This year, we are hearing endless talk about outdoor kitchen designs. From homeowners, from real estate agents, and every home design magazine is spotlighting the outdoor kitchen trend. Maybe a few of your neighbors or relatives already have an outdoor kitchen in the works or you’re the first in your circle to embrace the hottest trend in residential real estate. Outdoor kitchens look beautiful and they sound luxurious, but just what is this trend and just why are outdoor kitchens so unbelievably hot this year?
As kitchen experts in the countertop business, we’ve put together more than a few helpful insights on the outdoor kitchen trend. From luxury to convenience to global lifestyle changes, the outdoor kitchen trend not only makes sense – it might be the most luxurious and valuable upgrade to your home this decade.
The Rise Outdoor Living Trends
The outdoor kitchen trend stems from a larger trend in residential real estate: outdoor living. This trend includes outdoor lounges, patio gathering spaces, and even sleeping areas protected by shady pergolas and pavilions. Living rooms are having double-doors installed that slide or swing wide to extend the family open-plan living space into an even broader outdoor deck or patio.
It’s only natural that outdoor living design would then focus on the luxury and convenience of an outdoor kitchen. One that goes above and beyond your typical barbecue and backyard picnic table.
Increasing the Home Value Significantly
In light of this hot new trend, we’re seeing outdoor living and outdoor kitchens as a hot way to boost real estate value. Because buyers and current homeowners are both passionate about outdoor kitchens, the value of homes with an outdoor luxury cooking space already installed can significantly raise the selling price of your home when you eventually decide to sell. This makes an outdoor kitchen a good investment if you choose your design and materials wisely.
More Effective Square Space at Home
The primary focus of the outdoor living trend is extending your effective square space without building more indoor air-conditioned rooms. Instead, an outdoor kitchen embraces the breeze and the joy of lightly sheltered natural weather, soaking up the sunshine and fresh air while hosting a cooking show for the whole family.
Source: Istockphoto
Lifestyle Remodels Perfect the Home Space for Your Enjoyment
Lifestyle remodels are also on the rise, as homeowners find new ways to bring joy to the home design. It’s not just about personality, lifestyle remodels like an outdoor kitchen make it possible to embrace the joy of homeownership and increase your everyday luxury enjoyed in the home.
Building Your Dream Kitchen from a Blank Slate
One great reason to build an outdoor kitchen is that you’re starting from scratch. Every home chef has a vision of their dream kitchen, but remodeling your current kitchen can be far more limiting (and costly) than starting out on your deck or patio with a blank-slate instead. Decide the shape, size, and appliances of your outdoor kitchen. Include the pizza oven you’ve always dreamed of or install three sinks and a built-in barbecue if that’s your fancy. Without the cost or hassle of ripping out the existing indoor kitchen.
Designing Perfect Place to Entertain Family and Friends
Entertainment space is also at the top of everyone’s mind right now. Not only are we looking for more private venues for gatherings, but we are also spending more time with family. A family ‘venue’ with an outdoor kitchen and beautifully lit patio dining can make your smaller home gatherings that much more enjoyable. From block party barbecues to family holidays, an outdoor kitchen and paired dining or lounging area creates the perfect summer celebration space for family and friends.
Green Lifestyle and Outdoor Kitchens
Over the last five years, green construction and home design have taken the spotlight. Homeowners are more concerned with eco-friendly building materials and remodel projects that make their homes and lifestyles ‘greener’ in every possible way. An outdoor kitchen has a great deal of potential for green lifestyle upgrades.
Keep the Heat Outdoors and Save on Cooling
A big part of ‘green’ living is using less power. In the summer, that means keeping the cool indoors and reducing your ‘heat leaks’ inside the house. Needless to say, the stove and oven are pretty big sources of heat, especially when you’re really getting into recipe exploration. Outdoor kitchens disappate that heat into the open air, meaning your cooling costs stay low even around dinner time.
Cook Your Most Fragrant Foods Outdoors
You can also save on air ventilation if you like to cook fragrant foods with an odor that sticks around. Share your cooking smells once with the whole neighborhood (who doesn’t like to walk past the smell of barbecue on a night walk?) without having to scrub the spice-vapor residue from your indoor stove hood later on.
Easier to Clean When the Cooking is Done
When you clean up from outdoor cooking, it’s so much easier and greener than cleaning up indoors. Toss your produce trimmings into a nearby compost barrel and your meat scraps to the family pets as you go. If your cooking (or kids) make too much of a mess, you can always cover the controls and then hose down your stone countertops and deck for a quick and natural clean.
Promote Outdoor Exercise Before and After Meals
Even better for a healthy family, cooking outdoors encourages everyone to get a little fresh air and exercise – both before and after meals. When your family is eagerly waiting for a delicious-smelling meal to cook, they can run around and play games outside to work up an appetite. And eating outdoors makes it so much easier to transition into a health post-dinner stroll around the backyard garden path to help with digestion and put those calories to more efficient use inside the body.
The New Focus on At-Home Luxury
Last but not least, the recent pandemic has certainly spurred the popularity of outdoor kitchens with a new focus on doing everything at home.
Spotlighting Home Chefs in the At-Home Movement
With restaurants closed and out-of-the-house activities unavailable, the family chef is suddenly a celebrity in many households. When dinner preparation becomes a major source of entertainment at home, why not build yourself the perfect outdoor entertainer kitchen and at-home dining venue? Many families are embracing the outdoor kitchen and living spaces as a fun alternative to going out, and celebrating the home chef for making mealtimes special without leaving the house.
Saving on Restaurant Meals by Celebrating with Food at Home
Even as restaurants reopen and delivery Is widely available, turning the backyard into your own home restaurant saves a bundle on groceries every month. Instead of ordering pizza, try out your new outdoor pizza oven. Instead of going out for a family birthday party, use your outdoor kitchen to prepare a special meal and present the cake on a beautiful stone coutnertop.
Healthy Food Tastes Better Outdoors
Finally, there’s the special thing we discover after sharing a meal with family outdoors: Everything tastes better in fresh air. Including healthy foods. Ever notice how your kids eat the fruit and veggies off their kebabs during summer barbecues, but not when the kebabs are indoors? How the veggie dip trays empty when the firepit is lit, but not during indoor mingles? We love outdoor kitchens because everything prepared and eaten outdoors just states better.
Designing Your Ideal Outdoor Kitchen
Thinking about building your own outdoor kitchen? Start with the appliances and designs you like best, then finalize your plan by choosing your products and a beautiful stone countertop to pull it all together. The perfect outdoor kitchen for your home, lifestyle, and at-home event plans is just a few steps away from reality. Explore our granite countertop options for outdoor kitchens by checking out the St Louis gallery page.