Your backyard is a blank canvas. There are all kinds of design possibilities you can try out while sculpting that part of your home, including creating a backyard kitchen.
The pros of adding a backyard kitchen to your home are appealing.
It gives you more cooking space to utilize on days when you’re having guests over, and it can even double as a hub for socializing and entertaining. Plus, well-made backyard kitchens can turn out to be gorgeous additions that significantly increase the value of your home.
Keep It Casual
Cooking and dining outdoors offers a nice change of pace from the regular routine.
You get to enjoy the fresh air as well as the appetizing aromas coming from the hot grill nearby. You can also swap out the four walls of your home for the gorgeous blue sky and verdant trees. Along with all that, you can also relax as the cool breeze continues to move back and forth through the backyard kitchen.
It’s a real feast for the senses.
To soak all those good things in, consider keeping backyard kitchen design casual. Add some comfy deck chairs and set them around a wooden table to create that cozy feeling. Light or bright colors will also help maintain the casual theme.
You can also set up the kitchen in such a way that guests can approach the grill easily, grab some food, and then quickly sit back down to return to the conversation. The setup doesn’t need to be anything overly elaborate. If anything, a nice, open area where guests can mingle freely as you cook should help keep the good vibes going throughout the afternoon.
Create a Refined Outdoor Dining Environment
Going casual with your backyard kitchen is certainly an option worth considering, but you can also go in the exact opposite direction. Transforming your backyard into a refined cooking and dining area would be unexpected, and that’s exactly why it’s such an intriguing option.
Pulling this off will require a significant investment on your part. You’ll likely need to pay big bucks for a suitable dining table. One made from marble would look stunning against an outdoor backdrop.
Complement your new centerpiece table with some wooden furniture, and you’ve got yourself an upscale dining area already.
To maintain the pristine appearance of your upscale eatery, consider having a glass roof built over it. The glass roof will allow natural lighting to shine through and bathe the dining area in a warm glow. You can also add some hanging light fixtures so that the area remains usable and beautiful at night.
As for the cooking area itself, you’ll want it a good distance away from the dining table. This will prevent any spillages or splatters that could reach your guests. Make sure the grill is not too far so your guests can continue to enjoy the aromas.
Build a Second Full-Fledged Kitchen
When you try to picture a backyard kitchen in your head, you’re probably getting all kinds of ideas, but the one constant may be the grill. After all, using the grill is the easiest way to cook outdoors.
Still, you don’t need to limit yourself to only having an outdoor grill. If you desire, you can make your backyard into a second kitchen that’s as functional as the one you have indoors.
Work with a contractor to create a space that can host a fully functional kitchen. Along with the grill, you can also have a stovetop out there and even an oven.
When it comes to the refrigerator, you can also have space for a smaller one carved into the walls of your outdoor kitchen or perhaps set up space for a full-sized one. Ask your contractor to set up the wiring as well so you can continue to use some kitchen appliances outside.
Most households don’t need second kitchens, but if you often have guests over or are considering getting into the food business, a backyard kitchen can turn out to be one of the best investments you ever made.
Try Out New Cooking Stations in Your Backyard
For this entry, we’re still thinking of building a second kitchen, but with a twist. Instead of recreating the kitchen already inside your home, why not use the one located in your backyard to try out some new cooking stations.
How about adding a pizza oven to your backyard kitchen? Keeping a pizza oven inside your home will be tough because it takes up a lot of space, and it can be messy at times. Outside though, you can use it all you want.
Wood-fired pizza ovens can get hotter than most home-based ovens, and that allows them to properly cook pizzas faster while also giving them a crispy crust. You can also use your wood-fired pizza oven for larger pieces of meat that may not fit inside the oven you have indoors.
A fire pit can similarly work as a fantastic addition to your backyard kitchen. Fire pits add an interesting visual dimension to your backyard, especially when you light them up at night. The warmth coming from the fire pit is welcome on those cold fall and winter days.
If you’re getting a smaller fire pit, you can use it to cook s’mores to simulate a night spent camping. For those who want to indulge in more adventurous cooking, a larger fire pit can handle whole pigs and roasts.
Give Your Backyard a Mediterranean Makeover by Adding a Pergola
Pergolas are outdoor structures that feature columns and a roof made from beams and rafters. According to The Spruce, they can trace the roots of the pergolas back to the Italian Renaissance. That explains why they give off those distinct Mediterranean vibes.
What makes pergolas such great additions to your backyard is that they can be customized to fit into your design scheme.
