Even the best outdoor living spaces can be enhanced by an outdoor kitchen that’s designed to address both everyday family activities and occasional outdoor parties. With the right design, your outdoor kitchen can become the hub of outdoor living and the source of incredible al fresco meals. Here are six options for including a rustic outdoor kitchen in your landscape design in Deer Park, NY.
Rugged Textures
The texture of your outdoor kitchen can have a great impact on the appearance and perception. A more rugged texture could achieve the rustic look you’re going for in your outdoor kitchen. One option is to use a stacked flagstone veneer, to create the impression that your outdoor kitchen was made of materials sourced locally—as if they were plucked from nearby woods.
Blues or Earth Tones?
Blending even further into the natural landscape, earth tones can create even more of the natural connection that your outdoor kitchen needs. Stone native to our area (or stone-like materials) as well as the design and colors of your home could influence the color scheme of your outdoor kitchen. For best results, stick with one color temperature: either steely blues and grays, or warm earth tones.
Steely blues and grays are present in many New York landscapes since bluestone is native to the area. These tones complement rustic homes and can complement traditional red brick siding.
Warmer earth tones, such as reds, yellows, browns, and tans, may not be as common in the region, but they can add incredible warmth to a landscape featuring expert masonry and warm up a space that feels cool visually, such as a deeply wooded setting.
Outdoor Fireplace
Staying warm is an essential part of enjoying an outdoor kitchen and dining space, and few features are likely to complement your cooking space better than an outdoor fireplace. While the kitchen may produce significant heat during cooking, this heat won’t warm up anyone sitting in the dining area. An adjoining outdoor fireplace can follow the masonry aesthetics of the outdoor kitchen while taking on a presence of its own.
Wood-Fired Pizza Oven
Include an optional wood-fired pizza oven in the design of your outdoor fireplace to further expand the capabilities of your outdoor kitchen. A gorgeous pizza oven complete with tiles can harken back to the styles of the Mediterranean. It can also produce much more than just pizza. You could enjoy braised meats, skillets, and so many more options for your creative menus.
Vertical Herb Garden
Certain plants don’t need a lot of space to grow, but they can make a huge difference in the deliciousness of your food. A vertical masonry herb garden can elevate not only your culinary achievements but your entire outdoor kitchen as well. Include an automatic drip irrigation system in the design so that your herbs can get the water they need without you having to worry.
Beautiful Shelter
Without a shelter option, some outdoor activities can be affected by a sudden downpour or heat. A wood pergola or pavilion can provide welcoming shelter to your outdoor kitchen and surrounding dining area.
A pergola will provide shade during the hottest days. The open roof design lets the cooking space stay cooler. You can also dress up a pergola with climbing vines. A pavilion offers a more comprehensive shelter that protects your meals from the heaviest downpours. Adding an outdoor fireplace on one side and the kitchen on the other would create an incredibly cozy space where you’ll be tempted to hang out for most of the year.
Related: WHAT TYPE OF OUTDOOR KITCHEN DESIGN WOULD WORK BEST FOR A HUNTINGTON AND NORTHPORT, NY, BACKYARD?
