Outdoor Kitchen Reveal
A couple months ago, I shared my design plan for our outdoor kitchen. What started as a design dream finally came to fruition in our backyard. Today, I’m excited to share our outdoor kitchen reveal with you! While the entire patio is not quite finished… we were able to wrap up the cabinetry installation and that side of the project- just in time to enjoy our outdoor living space once more before winter. Click through to see how things turned out and what’s left on our backyard & patio renovation to-do list.
If you missed my ideas & design plan for our outdoor kitchen build, be sure to revisit that post for more before images. Emmett is still busy tiling the opposing side of the patio… click here for the tutorial on how to easily tile over an existing concrete patio. Of course, I’ll be sharing more come spring- the totally finished patio (with our outdoor furniture), how the tile holds up this winter, and the overall completed outdoor living space. For now, I’m thrilled to share our outdoor kitchen cabinets, built-in grill, and outdoor appliances. We love hosting outdoors (who doesn’t enjoy a good al fresco summer tablescape), so we’re definitely going to put this new and improved area to good use whenever we can.
Before, After, & Kitchen Floor Plan
Here is an aerial view of the space (apologies for the grainy real estate photo), depicting where we started. The window well proved to be our biggest obstacle. Check out this post for what that process looked like- how to close & remove a window well and egress window. Once that was out of the way, our floor plan became much more accessible, as we could use that footprint for a bank of cabinets.
We kept our existing pergola and were able to plan around the columns. I actually love the way it frames the outdoor kitchen and dining area, creating separation from the outdoor seating or lounge on the opposing side. We also removed our window box. Here is a fun before & after…
The only other challenge was adding concrete to the step in front of the garage door. We ended up angling the step to bridge the gap between to the two cabinets. It’s a large clearance, so the traffic path isn’t an issue… it just looks nicer, visually.
We ran a direct gas line to the grilling area when renovating our kitchen five years ago. We had anticipated we’d sometime bring this outdoor kitchen to life, and this floor plan simply made the most sense. I’m glad we had the foresight to do that. It can be tricky to visualize in photos…
If you’re curious how I make these floor plans ahead of our projects, check out this post on how to create a floor plan in Adobe Illustrator! I shared my entire process. It’s a handy visual tool that is completely to scale. I create one for every project we tackle- indoors and out.
Outdoor Kitchen Cabinetry & Countertops
Emmett & I are both thrilled with our outdoor cabinetry selection. It arrived pretty much assembled on two giant pallets and was the easiest to install… not to mention, it’s beautiful! We ended up using Stono outdoor cabinetry, which is weather resistant and constructed of powder coated aluminum and food grade stainless steel.
Choosing Outdoor Cabinets
When choosing an outdoor kitchen, I really wanted something that was prefabricated and ready to go… a well-designed plug and play option. It turns out, that was far more difficult to source than I expected. Aside from excellent durability, I really liked Stono’s classic aesthetic in comparison to other outdoor cabinets. Their kitchens have inset cabinets, a thick countertop, integrated appliances, and lots of color options… which got my designer stamp of approval.
Outdoor Kitchen Ordering Process
I measured our area, created my ideal floor plan, plugged in different Stono modern outdoor kitchen islands (everything is customizable), selected my cabinetry components & appliances, finalized my finishes (color swatches), then ordered. They arrived 2-3 weeks after I placed the order, and Emmett was able to install them in an afternoon. Easy!
Outdoor Cabinetry Finishes
I do recommend ordering their color & material samples in advance, so you can see them in person before ordering. It was nice having those on hand to color match things like paint and tile. I landed on the most basic (classic) color combination, but it’s what worked best for our space and existing brick. I ordered the cabinets in White Standard Finish, and the countertops are the Concrete color.
Outdoor Kitchen Components & Configurations
Don’t forget to ask about or order cabinet components. One cabinetry configuration option was a concealed trash can- which you know I’m all about. This felt most functional for this particular cabinet, being next to the grill, where we can easily discard scraps. You can also install concealed trash after the fact… check out this post where I share how to install a hidden trash can. It an easy and functional improvement- indoors or out!
Outdoor Appliances
I’ve been using Zephyr appliances for over a decade now (highly recommend)… for our own home, as well as for past client projects. I jumped at the opportunity to install a couple of their outdoor units. The cabinets allowed for two refrigerated sections, so we installed outdoor dual zone refrigerated drawers, as well a classic outdoor refrigerator.