The pergolas can be crafted from wood and feature slimmer columns and beams so that they fit better into a minimalist design aesthetic. If you want them to be a more eye-catching element that can serve as the centerpiece of your backyard, you can make the pergola out of sturdier material.
Pergolas can also work as functional additions to your backyard. Use them to create a seating area with plenty of shade or use them to grow gorgeous vines that add a splash of greenery to your backyard. You can also use those pergolas to shield your cooking area from the elements.
The pergolas don’t get enough credit for being splendid backyard pieces, but they can be beneficial in more ways than one.
Integrate Your Garden into Your Backyard Kitchen
When trying to come up with a way to beautify your backyard, you don’t need to answer an either-or proposition. As long as you have enough space, you can turn your backyard into different home staples.
For instance, have you considered creating a combo of a backyard kitchen and a garden? It’s an outdoor combination that makes a ton of sense.
You can use a sizable segment of your yard and dedicate it to the purpose of growing your favorite herbs and vegetables. Herbs are easy to grow at home, and there are also certain vegetables such as radishes, beans, and peas that can thrive in a backyard garden.
Build a kitchen nearby, and you can truly indulge in some farm-to-table goodness. Or, in this case, it’s more of a yard-to-yard affair.
Nothing beats the flavor of herbs and vegetables plucked fresh from your garden and cooked as soon as possible. Even if you have kids who are picky eaters, you can change their mind by having them chow down on the freshest vegetables they’ll ever eat. Your kids may also develop a greater appreciation for food and its value if they see how it goes from the garden to the plate.
Serve Up Some Poolside Fun and Food
Swimming pools are fantastic additions to any home. They pay off during the summer months when you want to cool off. Honestly, though, they are great to have at home all throughout the year because it’s fun to either exercise or hang out in the swimming pool.
Still, you may feel like you’re not getting enough out of your pool. If that’s the case, then why not integrate it into your backyard kitchen and create the ultimate outdoor hangout spot during the summer.
By building a kitchen next to the swimming pool in your backyard, you can introduce your guests to different ways of having fun outdoors. They can chill out in the swimming pool while grabbing some burgers and some brews. That’s the kind of summer experience anyone would love to have.
You don’t necessarily have to stop there, though. If you want to, you can go all out and turn your poolside area into a full-blown bar and grill.
Check out these ideas for creating a home bar and see which one you like best for your backyard. You can even opt to have a Kegerator built into your outdoor bar so that the cold drinks are always available on tap.
As for the bar stools, you can get creative with those as well. You can have some built around your new outdoor bar or even have them submerged in your swimming pool.
Don’t be afraid to have fun with your outdoor bar and kitchen!
Transform Your Backyard into an Entertainment Hub
Football Sundays are regarded as de facto holidays by many sports fans across the country. They clear their schedules, take care of any remaining chores, and prepare to spend the rest of the day parked in front of the TV as they watch their favorite teams take to the gridiron.
Spending all of Sunday inside your home glued to the TV can be plenty of fun, but wouldn’t it be better if you could spend that time with your buddies hanging out in the yard while enjoying some beers and good food? You can make that happen by transforming your backyard.
The kitchen itself doesn’t need to be anything fancy. A nice, spacious grill that’s good enough to cook plenty of hotdogs and burgers at the same time will do.
You cannot forget about the refrigerator because you need those cold drinks ready whenever. Make sure that you save space for that refrigerator in your new outdoor kitchen.
Of course, your outdoor entertainment hub won’t be complete without the televisions. The good news is they now make televisions that you can use outdoors. These outdoor TVs can withstand the harsher outdoor temperatures, and they can also hold up well to the humid air.
If you’re eager to check out some outdoor TV options, you can look up some of the items featured in this article from Family Handyman.
It’s also important to note here that you don’t need to limit the use of your outdoor entertainment hub to Football Sundays or any other time you’re watching your favorite sports teams in action. You can also head outside for family movie night and bask in the gentle glow of the moon and the stars overhead.
Homeowners have all kinds of options to choose from if they want to improve their backyard. They can opt to build their own garden, have a swimming pool installed, or perhaps turn the space into a playground for kids.
As this article shows, creating a backyard kitchen is also a viable option worth exploring for homeowners. Hopefully, the suggestions included in this article have given you a clear idea of what kind of backyard kitchen to build.
If you need help constructing your dream backyard kitchen, we at Eco Minded Solutions are ready to offer our services. Contact us today, and let’s start drawing up those plans for your backyard!
