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Add a Garden Gate
While fencing off your outdoor cooking and dining space may feel a bit counterintuitive to the laid-back party vibes you’re trying to create, it is actually one of the smartest things you can do—especially if you’re setting it in a garden! Much like rugs help you define a space inside, a fence helps define your outdoor kitchen by giving it architectural interest. Keep it simple, like the one shown here, for a classic farmhouse feel or go for cottagecore vibes with a more whimsical silhouette.
RELATED: 38 Attractive Garden Fence Ideas, from Rustic to Ornate
Create a Pass-Through Window
Better connect the space you already have to the outdoors by switching out a standard window with an enlarged accordion-style or French version that opens wide to the outside (as seen in this California kitchen by designers Kim Dempster and Erin Martin). Add an exterior counter and outdoor bar stools for a transportive hangout that’ll feel more “New England shrimp shack” than suburban backyard.
RELATED: Marble vs. Quartz—Which Is Really Better? We Asked Designers.
Install a Pizza Oven
As much as we love a good ol’ grill, the season’s hottest backyard cooker is an outdoor pizza oven. Bring the experience to your own backyard with a portable pellet unit, or get more elaborate with a built-in wood-fired oven, like in this outdoor kitchen by landscape designer Scott Shrader. DIY kits can make this sort of project easier than you may think.
RELATED: The 6 Best Outdoor Pizza Ovens, Based on Editor Testing and Reviews
Build a Bar-Top Pit Grill
Bring that campfire-cooking spirit to your backyard with a built-in pit grill. Set the scene with a kitchen-island-like structure made of stained or painted one-by-four-inch wood boards, or get a more kicked-back, rustic feel with reclaimed barn wood, like on this outdoor kitchen by designer Nathan Turner.
RELATED: 50 of the Best End-of-Summer Recipes to Take You Into Fall
Pick Pretty Finishes
Just because you’re outside doesn’t mean you have to skimp on style! In designer Heather Chadduck Hillegas’ open-air Alabama pool folly, a cocktail-ready nickel sink adds Art Deco elegance while a collection of clear glass adds interest without blocking the view. The ready-to-patina soapstone counter ensures the outdoor bar is equal parts hardworking and handsome.
RELATED: See More of Heather’s Caribbean-Meets-Colonial Pool Folly
Carve Out a Freestanding “Room”
With a little creative thinking, that underutilized section of your yard can become a functional and inviting secondary living space. Start with a pavilion topped by an open trellis or a metal-shed-style roof. Here, the homeowners used stacked cobblestones to create a statement end wall and long work counter, complete with a pizza oven and nooks for wood. Don’t forget the string lights for added ambience.
RELATED: Our Editors Tested A Ton of Outdoor String Lights. Here Are the Ones They Actually Liked!
Install a Wall of Cabinetry
Turn a patio into a mini kitchen. Choose from freestanding options ranging from modular to all-in one , or go a more permanent route with a built-in kitchen cabinet twirled up with all the essentials: a sink, storage and prep spaces, and, of course, a grill or smoker. Here, landscape designer Peter Falkner used cast concrete for a streamlined, modern look in his own yard.
RELATED: Everything You Need to Know about Concrete Countertops
Bring on the Beverage Station
If you don’t need a whole kitchen or cooking space, how about just a sink and a small refrigerator(s) for cocktail mixing and mingling? On this Georgia deck, designer Brian Patrick Flynn ran slats of dark, espresso-stained Southern yellow pine horizontally to create a cabinet that he topped with weather-resistant Dekton. A shelf keeps glassware and/or potted herbs (hello, drink garnishes) within easy reach.
RELATED: How to Properly Plant a Potted Herb Garden
Carry Indoor Style Outside
This dreamy open-air kitchen looks nice enough for any indoor setting, which just goes to show that weather-resistant materials have come a long way. Here, beadboard-fronted cabinetry and butcher block and Dekton countertops offer up plenty of work space and storage. Above, bronze lighting (that chandelier!) that carries a damp UL-Listed rating reinforces the fancy-enough-for-inside feel.
RELATED: The Best Blue Paint Colors for Kitchen Cabinets
Skirt Your Station
When in doubt, add a frilly skirt to bring some feminine flair to even the most masculine of outdoor spaces. This Alabama grilling station features a fun ticking stripe skirt that conceals all sorts of clutter.
RELATED: Designers Agree: It’s Time to Skirt All Your Sinks
Craft a Party-Ready Cabin Kitchen
Party-Up Your Backyard Pavilion
Transform a Grain Silo
Create a Dining “Nook”
Add Pops of Primary Colors
Lean Into Natural Materials
This laid-back kitchen space feels organic yet polished, thanks to a bluestone countertop and pavers, plus a variety of potted plants.
Cozy Up Around an Outdoor Fireplace
Add Mediterranean Elegance with Cabana Stripes
Don’t Forget an Ice Cream Bar
Add Multiple Layers of Seating
This gorgeous backyard space by Lauren Liess boasts a family-friendly table that seats a crowd, plus bar stools tucked in beside the grill for extra seating.
See more at Lauren Liess.
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