Outdoor Kitchen Refrigerators
The fridge has lots of functional details… zero clearance door hinges, a custom temperature range, a door lock (handy for households with alcohol), lighting options, touch controls, in-door shelves, adjustable shelves within, carbon filter air filtration, vacation mode, etc.
The drawers are also pretty neat with those same features. They also fully extend, are soft-close, adjustable, are lined with silicone mats (we’ve been using them to chill glasses), and they have a few modes: produce, wine, or beverage. Both are Energy Star® certified, which I appreciate. They’ll definitely come in handy for parties, excess cold storage, or- if we ever decide to install a pool or spa.
Built-In Grill
Emmett was in charge of choosing a grill, because let’s be real- he’s the one using it. He was most excited to have it fully hooked up to LP, rather than having to swap tanks intermittently. We grill often and had been using our previous grill for almost a decade. It was time for an upgrade. This one has interior & exterior lighting, heat zone separators, individual cooking grates, a warming rack, removable cooking trays, a rotisserie kit, is commercial grade, ETL certified, etc. It’s very nice!
The Outdoor Tile
One of my biggest patio pain points was the sea of concrete in our backyard. I disliked the aesthetic, it never looked clean, lacked character, warmth, and just felt like an afterthought. What do they say? Champagne taste on a beer budget… that’s exactly where we were with the patio material. I decided on inexpensive porcelain (weather-resistant) outdoor-rated tile instead of cost prohibitive brick pavers, stone veneer, or natural stone. This tile was less than $5 per square foot and still gave us an old world feel that fit our budget.
Get the Look : Sources
Shall we move onto source links? Without having our patio furniture moved back into place, I’ll link some of the smaller accessories and kitchen items for you!
Click directly on each item below to be redirected.
I snagged the battery powered lamps from Amazon during Prime Day, and they’ve been wonderful! They float indoors and out, but they’re easy enough to tuck into a cabinet.
Outdoor Renovation To-Do List
While we’ve accomplished a lot in a couple months, there are still things to be done in our backyard. Emmett has basically tackled this entire project himself (since I still have surgery restrictions). I’m not sure if we’ll be able to totally wrap things up before the snow begins to stick, but here is what is left on our outdoor renovation to-do list…
- Finish tiling the patio (including the staircase)
- Finish trenching and edging the tiled patio, then backfill with pea gravel
- Remove a concrete pad in the side yard
- Clean up landscaping
- Style patio furniture (which has been put away in the storage shed for the season)
FAQ
They do! It’s a 5-year warranty, I believe. We live in a harsh climate (snowy winters and hot summers), so I’ll be sure to follow up after a year with an update on how they’re holding up. They’re very well made and finished, so I don’t anticipate any issues.
Emmett landed on this TrueFlame 32″ built-in LP gas grill. He seems very excited about it… and we’ve already used it a handful of times. Personally, I’m happy it has a nice minimal aesthetic.
I assembled it just before shooting these photos… and would you believe me if I told you they’re all faux stems? Let me know if you’d like a tutorial for this one. They all came from At Home.
Related
Looking for more outdoor living posts as we wrap up the autumn season? Here are some of my favorites from this project, as well as others where we made the most of our outdoor & exterior spaces:
- How to Easily Tile Over an Existing Concrete Patio
- 3 Day Project : Transforming Our Side Yard
- Our Backyard & Patio
- Choosing Timeless Exterior Lighting (A Designer Guide)
- Our Storage Shed
- How to Dress Up Your Door With a Classic Door Knocker
- Our Bedroom Balcony Makeover
- Where to Install Outdoor DIY Solar Landscape Lighting
- Our Garden
- A-Frame Cabin Deck Makeover
- How to Choose the Best Garage Door Style & Color for Your Home
- Our New Roof (Selection, Process, Before & After)
- My Annual Outdoor Living Tour
I hope you liked the tour! Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section below. Aside from the labor intensive tile, this project was actually really easy (the cabinetry and appliance installation). I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts! I really enjoyed photographing this one, but I’m also looking forward to shooting it again come spring. I’m off to the office, followed by a fun birthday dinner! Hope you have a great day.