5 Design ideas for a new outdoor kitchen

The kitchen is often the focal point of a gathering, so when the weather is nice, why not take it outside? Outdoor kitchens offer elegance and class to summer cookouts, and enhance a gathering area with convenience, visual interest, and food for the imagination as well as the stomach.

An outdoor kitchen can be as simple as a grill and food prep area or as complex as you’d like, incorporating seating areas, shelter, a sink, and kitchen appliances. Here are five outdoor kitchen design ideas to whet your appetite:

1. A pizza oven — As a supplement to a grill or a feature on its own, a brick pizza or bread oven can give you unparalleled stone-hearth flavor for artisan meals. It can also serve as a conversation piece and an architectural fixture. Stone hearths vary in size from lower than waist-height to taller than an adult, so you can choose the style to fit your overall landscaping.
2. An open-air dining room — Eating on a picnic blanket or on camping chairs may be a staple of outdoor gatherings, but an open-air dining room offers comfort, cleanliness, and some protection from the elements. An outdoor dining area combines the attractive aspects of indoor and outdoor dining into a unique and exotic experience.
3. A home bar — A sink, a protected area to keep equipment organized and clean, and a simple stone prep area may be some components of an outdoor drinks station. Having a home bar can expand your options for unwinding on weekends and evenings, and help you get more out of outdoor spaces.
4. A fire pit — Gathering around a fire pit can make for cozy memories even as temperatures drop in autumn or late at night. Designing an outdoor seating area around a fire pit and supplementing it with a kitchen can set the stage for romantic dinners, family downtime, or a comfortable night observing the stars while staving off peckishness with midnight snacks.
5. An outdoor porch — Whether appointed with swings or with green plants and rocking chairs, an outdoor porch can be turned into a functional and beautiful multipurpose gathering place with the addition of some outdoor kitchen design ideas. By incorporating a table or grill, you can enjoy outdoor refreshments in style and comfort.

If you want to learn about incorporating granite and stonework into your outdoor kitchen design ideas, visit Arch City Granite & Marble’s St. Louis showroom, or contact us today!