Alfresco: 12 Inspiring Outdoor Kitchens

Summer’s here, complete with long days ending in long, lazy get-togethers around the barbecue. There’s no better place to soak up the fleeting smells and tastes of summer than your very own yard or porch, especially if it includes an outdoor kitchen!

Whether your outdoor space boasts a humble grill or a full-fledged kitchen that would put most people’s indoor kitchens to shame, it’s time to whip it into shape for the season. Transform your cooking space and get it ready for those hot and sticky moonlit parties – you know, the ones where memories are made.

Check these 12 stunners for inspiration, and stay tuned for a comprehensive guide on designing the ultimate outdoor kitchen to suit your needs.

1. Can’t decide on a color scheme? With two kitchens, you don’t have to – and when they’re right next to each other, the juxtaposition is just right.

   

    

2. When you want shade without feeling like you’re inside (and without flapping awnings or flyaway umbrellas), deck out your kitchen with a bamboo roof. Cool, casual, and natural!

   

    

3. Professional kitchen, meet upscale alfresco dining – with the comfort of home. This kitchen is protected from the elements while exposing cooks and diners to the perfect amount of fresh air and beautiful views.

   

    

4. Elegant poolside dining in your own backyard? Yes, please! This incredible kitchen and dining area evokes visions of lounging in a swanky hotel in some exotic Mediterranean locale.

   

    

5. Circular kitchens can be hard to execute, but this one’s perfected the shape. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better place to take in those breathtaking views. (Plus, it’s practical – those counters are concrete!)

   

    

6. Who said outdoor dining automatically means barbecue? In this kitchen, an Alfresco pizza oven takes center stage, and that built-in task lighting must be spectacular at night.

   

    

7. Forget the mess – pretend you’re treating yourself to a night out. When you hide the utilitarian kitchen equipment behind sliding doors, it’s easy to imagine that the cooking took place elsewhere.

   

    

8. Not a glitch in the matrix – this one’s just a flawless example of indoor/outdoor continuity. When everything’s lined up just so, the outdoor kitchen becomes an effortless extension of the indoors.

   

    

9. For a truly seamless transition, this kitchen doesn’t just connect to the outdoor kitchen – it is the outdoor kitchen. Sliding partitions transform everyday cooking to open-air experiences quickly, easily, and without having to shuttle utensils and ingredients in and out.

   

    

10. Outdoor kitchens don’t have to be stripped down and purely practical. This kitchen boasts luxurious materials and lightweight overhead panels for a sophisticated banquet – or a daily dinner.

    

     

11. Another sliding-partition kitchen proves that your indoor kitchen can be an outdoor kitchen. On the actual outdoor portion, a high, sloping roof permits outdoor dining without restrictions in any weather.

    

     

12. The kitchen’s not the only room that can be moved outside; why shouldn’t the living room be out there, too? Add a fan, fireplace, TV, and some awesome chairs, and you’ll never want to go back inside.