How to create a beautiful outdoor kitchen, just in time for warm weather

With the arrival of warmer weather, it feels like everyone is itching to get outside with friends and families. And what says springtime more than outdoor parties by the grill? While the convenience of an outdoor kitchen might seem like an extravagant luxury, it can actually save you money or add to the overall value of your home.

“Having an outdoor kitchen is great for entertaining in the warmer months and expands your living space,” said Shannon Neiler, the marketing director at Orville’s Home Appliances. “An outdoor kitchen can also potentially help you save on your energy bills. Instead of using your oven in the summer months, cooking outside creates less heat that your air conditioner has to cool down.”

An outdoor kitchen keeps a dinner party in a central location and often makes for an easier cleanup afterward. Fresh herbs and spices planted in your backyard can be fresh picked and immediately added to dishes and beverages can be served ice cold at the source. It’s one trend that can actually save labor for entertainers and homeowners.

There’s a wide variety of appliances you might not have considered for your outdoor kitchen. Neiler says some popular choices include built-in or portable grills, outdoor refrigerators or beverage centers, ice machines and beer dispensers. There are also choices that might seem specific, but offer multiple uses. An outdoor pizza oven, for instance, will not only quickly cook pizzas at high temperatures but can also be used for low-temp slow roasting for vegetables or certain meats.

Outdoor kitchens will be more heavily exposed to the elements, so manufacturers offer highly durable finishes specifically designed for this purpose.

“Stainless steel finishes on outdoor appliances are always the most popular, as they look high-end and are easy to clean,” Neiler said. “Some specific brands we carry that offer outdoor items are Lynx, Wolf, Sub-Zero, Marvel and KitchenAid.”

Countertop surfaces and furniture should also be chosen with durability in mind. While people often picture outdoor kitchens in large backyards, a patio overlooking an urban setting is also ideal for open-air dinner parties and offers many of the same advantages. While not every space lends itself to a huge kitchen, a great outdoor kitchen can be simple and compact – if you pick the right products. Neiler suggests a grill and a refrigerator for outdoor storage as the essentials for an outdoor kitchen, two products that don’t take up a lot of room.

There are other ways to save money and add value to your home if you make good choices during installation and design. If you can locate the outdoor cooking stations near your indoor kitchen, you can often save money on plumbing and utility hookups by tapping into pre-existing pipes and wiring. Insetting the appliances into your home’s exterior might be an attractive option that takes advantage of existing utilities and adds a “wow factor” to potential resale value.

Freed from more stringent constraints of interior decorating requirements, many homeowners use an outdoor cooking and dining space as an opportunity to include a Mediterranean or rustic aesthetic into their design, utilizing brighter colors, more exotic patterns or reclaimed raw wood, stone and other materials. If a pool-party aesthetic is unappealing, more formal elements like chandeliers, candelabras and intricate brick- or stonework can be added for a classic look. On a budget, repainted lawn furniture procured from yard sales or picnic style benches make sense, too.

Patio heaters, fireplaces and ceiling fans can be installed to make the kitchen more usable during fluctuating weather. An open-concept enclosure including a ceiling can prevent a light rain from spoiling your cookout and protect the appliances from the weather in winter months, but all appliances intended for outdoor use should have some way to protect them from the harsher elements in colder months when entertaining outside might not be an attractive option. Each individual appliance may have its own instructions for keeping it protected.

“Covering appliances in your outdoor kitchen can prevent wear and stains in the colder months,” Neiler said, “however, be cautious when covering items such as ice makers and refrigerators. Your best bet is to contact the appliance manufacturers directly for instructions on how to protect them from the elements.”

Orville’s Home Appliances in Western New York offers a wide selection of outdoor and indoor kitchen appliances and same day delivery in many cases, ensuring you can get the most possible use out of your outdoor kitchen this season.