Making the most of an outdoor kitchen
Our design advice to anybody considering an outdoor kitchen feature is that there are certainly great advantages. When food is prepared and served outside, it’s easy for people to gather around and socialise with the cook (and each other) before, during and afterwards. Many indoor kitchens don’t lend themselves easily to this. Adding some outdoor cooking facilities is much more straightforward than adding extra rooms to the house!
You can go further too, installing appliances that allow you to have a fully operational outdoor kitchen. However, my overall advice is to keep it simple and avoid replicating your indoor kitchen unnecessarily. Most people still do most of their food preparation indoors even when hosting a barbecue or outdoor party. You probably don’t need as much work surface or kitchen infrastructure outside as you may think. Whatever the space (or budget) you have in mind, there are certain design considerations to consider. This article outlines my ‘top tips’ on creating a space that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
Cooking appliances
The question of what people will use in practice is very important. In my opinion, the outdoor cooking appliances that add the most value are wood-fired barbecues (creating a lovely smoked flavour) and pizza ovens (cooking at top temperatures not achievable in an indoor kitchen). Your use and enjoyment of your garden can be greatly increased by the addition of one of these features plus a small workspace. After all, who wants two kitchens to clean?!
Pizza ovens are proving to be the most popular appliance with our clients this year. It’s easy to see why. They are very heat-efficient and allow you to cook a pizza in about 60 seconds once they are at the required temperature. They also work well when entertaining family or friends – you can cook lots of pizzas in a short space of time, and make it an interactive/social experience too with people choosing their own toppings. Personally, I prefer pizza ovens to other outdoor kitchen appliances because (1) they add something to your cooking repertoire that you don’t already have in your indoor kitchen, so they are not just duplicating an indoor appliance; and (2) they are quite space-efficient and can be incorporated into a garden design without dominating the space too much.
Layout and materials
It is important to consider the positioning of the outdoor kitchen/cooking facilities. Connection to the indoor kitchen is important for ease of use and flow of movement. But bear in mind views from the house out into the garden and avoid cluttering these with outdoor kitchen equipment. Think about the host too, who is likely to be cooking and socialising at the same time. Make sure they won’t have their back to their guests but also bear in mind the smoke effects! Positioning a barbecue or pizza oven in a planted area will soften its visual effect and create a more harmonised look and feel.
From a design perspective, it is also important to consider continuity from the house to the outdoor kitchen space. You can achieve this through selective use of hardscaping materials. Each material needs to be carefully chosen to be sympathetic to the period of the house and its architecture. Careful sourcing can lead to great finds. For older properties, a local brickworks or quarry may still be able to provide matching materials, or at least products that are vernacular. You can also achieve a sense of harmony with modern houses or one that has undergone modernisation. For example, you might use some of the same floor tiling for a garden terrace adjoining a recent kitchen extension.
Use vernacular materials where possible. This enables you to ‘take advantage’ of local resources, which are relatively energy efficient and sustainable. By cutting back on the transport required to get materials to site, you can drastically reduce the carbon footprint of your project. Aim for neutral colours (soft greys and buffs) that will be sympathetic to the garden’s planting colour palette. Avoid bright whites. Think about practicalities too – will any paths from house to outdoor kitchen be slip resistant in wet weather? Will the materials be porous – and therefore tend to get mouldy if laid in a shady area?
Shelter and weatherproofing
Bear in mind of course that you will only choose to eat outside in optimal weather conditions! For contemporary homes and gardens, a louvered canopy works well. These canopies do look modern though and don’t sit as comfortably with older, period properties. Another option is to incorporate glass side panels into the space, protecting the cooking facilities from the elements.
For additional greenery and to create a sense of being immersed in nature, you can add decorative grasses which will add height and a lovely swaying movement to your outdoor space. For example, Miscanthus offers lovely green foliage with feathery flowers in late summer to autumn. Some varieties grow up to 6 feet in height, other varieties grow to little more than 2 feet tall and can be mixed with flowering plants or used to fill containers. Another option is Stipa, which comes in various sizes and also has feathery flowers which turn into decorative seedheads later in the year. Find out more here.
Extra touches …
It can be fun to grow your own herbs to enhance your outdoor cooking – in pots or a herb patch if you have space. Home-grown herbs are very easy to look after, they look lovely and fresh and as an added bonus you can add them to your cocktails (e.g. mint, rosemary) or make a healthy herbal tea the morning after any gatherings! Growing your own favourite salad ingredients can also be fun, providing extra visual interest in your garden – as well as some tasty crops. A single container or a selection of different pots can be an attractive addition to your terrace/dining area. Popular salad choices include lettuce (many different varieties), spring onions, chives and radishes. If you have a sheltered sunny spot, chilli peppers and tomatoes can thrive, adding colour and interest.
You can of course enhance the appeal of cooking and eating outdoors by adding stylish outdoor furnishings, lighting, and maybe a fire pit for added warmth all year round. Of course, if the budget is large enough (and you have the space), you can add even more attractions. A water feature, some garden art …. the options are endless.
Conclusion
As a garden design-and-build business, our goals is to help clients to transform underused gardens into cherished spaces that bring joy. Incorporating an area where you can prepare food outdoors and enjoy dining with friends and family can be a wonderful way to do so.
James Scott MBALI, FSGD
Principal Designer and Managing Director