A Professional Can Help Bring Your Vision to Life
A lot goes into the design of an outdoor kitchen, and it can be difficult to pull together. There are people who devote their entire career to designing professional kitchens. Calling in a professional designer will help ensure your outdoor kitchen is everything you want while avoiding potential design flaws or maintenance issues in the future.Before hiring a professional, it is important to have an idea of what you want. If you have a clear picture in your mind of what you are looking for, a professional can help those dreams come true. Here are a few things to consider as you plan.
What’s on the Menu?
Outdoor kitchens may be trendy, but they can also be well-equipped and fully functional. The typical space will consist of simple prep, grilling and dining areas. New outdoor kitchens can match the full-sized indoor kitchen in both size and capability. When you’re designing your outdoor kitchen, you’ll need to consider your entertainment plans.An outdoor kitchen that has been designed for nights of family fun will function and feel unlike one that has been designed with entertaining large groups of clients or colleagues in mind. This is the part of planning that can help your budget align with your vision, bringing you closer to an end product that looks and feels perfect for you.
Location, Location, Location
Ideally, you want your outdoor kitchen to be as close to the indoor kitchen as possible. This can provide access to existing gas and electrical connections, which will keep your cost down. This close proximity to your indoor kitchen will allow you to monitor foods cooking both indoors and outdoors simultaneously. It also allows access to additional storage space and seating areas indoors.While planning the location of your outdoor kitchen, it is important to consider the smoke. When you grill, the smoke will generally blow downwind from your location. You want to avoid placing your grill in a place that will allow the smoke to blow indoors. Also, you should consider the location of your neighbours’ homes.
Create Ambience
You will want your outdoor cooking and dining areas to be comfortable. For this reason, shade is a very important aspect of your design. If you will be connecting the outdoor kitchen to your home, consider extending an eve or awning to shade your cooking and dining areas from the sun. Trees provide a natural, cooling shelter and should be utilized wherever possible. Another option would be to add a shade trellis or built-in umbrella.When the sun goes down, you will want to be certain that you have good lighting. In order to be able to grill effectively, you will want your cooking area to be sufficiently lit. Providing ambient lighting in the dining area will ensure you and your guests enjoy a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere. Careful planning can help you to make certain that the lighting of each area is efficient and effective.
Pick the Proper Materials
Choosing the proper materials for your outdoor kitchen can be difficult. You want it to look its best and endure any weather, but it also needs to stand up to spills, stains and cleaning.Natural stone countertops look great, but you will need to seal them regularly because they are susceptible to a wide range of contaminants. Granite countertops are good alternative option, but they will lose their colour and gloss if they do not contain a UV stabilizer.
Tile countertops may crack if they are subjected to frequent thawing and freezing. Regardless of where you live, you should avoid porous materials like limestone. While it may do well indoors with proper treatment and care, it is not an ideal material to choose for outdoor countertops.
The most important thing to remember as you plan your outdoor kitchen is that it is designed for entertaining. Whether you are planning for a family BBQ or hosting an upscale dinner, you want to design a place where people can sit back, relax and enjoy the beauty of contemporary life and outdoor living. With this in mind, you can create an outdoor kitchen that you will love and enjoy for many years.
