For many homeowners, summer is the time to take advantage of the great outdoors right in their own backyard. It is a place where family and friends gather to celebrate special times together. Places such as patio kitchens enhance the experience. It can bring a festive air to family dinners or social gatherings when you prepare culinary delights outside during this season that most Canadians enjoy.
Custom-built patio kitchen centers are the ideal renovation if you love cooking and entertaining while surrounded by the sounds of nature. An outdoor patio kitchen is a great addition to your backyard because it will improve your outdoor living space, create a stylish atmosphere of relaxation, and increase the property value of your home. It is an investment that you’ll be proud to show off to family and friends.
Outdoor cooking has come a long way in the past decade. Nowadays, most outdoor grilling centers have become a focal point of the landscape and incorporate the same conveniences as an indoor kitchen. Today you will find such amenities as the grill island, counters, drawers, under counter refrigerators, wet bars, side burners, wood fire ovens, roasting pits, fire pits, patio heaters and wine chillers.
Outdoor Kitchen Location
You will want the kitchen strategically placed in close proximity to the house, which allows for easy access of utility lines. The grilling center should be located close to the inside kitchen and in direct view of rooms facing the yard. By being adjacent to the interior kitchen, there is less time wasted for transporting food and other outdoor materials, like seasonings, flatware, and dinnerware.
Since outdoor grilling usually occurs during the hot summer months and you’ll want the most comfortable cooking environment, plan accordingly for enough sun-shade cover to provide relief from the heat. You can achieve this with shade bars, shade lattice, oversized umbrellas or natural shade from trees. Adding a structure that covers the entire outdoor patio kitchen, dining or lounging area will offer protection from the elements and provide a cooler setting for you and your guests.
Privacy is not only a consideration for you, but also for your neighbours, and you’ll want to factor that into the design. This can be achieved by using trees, hedges, shrubbery or privacy fencing. When your kitchen is being designed, consider the way in which the wind will blow the smoke when the grill is in operation. Proximity to windows, doors and balconies that are downwind from the center should be considered since smoke generally blows downwind from the grill. This factor is most commonly found to have the most effect in the kitchen area. Your seating and dining arrangement should be situated away from this area whenever possible.
Outdoor Kitchen Lighting
Outdoor Lighting plays an important role in enhancing your kitchen and dining experience. It transforms the property at night and sets the mood while intensifying the natural beauty of your surroundings. Task lighting above the cooking grill is ideal for focused lighting in the work area. Halogen lights can stand up to higher temperatures, ensuring a good visual presentation of the food that you’re preparing.
You can also add a ceiling fan with a lighting fixture that helps to deter mosquitoes and brighten up the area. Lighting under the upper cabinets, countertops, and inside lower cabinets provide light for meal preparation while creating a stylish look. Landscape lighting surrounding the dining area, patio and walkways add a visual appeal while keeping your entertainment center safe.
The Overall Effect
Your landscape company can design an outdoor patio kitchen area that is both seamless in appearance and functionality. There should be some separation from the entertainment area, but close enough for the cook to interact with guests or overview the action at the pool. In terms of the materials used in planning the outdoor area, your designer will recommend materials that are durable, weatherproof, heat-resistant and easy to clean. When you are considering materials that are best suited for furniture, you should think about teak, redwood or cedar. Stone and concrete is great for countertops and stainless steel is the best choice for all of the appliances.
Depending on your budget, costs can vary, but the possibilities are endless. It just takes a plan to produce the outdoor patio kitchen of your dreams. Contact Evergreen Landscapes today for more information on planning, designing and installing your outdoor living sanctuary.
