Creative Outdoor Kitchen Ideas for All Types of Cooking Needs
Published: 15/11/2023 | Updated: 24/11/2023
Outdoor kitchens are one of the best outdoor features homeowners could invest in. It's simply a win-win on every front.
An outdoor kitchen island has a lot to offer to you, your family, and your guests in its most basic form.
And every new feature has the potential to make your outdoor kitchen space much more entertaining, beautiful, and functional.
Like those ideas, we have for you in this article!
Why Should You Have an Outdoor Kitchen?
If you're hesitant about building an outdoor kitchen, it'd be completely understandable as outdoor kitchens are a big change to any landscape. They are also a big financial investment (even a DIY outdoor kitchen!).
However, the many benefits of outdoor kitchens make them very worthy to invest in.
Increase Your Outdoor Living Space
The outdoors is no longer considered a separate (often useless) space just for plants and flowers.
Homeowners have recognized the power of utilizing the outdoors to make them a significant, equally functional part of the house, to be used and enjoyed by the family all year round.
If you have an outdoor living room and/or dining space, or thinking about adding them in your next renovation, the best addition to your great outdoors would be an outdoor kitchen to make your backyard complete and self-sufficient.
You wouldn't have to run back and forth to your indoor kitchen.
More Hands-on Deck
An outdoor kitchen island means there is more space for more people to join in cooking for big events and gatherings.
With the extra outdoor kitchen, all the family could join in food preparation without stuffing the indoor kitchen and running out of appliances and space.
Hold Better Parties
Better, and bigger! An outdoor kitchen would make having a dinner party in your backyard much less maintenance.
Your friends can hang around you while you prepare and cook dinner. You'll have everything you need outside, and with bigger parties, your outdoor kitchen and indoor kitchen will help you create magic.
Increase Your Curb Appeal
The addition of an outdoor kitchen on your patio or anywhere in your backyard elevates the value of your house in the market.
Of course, the better quality and more functional your outdoor kitchen is, the higher your house's position in the market.
So, like indoor kitchens, every penny spent on accessories that make an outdoor kitchen better and an outdoor kitchen space more habitable is money that will return to you in case you ever want to sell your house.
Outdoor Kitchen Designs and Ideas
Now that we've outlined some of the plentiful benefits of outdoor kitchens, here are some extra ideas to make your outdoor kitchen stand out and bring out more to your outdoor living space.
Add a Pizza Station
An outdoor kitchen wouldn't be complete without a pizza station. It's simply essential for gatherings and events.
A full pizza station with all the essential equipment, supplies, appliances, and comfortable access could be the centerpiece of your outdoor kitchen.
It'll give you more options when cooking a lovely meal for your family. And aesthetically, you can't go wrong with a pizza station.
Whether a traditional brick and clay oven or a more modern steel oven stand, your choice will add a lot to your backyard.
Add a Grill
Aside from the pizza oven, grills are another feature that is both essential and gives you a ton of choices when it comes to style, material, shape, and use.
Flipping burgers on your outdoor grill that is supplied with all essentials will take summertime in your yard to another level and help you create a wonderful, joyful environment.
Your BBQ island could with a built-in gas grill or a traditional charcoal grill, the grill type and layout depend on your preferences.
Combine with Bar
Even a small outdoor kitchen can be built with bar and bar seating for maximum entertainment opportunities.
In warmer weather, your friends can hang out and share a drink with you while you're cooking. It's those details that elevate the level of your outdoor living and makes your backyard the envy of your neighbors.
Combine with Pergola
Combining your outdoor kitchen with a pergola is a wonderful idea to make it an even better place for your guests to gather and hang out.
Pergola styles add more to your outdoor living areas aesthetically and also provide more shade to your outdoor kitchen. Which makes it more comfortable for you to create wonders, especially in the hotter climate.
Functionally, the pergola roof will also cover and protect your outdoor kitchen from various elements, not just the warmth of the sun, which will help extend its life span.
So the cost of the added pergola is fully worth it.
Add Refrigerator Drawers
Refrigerator drawers for storage are a perfect addition to outdoor kitchens.
They will eliminate the need to go back and forth to your kitchen inside from a cold drink or anything you need from the fridge for cooking.
Even aside from just cooking, it takes outdoor dining to the next space and helps make your outdoor living room more self-sufficient.
Go With Stainless Steel Countertops
While a concrete countertop is a great, durable choice, the stainless steel countertop adds a modern, aesthetic style (even if combined with a brick-built outdoor kitchen). Which will add a lot to the general style of your porch.
Don't Forget the Sink
This is another idea to make your outdoor kitchen even more self-sufficient. It's helpful to be able to wash your hands or rinse any utensils while you cook and not have to go inside.
It's also helpful for dining outside where you and your guests can wash your hands before and after meals right in your backyard.
Combine With Firepit
Especially in colder weather, a firepit with outdoor kitchens will add a lovely cozy warmth.
With a firepit, your outdoor kitchen can be fully functional and comfortable all year round in any weather.
It'd also add style and an aesthetical quality to it.
Add a Prep Station
An outdoor kitchen prep station is really where the fun is. It could be portable to ease your life cooking outside.
It could also be DIY so that you could have fun with the style and also cost you less.
Consider a Built-in Smoker
Cooking with a smoker is very similar to cooking with a grill, however, there are some differences. It eventually rests on what your personal preferences are.
Grills are better than smokers in some ways and smokers are better than grills in others. For example, while slower than grills, the smoke adds a distinguishable flavor to food that some people can't get enough of.
Add Extra Storage
Storage is very important when it comes to outdoor kitchens. The more you have of it, the more separate and self-sufficient your patio kitchen would be.
Whether for accessories, utensils and even snacks for the kids, outdoor kitchens are all the best with more storage. You could easily acquire more storage drawers and cupboards that match the rest of your kitchen at any time.
Add a Smart TV
A smart tv for the outdoors is already a good idea, but combining it with outdoor kitchens takes it to a whole other level.
It'll make your deck the ideal place to hang out with loved ones during any big televised events, as well as for you to catch up with your favorite show while making good.
Pool-side Outdoor Kitchen
Now that's the dream life! Patio outdoor kitchens are perfectly lovable, but situating your kitchen by the pool can elevate both your pool and kitchen.
Going for burgers after a swim and then sunbathing is a perfect summer passing time.
But whether on your patio, the middle of your yard, or anywhere else on your landscape, outdoor kitchens offer a lot of benefits that you wouldn't want to miss out on. We hope you take inspiration from those outdoor kitchens' ideas!
However, like most other landscaping elements, outdoor kitchens are complex structures requiring much thought and professional design to bring out the best of your yard while perfectly complementing everything else.
At Shrubhub.com, we offer 3D designs so that our clients are comfortable knowing how exactly their outdoors will look like with our professional designs before implementing anything.
And lucky for you, we're currently offering a 70% discount on all our design services! All you need to do is to sign up here, easily.