OUTDOOR KITCHENS | What is the hype of cooking outside?
Yes, all homes come with kitchens, so why take our advice and add another outdoors? Food is the heartbeat of a good social event. Food not only joins people together but it's the thing everyone has in common: we are all made to eat. Many of our clients wished they used their yard more. One thing that draws people together is a pile of food (for example, donuts in the break room). We highly suggest moving the party outdoors and then keeping it outdoors by constantly feeding your guests. Cooking in your kitchen with a couple of friends hanging around versus grilling outside while your friends are chilling nearby around the fire pit, pool, or bar are two completely different experiences; we believe both should be accessible to every homeowner.
Throughout our projects, we have had clients who want a moveable after-market BBQ, others want an entire covered outdoor kitchen. No matter what you like, or can afford, we highly suggest you incorporate a BBQ to feed your primal joy of cooking outside.
Here are some simple steps to make your outdoor kitchen/BBQ successful.
Locate it in a direct line to the kitchen so lugging your food, materials, and dishes does not become a chore.
Usually, the cook faces away from the yard so that the front of the BBQ grill can face the yard. However, you want the cook to be in the action, do not place the BBQ on your sites boundary move it in towards the center of your yard to encourage more socializing (side note most HOA and city regulations in California don’t allow the BBQ to be within 3’-5’ of the property line).
Counter space is important, make sure you have enough on either side of your grill, do not butt the grill up to the edge or do not place the sink right next to it. This will be for resting your tools, plating your food, or setting down your ice-cold beer to score the perfect patty flip.
We extend the countertops as much as physically possible, they can become a linear aesthetic in the garden, but also if you cantilever it off the solid island it can allow for additional seating.
This leads me to my next point; have a seating area next to, or nearby the grill. BBQing is a social event, even if it is just moveable chairs, give your guests an opportunity to socialize with the cook.
Lastly, this might be intuitive, but make sure the BBQ has proper lighting. We want to be able to see what we are cooking, but also if the island is aesthetically pleasing it should be a feature at night.
Those are some quick steps to get you started on outdoor cooking. If you have any further questions or inquiries or if you need more convincing, please reach out via Instagram direct messaging or email and we would love to get those answered.
Below are some of the BBQs that we have installed or designed throughout the years. As you can tell an outdoor kitchen can vary greatly, there is no box that it needs to fit in (besides the one it came in).
