Your outdoor space is an extension of your home design, enabling you to increase your usable square footage for outdoor dining and entertaining. This trend caught popularity during the pandemic and is not slowing down. In California, outdoor design gets used more than most other areas, with the blessings of year-round sunshine and enjoyable temperatures.
When you're ready to create your outdoor entertainment space, let the experts at TBS Design Gallery help you transform your backyard into an elegant and extraordinary place for entertaining family and friends. We partner with the nation's leading luxury brands for outdoor living, including Renson and Premier Outdoor Cabinetry. Our team of professional home designers is ready to help you create your perfect outdoor kitchen and entertainment space.
Designing your outdoor kitchen and entertainment space doesn't have to be complicated. We've curated our best outdoor kitchen ideas and design tips to inspire you to think about your outdoor entertaining needs.
Defining your overall vision and aesthetic is the first step to designing an outdoor kitchen and entertainment space. Do you want your new outdoor living space to be ultra-modern and feature clean lines? Or you may prefer a more natural aesthetic, with comfortable seating areas, warm wooden accents, and soft lighting. Take the time to determine what ideas you love the most. For example, many of our outdoor kitchen designs feature biophilic elements, connecting your new space with its surroundings to emphasize its natural beauty.
Ask yourself: how often will you be entertaining and cooking outdoors, and how many people will be there? If you enjoy hosting outdoor dinner parties, plan for a large enough dining area, counter space, serving space, cooking appliances, and a buffet area. Will you have an outdoor pizza oven and fire pit? Or do you want your new outdoor kitchen to focus more on adult entertainment with a high-end bar? Define these factors early in your design process, and the details are easier to support.
Outdoor kitchens often feature furnishings and building materials that can withstand the elements. However, we recommend including an overhead pergola or structure that will provide protection and privacy. If you plan to build a high-end, luxury outdoor kitchen, you can't go wrong with a Renson pergola.
Renson is one of the top-name brands for outdoor living structures, offering a versatile range of luxury pergolas with features like retractable walls, built-in lighting, motorized louvers, and beautiful design elements. It's the perfect way to accent your outdoor kitchen and create an ultramodern space for entertaining. Check our website for pictures of our favorite Renson pergolas and lounges, including the Camargue, Algarve, Aero, and Lapure.
Planning your outdoor kitchen setup is another critical step in the design process. Separate your layout into zones:
The prep space should include a sink, an outdoor refrigerator, an outdoor countertop for food prep (i.e., a grill island), and adequate storage space, and it should be near your cooking zone.
Your cooking appliance will be in this area, whether a standard stove with oven, BBQ grill, smoker, pizza oven, gas grill, pellet grill, or a combination of outdoor cooking appliances. It should have proper ventilation and an efficient setup. Remember that outdoor kitchens need access to utilities, like an underground natural gas line, electricity, and plumbing.
Between the seating and cooking zone is your plating and serving area. The plating and serving area stores your cooking utensils, warming drawers, or even a small charcoal grill with a side burner for last-minute dishes.
Ideally, your outdoor kitchen should have space for seating and entertaining that's somewhat separate from your cooking zone. However, you can include a small fridge, an outdoor fireplace, and a bar area.
Building a fully functional kitchen in your backyard requires outdoor appliances with unique features. Unlike an indoor kitchen, your cooking appliances must withstand a certain amount of rain or inclement weather. You should avoid combustible materials like wood and choose something like stainless steel. Don't skimp on material quality – you want your outdoor kitchen to be durable to withstand the elements. Alternatively, if you don't like the look of stainless steel or metal, you could use a wood base with a stone or brick veneer.
You'll also need to choose seating and other furnishings, such as bar stools, benches, oversized lounge chairs, ottomans, blankets, pillows, outdoor lighting, and rugs. We recommend using Premier Outdoor Cabinetry for your cabinets and storage areas in your outdoor kitchen. Premier is one of the top brands in luxury outdoor cabinetry, and has a wide selection of materials, finishes, textures, and styles you can choose from to enhance the aesthetic of your new space for outdoor entertaining.
Do you like the outdoor kitchen ideas we just discussed? From outdoor fireplaces and bars to high-end cabinetry and luxury appliances, you can create the outdoor kitchen of your dreams. To elevate your outdoor kitchen further, check out our selection of Renson outdoor structures. Visit our website for outdoor design inspiration, or if you're in the Bay Area, we invite you to visit our showroom.
Call TBS Design Gallery now at (408) 824-8888 to book your complimentary design consultation. We look forward to designing your outdoor kitchen and entertainment space.