5 Modern Garden Kitchen Design Ideas for Legendary Cookouts

The warm Spring weather is slowly commencing, and we feel more and more inclined to spend time outdoors. One of the biggest joys of having a garden is being able to create a gathering space for all your favorite people that allows for fun and memorable times! What better way to bring all your friends and family together than to throw a big backyard cookout? Truthfully speaking, the logistics behind the process of preparing and serving the food can be quite tedious, especially if you live in a big house that doesn’t have quick access to your outdoor space. Are you someone who enjoys garden parties and BBQ gatherings? Don’t want the hassle of constantly running in and out of the house to bring food to your guests? A great way to utilize your spare green area would be to invest in a garden kitchen. Keep reading to find out what are the landscape designer’s predictions for garden kitchen design trends in 2023.

What is the Best Structure for an Outdoor Kitchen?

The size and layout of your outdoor kitchen predominantly depend on the type of cooking you’re going to be doing. This will dictate the size and type of kitchen features you’ll have to install. The most universal and optimal layout for a garden kitchen is the U-shape. It allows for maximum utilization of the space and makes it easy to fit in large kitchen appliances. You can easily create designated areas for meal preparation, cooking, plating, and serving.

Garden Kitchen Design Ideas 2023

Outdoor kitchens don’t need to be a lavish project that sets you back hundreds of thousands of dollars. As long as you have a clear vision in mind and a structural plan, there are many creative ways to achieve a practical and aesthetically pleasing garden kitchen. Let’s take a look at the trendiest designs to help you create the open-air cooking heaven of your dreams!

Al-Fresco Dining Area with a Wood-Fired Oven Centerpiece

Regardless of how picky of an eater someone is, the truth of the matter is that everybody likes pizza! There’s no doubt that you’ll be everybody’s favorite garden cookout host if you add a beautiful wood-fired oven to your outdoor kitchen. Keep the design modern and timeless by opting for a classic concrete base with wooden tops to go with the rest of your garden furniture. With the solid concrete base, you really don’t need any cupboards. Simply build some shafts into the structure and use wooden shelves for storage.

Incorporate your Outdoor Kitchen Into a Pergola Deck

If you want to locate your kitchen within the premises of your deck, here is an incredibly simple and practical way to do that. Ultimately, when you’re installing a sink it’s good to have some sort of solid support behind the kitchen counter, i.e. a wall. In a case where this isn’t possible, like in the image above, you can simply build a wall at the edge of the deck with the same or similar wooden slats in order to create a coherent appearance. For a more solid and well-rounded construction, we suggest that you build a pergola around the wooden wall. Now you have a designated spot for your kitchen counter. If you want it to blend seamlessly with the rest of the construction, choose a wood of similar color and texture. Don’t forget to add a solid water-resistant countertop. Granite is a good option for this purpose as it is durable, heat-resistant, and doesn’t scratch easily.

Off-Deck Pergola Garden Kitchen

Do you want to tap into your element and seclude yourself entirely whilst preparing a meal for your favorite people, and still remain present in the outdoor atmosphere? Or is your deck simply not big enough to accommodate to your outdoor kitchen design plans? We got you covered for that as well! Simply build a pergola structure outside the deck that will create a nice shelter for your kitchen amenities. If your deck is too high off the ground, you might want to consider building an elevated construction for the pergola that will even out the height. Or you can build it strategically in close adjacency to the stairs of the deck for easy access.

Concrete U-Shaped Outdoor Kitchen

As we previously mentioned, the U-shaped kitchen layout is the most practical one when it comes to building a garden kitchen. You get three even surfaces that you can adapt for different purposes – one as a bar, the second as a food preparation station with a sink and cupboards, and the third one for cooking and plating. Concrete countertops are especially great for outdoor areas, as they are incredibly durable and can even increase your home value over time. One thing to keep in mind is that they do require occasional waxing and sealing. However, this little task will help you keep your countertops in pristine condition for generations to come.

Small BBQ Timber Construction

If you don’t have a lot of garden space at your disposal, yet you enjoy the occasional BBQ parties and want to create a cozy dining corner – here’s our suggestion for you! You can utilize your space by building an L-shaped timber seating construction with a big rectangular table in the middle and a couple of chairs placed around the outer corner. The bigger the table, the better, as you can also use one side as a place to prepare the food for your guests. When you don’t have space for a large kitchen, the best thing you can do is invest in a built-in modern gas grill. It allows you to prepare pretty much all the essential foods one would serve at a garden party, and you can easily incorporate it into the timber construction.