You’ve dreamed about it for years – your ultimate outdoor dream kitchen, fully equipped and ready for entertaining your friends on those long summer evenings.
You can almost smell the rich aromas wafting off the grill. The dream may seem out of reach, but it isn’t. With a few key pieces of equipment and a good plan, you can achieve your outdoor culinary wish for far less money than you would think. The following items and ideas are must-haves for any outdoor dream kitchen.
Kitchen Equipment:
Outfitting your ultimate outdoor dream kitchen can be a challenge. Outdoor entertaining has blossomed in popularity, and there are a variety of tools and products to help you do it in style. At the very least, you will need a decent barbecue. This is the centerpiece of your outdoor cooking wizardry, so choose well and don’t skimp. Look for an ample-sized grill (preferably gas), that has a large enough cooking surface to handle food for the size of group you envision entertaining. Your grill may be a stand-alone model that comes with a separate fuel tank, but if you can afford it, your outdoor kitchen will benefit from a more permanent built-in grill island unit that connects to a natural gas or propane line.
Other equipment you may consider for your outdoor kitchen includes a wood-burning oven for pizza or bread, a smoker, a fireplace, and a patio heater.
Outdoor Seating:
Your outdoor kitchen should have a place for guests to enjoy the food you serve up off the grill. Designate a spot on your patio for an outdoor table and several chairs. If you can work it into your landscaping plan, a low stone wall can double as a bench for extra seating in a pinch. You may want to keep some colorful outdoor cushions on hand to keep your guest comfortable in your outdoor kitchen.
Outdoor Kitchen Atmosphere:
Wow, your guests with a festive outdoor atmosphere. Ensure your outdoor kitchen and entertaining area are well lit with either permanent outdoor fixtures or seasonal touches such as lanterns. Pots and patio planters filled with greenery and blooms also add a lush look to your kitchen without spending a lot of money. If you want your plants to do double duty, line your patio with borders of chives, parsley, basil, oregano, sage, thyme, savory and other herbs that you snip and add fresh to your dishes.
Creating Atmosphere in Your Outdoor Kitchen and Dining Area
If you’ve recently installed an outdoor kitchen and you feel there is still something missing, it could be that you simply need a few decorating tips.
Adding certain items to your outdoor kitchen and dining area can change the atmosphere to one of comfort and relaxation and will have you and your guests having a great time outdoors in a short time.
The first thing you’ll want to do is to look at your outdoor kitchen for anything that simply stands out as not matching the color scheme or the theme of your kitchen. For example, if you have decorated the area in blues and you have a bright red chair sitting in the middle of the dining area, this will stand out as being too sharp and it will call attention to it over everything else you’ve done. The key is to make sure everything works together in harmony.
The next step is to look at the lighting you have put in your outdoor kitchen. Do you have enough lighting to be able to cook comfortably? Or perhaps you have too much lighting. The lights in your outdoor kitchen should be comforting, not bright and blinding. To add lighting to certain areas that are too dark, you can use Tikki torches or lanterns. These will help to create a certain ambiance to your outdoor entertaining, as well.
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When dining in the evening, placing candles on the tables and around the dining area will also help you to create a comfortable atmosphere. If you don’t have an outdoor fireplace for the area, you may want to consider adding one. Not only will it add to the atmosphere you are trying to create, but it will also provide you and your guest warmth on a chilly evening. These can be purchased for a relatively low cost and you can choose whether either a wood-burning fireplace or one run-on gas.
There are many things you can do to create a comfortable atmosphere in which to entertain. Whether you want to provide matching furnishings and dishes or liven things up with bright colors, just by adding some soft lighting, whether, by torches or candlelight, you can create a comfortable and soothing atmosphere in your outdoor kitchen and dining area. Just remember that it doesn’t have to look like an outdoor kitchen out of a magazine. Use your imagination when decorating your outdoor dining area and your guests are sure to approve.
