The Basics of Outdoor Kitchen Design
Unless you happen to work in construction, chances are you don’t have the first idea about where to start with your planned outdoor kitchen design. This is where a team of experts can come in handy. If you’re ready to improve the function and value of your Sioux Center, Iowa property by installing an outdoor kitchen, here are just a few basics you should know going in so you can have informative conversations with your design partner.
Consider Your Indoor Kitchen
If you want to create a functional and efficient outdoor kitchen space, the best place to start is by understanding what makes your indoor kitchen work. The main thing to note is the layout of your indoor kitchen, which likely follows the kitchen triangle rule, whereby the sink, fridge, and stovetop are arranged in a triangular formation to ensure that you can easily move between work stations to grab food for prep, cook, and move dirty pots and pans to the sink.
Create Connected Kitchen Spaces
You can certainly place your outdoor kitchen anywhere you like in your yard, but there’s one very important reason to connect it to your indoor kitchen: convenience. No matter how great your outdoor kitchen is, you’re going to transport a lot of items back and forth between kitchens, including food, beverages, cookware, utensils, and of course, dirty dishes. If you place your outdoor kitchen adjacent to the indoor one and connect them with a doorway, this will all be made a lot easier.
Pinpoint Essentials
What are the essentials that make up an outdoor kitchen? You’ll probably want to start with a killer grill and add other practical appliances like a small fridge and perhaps a warming drawer. A sink and counter space are vital, as well, for food prep.
This is all pretty self-explanatory, but don’t forget other needed items like lighting, for example. Your backyard barbeques won’t extend into evening hours without adequate lighting to cook by. You might also want to think about adding a pavilion to provide shade for grilling in the heart of summer and protection from rain or other elements year-round. If you enjoy slow roasting or simply roasting marshmallows, a fireplace could be another great addition to this space.
Function, Then Form
You first need to think about how to create a functional outdoor kitchen space, including placement, layout, and the elements to include so you can efficiently create meals in this space. From there, it’s important to think about how the design works with your existing structure, yard space, and landscape design. You want any new editions to your property to look like they were there all along, so make sure your overall design complements your house and your yard.
Go Low Maintenance
Your outdoor kitchen is going to suffer a lot more wear and tear from the elements than your indoor kitchen does, which is why you’ll want to choose materials that are both robust and low maintenance. If you can’t blast surfaces with a power washer come spring, you should probably choose different materials for your Rock Valley, Iowa outdoor kitchen.
Ready to get your outdoor kitchen project underway? Contact the trusted experts at Outdoor Elements today at 712-476-5299 or online to get started