Outdoor kitchens have come such a long way, and when it comes to outfitting your outdoor kitchen, they have almost, if not as many, bells and whistles as indoor kitchens. When you’re ready to start planning outfitting your outdoor kitchen, ask yourself a few key questions:

How will your family and friends enjoy spending time cooking outdoors?
Do you like to use more than one type of grill? Gas, ceramic, charcoal, Gaucho?
Would you like countertop space for setting up a bar or buffet?
Will you want easy access to cold beverages and ice?
Will you be storing the dishes and glassware you use indoors or out? If it’s the latter, you might want an outdoor dishwasher.
Will you want the use of a sink when outdoors?

Here are five ideas to consider when outfitting your outdoor kitchen.

Outfitting Your Outdoor Kitchen: Add a Fridge

This North Buckhead pavilion’s plans started with a small grilling station, but as we walked our clients through what they wanted to get out of their new poolside gazebo remodel, it grew!

Extensive countertop space and an integrated trash bin ease grilling tasks, while a fridge keeps cold drinks close at hand. Our client’s favorite thing to do in the adjacent lounge is watch The Great British Bake Off, so having a refreshing beverage close by was a game changer for her!

Other outdoor kitchen appliances and elements include dishwashers, sinks, icemakers and microwaves.

Outfitting Your Outdoor Kitchen With Gas Burners

In addition to a more traditional grill, you can add gas burners when outfitting your outdoor kitchen. This is great for overflow, veggies, breakfast food and more. With extra burners, you don’t have to split your time between the grill and the indoor kitchen; you have everything you need right outside.

Learn more about this project

A Zoned Outdoor Kitchen Layout

You are not limited to one stretch of counter when planning your outdoor kitchen. In this extensive Alpharetta deck, porch and patio remodel, we zoned the outdoor kitchen just like we would an indoor kitchen. Thinking about how you naturally use your cooking space will help you when designing your layout.

On one side is a prep and cooking counter, complete with gas-powered outdoor burners. This serves as a great place to chop, serve and set up a bar, as it also includes a fridge and storage.

The opposite side is dedicated to grilling, featuring both gas and ceramic grills, drawers for grilling tools and a trash pull-out. There’s also extra countertop space for the Big Green Egg master griller.

Learn more about this project

Seating Nearby Your Outdoor Kitchen

When outfitting your outdoor kitchen, show the grillmeister some love! There’s nothing lonelier than someone being relegated to a far corner of the patio all alone. Tuck a seating counter or bar close to the outdoor kitchen’s work area so that everyone can keep the person manning the grill company.

A Pizza Oven

This Morningside family’s outdoor pavilion features a woodburning fireplace, comfy sofas and a large TV for catching football games and soccer matches. However, hands down, the whole family’s favorite element is the pizza oven.

Making their own pizzas is a fun activity the kids thoroughly enjoy with their friends and family. When outfitting your outdoor kitchen, think about what kinds of cooking activities your family will love doing together. Here’s a list of different elements you may want to incorporate:

Gas or ceramic grill
Burners or griddle
Pizza oven or wood-fired grill
Sink and dishwasher
Wine cooler, beverage fridge, freezer drawers or kegerator
Icemaker

Learn more about this project

Get Started Outfitting Your Outdoor Kitchen

We hope this post inspires you as you think about outfitting your outdoor kitchen! If you are interested in remodeling your outdoor kitchen or improving any area of your home inside or out, we’d love to talk to you about your project. Click the link below to get in touch with us.