November 14, 2019

An outdoor space should be a backyard oasis, and one of the best parts of having an outdoor kitchen is being able to use it every day – even in the winter! Here are a few of our favorite outdoor kitchen ideas you can implement into your kitchen design for year-round use.

Fire Features
When the weather begins to get colder, nothing beats sitting around a fire to stay warm. When you add one or more heating elements to your outdoor space, you can have a great area that will give your family and friends something to cozy up to on those clear, cooler evenings. Fire features can range from a simple stone fire pit to an elaborate outdoor fireplace – it all depends on your aesthetic and functional preferences. Fire features can be used purely for a visual purpose, or they can be practical if you want to use them for something more than warmth. If you’re thinking about some of the outdoor cooking you can do, nothing beats roasting hotdogs over an open flame or making s’mores.

Other Outdoor Cooking Methods
Speaking of food, one of the best features of an outdoor kitchen is having a great place to cook! When you think of cooking outside, you likely think of a grill, which is a great essential appliance for any outdoor dining space. But some of our other favorite additions include pizza ovens and griddle tops. Not only do stone fireplaces serve as a place to cook, but stone pizza ovens are excellent for any family that loves having fresh-baked bread or pizza and can be a great addition to a more rustic outdoor kitchen. Griddles are also a good option for adding some variety to your outdoor cooking.

Wraparound Outdoor Kitchen & Bar Tops
Depending on how much entertaining your client plans to do, you may want to consider adding a few full wraparound outdoor kitchen ideas to the backyard design. When you have a more integrated outdoor kitchen space, not only do you create a more communal and engaging space, but you also have an area where your client can spend quality time with family and friends. While we already know grills are a great year-round option for cooking, bar tops can also be a decent choice. Even if your client doesn’t plan on cooking much, installing a wraparound kitchen countertop is great for serving drinks and entertaining. 

Built-In TVs
Most of the time, we go outside to get away from digital entertainment, but sometimes it’s still necessary. If you enjoy hosting large parties or family gatherings, having a bit of visual stimulation is excellent for distracting hungry guests while you’re cooking. That’s where built-in TVs come into play. Just think – if your client is cooking a nice Thanksgiving dinner both inside and outside (because let’s face it, they need all the cooking space they can get), but there are too many warm bodies in the house, they can send everyone outside to watch football instead. That way, no one is in your client’s way while everyone can still relax and enjoy the crisp fall air.

Dutchies Stoneworks is a stone masonry contractor specializing in outdoor living spaces in southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware.