In magazines like Home & Garden, the outdoor kitchens showcased are typically huge. But the truth is, companies like ALD spend most of their time outfitting smaller backyard areas in the city and suburbs – lots of a size just like the one out your kitchen window. One of the essential tricks in planning just the right outdoor cooking area while maximizing space is the design of storage and cupboards. By going vertical with the design of these cooking and serving supplies holders, we can ensure that the bulk of available space is used for chairs, a table and the essential outdoor kitchen appliances.
At the same time, there’s no doubt that sacrifices must sometimes be made. For example, if there is simply not enough room in a backyard to install full counter top space, then the concession may be that marinating, vegetable cutting and the like must happen in the indoor kitchen. That’s not ideal, but if it means that the rest of the outdoor kitchen design can fit nicely into an L-shaped corner of the yard or under the 10-foot-by-12-foot overhang, that might be the right solution.
There are no shortage of creative solutions when it comes to the seating arrangements for an outdoor kitchen. By choosing seating that can be fully slid back under the table(s) when those being served are still mingling elsewhere, the available space can be best used during cooking as well.Th e key is to have options. We can offer a full range of different options, so that any and all compromises are the ones that make the most sense.
One area where clients often do not want to make concessions is grill size, since the cooking process is usually the main focus of an outdoor kitchen. But again, it’s all about compromise. Once the nature of use and entertaining is fully analyzed for a potential outdoor kitchen area, it becomes often a whole lot easier to accept the loss of an extra warming burner or extra row of gas combustion. Just as with the meat that will eventually be served, there’s nothing worse than an outdoor kitchen plan that is overcooked with ambition.
No matter what size your lot is – expansive or compact – we can work with your desires and budget to help you have an outdoor kitchen and entertaining area that fits well into your overall landscape design and still reflects your dreams.