Accessible Yet Practical Outdoor Kitchen Design for Your NY Home
An outdoor kitchen in your Hopewell Junction, NY home allows you to enjoy the ambiance and natural beauty of your backyard while preparing delicious meals for your family and friends. There are plenty of design options to choose from to create a functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing outdoor kitchen. Start by hiring a professional contractor that will help you create the perfect outdoor kitchen.
Outdoor Kitchen Essentials
It’s important to look at your outdoor kitchen as part of your home. For cooking and serving food, a grill and countertop are the bare minimum requirements, however with a cooktop, refrigerator, sink, cabinets, and a dining space, the experience of outdoor cooking can be greatly enhanced. Based on your budget, you can even include a bar and a pizza oven for the ultimate outdoor entertainment area.
Lighting
Outdoor lighting is an important element of outdoor kitchen design, and should not be overlooked. An effective outdoor kitchen lighting plan contributes to functionality and ambience in the evening hours.
Heating
For evening gatherings, you’ll also want to ensure that your guests are warm and comfortable. This can be ensured with the installation of a fire feature such as an outdoor fireplace, fire pit or fire table. These features act as focal points for seating areas and so can also contribute greatly to the overall effectiveness of the design. Additional heating can be added in the form of gas or electric heaters if necessary.
Outdoor Kitchen Layout
For a more practical outdoor kitchen, the space can be divided into four main areas and include space for preparations, cooking, serving, and cleaning. A stand-alone counter or grill island is ideal for small spaces as it provides room for three of these areas - prep, cooking and serving. With the addition of a sink, cleaning is also possible. A simple bar or grill island can also be designed to accommodate storage space.
As an extension of the simple kitchen island, the L-shaped layout provides extra room and can be divided up into service areas. One wing can even be converted into a bar or an informal dining space.
A U-shaped layout is ideal for a fully equipped outdoor kitchen with all the appliances and storage space necessary to limit its dependence on your indoor kitchen. This type of layout gives you more freedom with the design and offers more practicality.
Material
The hardscaping surrounding your outdoor kitchen will need to be durable, slip-resistant, and weather-proof to avoid cracking and hazards. Unilock pavers and vertical systems offer these attributes and come with a transferable lifetime guarantee. Unilock products also come is a variety of styles to give your outdoor kitchen the aesthetic of your choosing. To add a stylish twist, you might like to combine concrete products with wood or natural stone features.
Décor
Retaining walls and pillars around the cooking space can be used to create a private, intimate area. These are an excellent addition to your outdoor design as they tend to create a three dimensional, visually interesting space. To prevent a cold look, add contrast and play with color shades. Add matching colored furniture to create a stunning, yet relaxed look.