Outdoor Kitchens and Patio Bars for Summer

Spring is in the air, Summer will be close behind, and apparently our homes' outdoor spaces are on our minds.  Last week I got an extraordinary number of calls and emails regarding outdoor kitchens and patio bars, so I wanted to share some ideas and thoughts with you.

An outdoor kitchen can be as simple as a small dry bar area on the patio or as involved as an entire functioning room complete with all of the amenities of an indoor kitchen.  Installing a kitchen area outdoors, whether large or small, is a great way to add beauty and function to your patio area and can help make family time and entertaining easier and more memorable. Here are some photos that cover the whole spectrum of what an outdoor kitchen can be.

The simplest way to use stone to create your patio kitchen would be to use a table or bar topped with marble or granite.  We've shown you tables with stone tops before, and a great option would be to upcycle an old table with a little DIY ingenuity and have us fabricate a custom stone top for it.  We have several remnants available in various sizes, so you don't have to buy a full slab of granite in order to get an amazing custom look. Check out this adorable marble topped side table that started out as a rusty thrift store find and turned into a marble topped wonder for more inspiration on that. 

This is a premade kitchen island with a marble top that would look great as an  outdoor bar. Photo source

Mediterranean porch design by Blythe Interiors

                                  

From there, the options are limitless!

Eclectic patio design by Blue Sky Building Company

Mediterranean patio by B+G Design Inc.

Patio by Phil Kean Designs

The next patio kitchen caught my eye because of the beautiful stone coffee table.  The table is similar in style to one that we built for Adamas Stone's showroom in Salt Lake City.

Patio by San Francisco's SB Architects

You probably noticed that the designs have gotten progressively more elaborate, and this outdoor kitchen is about as elaborate as they come.  Complete with a smoker in addition to a grill, a dishwasher, and a flat screen television hidden behind a panel. My favorite part about this particular kitchen though, is that I can proudly say that it is from a company right here in Utah.  When I started thinking about doing a post on outdoor kitchens, my first thought was to turn to my go-to kitchen designer friend Nicole Zeigler at Enzy Design, and she told me about a company that she works closely with called Hallmark Cabinet and their line of outdoor cabinetry.

Photo: Hallmark Cabinets

Photo: Hallmark Cabinets

If you have questions about your own outdoor kitchen, Nicole would be happy to answer them for you, and thanks to Hallmark Cabinet for allowing me to use your photos!

(Please note that this post was not sponsored, I just get really excited when I get to talk about our local resources and companies.)