architect in your area
Get expert advice from an architect in your area
2. Select all your appliances
Bringing the kitchen outside needs to be well thought out – here, the barbecue-loving owner ticks off everything on the list. The outdoor zone boasts plenty of storage for kitchenware and food items, a gleaming barbecue with a hood, a bar fridge, a built-in sink and mixer with a pull-out spray nozzle, an effective exhaust fan and under-cupboard illumination for perfect prepping. You can’t beat that!
Bringing the kitchen outside needs to be well thought out – here, the barbecue-loving owner ticks off everything on the list. The outdoor zone boasts plenty of storage for kitchenware and food items, a gleaming barbecue with a hood, a bar fridge, a built-in sink and mixer with a pull-out spray nozzle, an effective exhaust fan and under-cupboard illumination for perfect prepping. You can’t beat that!
3. Use every centimetre
A compact outdoor area works ideally for a couple, but it’s worth talking to your landscape designer to include extra seating options. Here, the two lounge chairs are great for a couple, but when guests arrive, the wide barrier doubles as an effective seating area. BYO cushions!
A compact outdoor area works ideally for a couple, but it’s worth talking to your landscape designer to include extra seating options. Here, the two lounge chairs are great for a couple, but when guests arrive, the wide barrier doubles as an effective seating area. BYO cushions!
4. Open up your existing kitchen to the outdoors
When bifold doors disappear, the inside-outside connection works a treat. This property is a perfect example. The dining table has steel frame legs and casters – it can work as a centrepiece in the outdoor zone or, when a large number of guests arrive, it can be placed adjacent to the indoor island bench. No matter how large the party, there’s always plenty of room.
When bifold doors disappear, the inside-outside connection works a treat. This property is a perfect example. The dining table has steel frame legs and casters – it can work as a centrepiece in the outdoor zone or, when a large number of guests arrive, it can be placed adjacent to the indoor island bench. No matter how large the party, there’s always plenty of room.
5. Hide away the barbie
To minimise clutter in the outdoor area a barbecue with its utensils and kitchenware can be easily hidden away in a super-handy shed. Modern Country is the style in this striking outdoor zone. The refined teak table and benchtops evoke a farm-style ambience, while the architectural exterior screams 21st-century chic. When not in use, the sliding doors hide away the gleaming barbecue, transforming a dining zone into a clutter-free courtyard.
Browse a wide selection of kitchenware
To minimise clutter in the outdoor area a barbecue with its utensils and kitchenware can be easily hidden away in a super-handy shed. Modern Country is the style in this striking outdoor zone. The refined teak table and benchtops evoke a farm-style ambience, while the architectural exterior screams 21st-century chic. When not in use, the sliding doors hide away the gleaming barbecue, transforming a dining zone into a clutter-free courtyard.
Browse a wide selection of kitchenware
6. Try a new taste sensation
We can’t live without the classic barbie, but a traditional wood-fired pizza oven offers a new taste sensation. Keeping it authentic, the oven is ideal for making pizzas that are full of flavour and texture. Intense heat radiates across the dome and the good news is, you don’t need to clean the grease from the inside of the oven!
We can’t live without the classic barbie, but a traditional wood-fired pizza oven offers a new taste sensation. Keeping it authentic, the oven is ideal for making pizzas that are full of flavour and texture. Intense heat radiates across the dome and the good news is, you don’t need to clean the grease from the inside of the oven!
7. Provide a privacy screen
Although the surrounding houses aren’t far away, an effective screen keeps any nosy neighbours at bay. The stacked stonewall panel in steely grey works as an attractive splashback behind the barbie, while the matching timber screen boasts privacy and style. The open pergola, meanwhile, allows plenty of light into the large dining zone.
Although the surrounding houses aren’t far away, an effective screen keeps any nosy neighbours at bay. The stacked stonewall panel in steely grey works as an attractive splashback behind the barbie, while the matching timber screen boasts privacy and style. The open pergola, meanwhile, allows plenty of light into the large dining zone.
8. Make storage effective
Utilising every centimetre, this built-in kitchen is power-packed with all the essentials. A barbecue, bar fridge and compact fridge means that diners don’t need to head inside for a refill. The prep area provides plenty of space to slice and dice, and the visual element hasn’t been overlooked – the stacked-stone panel in grey slate with a natural rust accent provides texture to this al fresco patio.
Utilising every centimetre, this built-in kitchen is power-packed with all the essentials. A barbecue, bar fridge and compact fridge means that diners don’t need to head inside for a refill. The prep area provides plenty of space to slice and dice, and the visual element hasn’t been overlooked – the stacked-stone panel in grey slate with a natural rust accent provides texture to this al fresco patio.
9. Indulge yourself!
Reinventing the outdoor cooking concept, this elongated unit designed by Australia’s Rolling Stone Landscapes integrates an outdoor cooktop and barbecue while bringing minimalism to a new level. The floating effect means that the unit virtually disappears into the greenery, blurring the boundaries of kitchen and garden.
See more kitchen photos
SHARE YOUR SPACE
If you have a fab outdoor kitchen we’d love to see it. Please post a high-resolution photo in the comments section below.
Reinventing the outdoor cooking concept, this elongated unit designed by Australia’s Rolling Stone Landscapes integrates an outdoor cooktop and barbecue while bringing minimalism to a new level. The floating effect means that the unit virtually disappears into the greenery, blurring the boundaries of kitchen and garden.
See more kitchen photos
SHARE YOUR SPACE
If you have a fab outdoor kitchen we’d love to see it. Please post a high-resolution photo in the comments section below.
Before you start ordering furniture, it’s important to design the layout of the outdoor room, detailing all fittings, furniture and electricals. Here, the spacious room in Sydney’s Upper North Shore covers all zones – cooking, eating and relaxing areas. As a highlight, the built-in barbecue boasts a strong design element, utilising a timber benchtop that doubles as a place to store fire logs.