The Best Outdoor Kitchen Designs For Entertaining at Home

Perfect for entertaining guests on a warm summer night, outdoor kitchens are a must-have when it comes to expanding your outdoor living area into a stylish and practical alfresco dining experience. What at first glance may appear to be a luxury, outdoor kitchens have become an incredibly affordable addition to add some flair, value, and appeal to your outdoor living space.

Below we have put together a list of 15 of the best outdoor kitchen designs to help shape your backyard entertaining spaces into something functional, practical and ultimately prestigious. 

1. Stacked stone kitchen

If you’re looking for a timeless design that maintains a clean and sharp look with real visual appeal, you can’t go past a stacked stone kitchen design for your outdoor kitchen and living space. Stacked stone looks great with a BBQ cooktop and stone bench tops, exuding both style and quality. Whether positioned alongside a deck or outdoor entertainment area or placed neatly in its own corner – a stacked stone kitchen complements backyard entertainment spaces that are both classic or modern in design.

2. A covered outdoor kitchen

A covered patio with a sink, bar, and grill is all you need especially during the hotter months. Acting as an extension to your home, the classic patio is usually paved or surfaced with concrete, brick, or stone, and furnished with chairs, tables, and other outdoor furniture to provide a comfortable area for relaxing, entertaining, or enjoying meals or drinks outdoors. With enough shelter to protect the setup, an outdoor patio makes for a year-round kitchen and entertainment space that can be used no matter the weather!

3. Rustic outdoor kitchen with pizza oven

When it comes to a rustic finish for your outdoor kitchen, you can’t go past a traditional pizza oven to complete the design. An outdoor kitchen layout with this special feature really does appeal to the masses and can look extra special with the addition of festoon lighting, touches of timber, and black finishes on appliances. Create a warm, outdoor kitchen space that feels extra nostalgic with details like wood paneling and timber benches. For the materials used on your pizza oven, anything that contrasts nicely against your custom outdoor kitchen, whether it be stone or concrete, will fit nicely.

4. A built-in grill and compact kitchen combination

Image source: Houzz

Have a small area to work with? To maximize space, a built-in grill with simply a dedicated bench, sink, and oven will combine everything you need to cook outside with ease. With these foundational elements of an outdoor kitchen, you can take the cooking, eating and clean-up outside for a less messy, no-stress night of entertaining your guests. For those with more room, adding an outdoor fridge to really eliminate the need for going in and out of the house will make hosting your guests and continuing the conversation while grilling their dinner, effortless.

5. Combined outdoor kitchen and living space

Image source: West Coast Design

If you’ve got more room to work with you can’t go past a combined outdoor kitchen and living space. A beautiful way to eat, dine and then recline, you can equip your space with a dining area and a comfy, cozy lounge that has the added benefit of unrestricted garden views and the constant flow of fresh nature’s air. If covered, add as many luxuries as you desire, including a TV, pool table or other. Remember the options really are endless when it comes to curating the best backyard entertaining spaces to suit your lifestyle, family and needs.

6. Outdoor patio kitchen with vertical garden

Image source: Pinterest

This design is best suited for those who have a patio that is angled with a nice brick wall or any form of exterior wall. A small concrete patio would suit nicely alongside a concrete outdoor kitchen fit with darker appliances and enough space for food preparation. To save time picking herbs from the garden, a splashback can be replaced with your very own vertical garden. This can look like steel mesh holstering a variety of pot plants, herbs, and spices. The rich green pot plants will add a nice visual contrast to the minimal concrete design and are ideal for those who have a small backyard but still wish to have both a veggie garden and outdoor entertainment space.

7. Straight concrete with double grill and storage

Image source: Pinterest

Keeping in tune with the options available when considering a concrete design, a double grill with concrete shelving is a brilliant addition to your outdoor entertainment space. We recommend this idea for larger areas. Remember the concrete benches that host the double grill are the main attraction and will definitely make cooking outside feel like a luxury thanks to the stunning finish. If you’re willing to go all out, you can also add a red brick outdoor pizza oven that would also look stunning against the concrete grey. In regards to practicality, the purpose of this double grill is to be able to cook large quantities of food, therefore large bench and storage space are equally encouraged!

8. Pool and kitchen for a quick ‘dip and dine’

Image source: The Spruce

Backyard entertainment spaces don’t get much more appealing than a poolside kitchen. After a day of cooling off from the sweltering heat, you can save going in and out of the house dripping wet by simply wandering over to your outdoor kitchen for a quick meal prep and dine. These spaces are specially done well when the kitchen is within the same area as the pool but either elevated or lowered in position so as to really define the kitchen space as its own. The good news is, a pool and kitchen combo doesn’t have to be large, it can be as simple as some added shelving and storage alongside a BBQ grill with comfy outdoor couches to sit back and enjoy your feed after a long day in the pool. Remember, working within your budget and constraints is where hiring an experienced expert to help you is key. Explore how we can help you today.

9. Outdoor decking with country chic dining

Image source: The Spruce

A nice glossy merbau deck would be a perfect fit for your country chic kitchen. A covered outdoor kitchen is great for the whole family all year round when placed neatly on your deck and complemented nicely with a country chic kitchen design. When designing this style of outdoor kitchen, opt for wooden cabinetry, storage and paneling. The country chic kitchen can add splashes of white and blacks alongside the timber finishes and looks great with a large in-built grill, oven and chopping boards to complete the total design.

10. Bar stool seating underneath the pergola

Image source: Houzz

This is a great design style if you’re on a budget but still want an area to entertain or have a few quiet drinks with friends on a Sunday afternoon. Perfect for the “at home” style bar, you can make the most out of your pergola and undercover area by elevating a TV near your bar stools, placing these stools underneath a large bench top and having your own makeshift sports bar. These bar stools look great with black framing and wooden seating underneath a large and long benchtop. A great choice for relaxing and watching baseball with a few pals on a warm summer’s day. 

11. Built-in countertop with concrete finish

Image source: Bespoke Concrete Design

This will require a fair amount of time and money but will provide the ultimate payoff when finished. Building in a countertop with a smooth concrete finish allows you to maximize the space in your outdoor kitchen, and opens up plenty of options for either storage or seating space underneath your built-in countertop. These countertops look stunning alongside a finished kitchen or portable BBQ grill, we have also created a few designs that have placed a wood heater below to provide some much-needed warmth in the cooler months.

12. Clay pizza oven

Image source: Pinterest

Doubling down on the Tuscany feel, a clay pizza oven is a great addition to a rustic or brick-designed outdoor entertainment space. When nestled alongside a DIY wooden food preparation station, it is a great place to prepare and cook your pizzas at the next big social gathering. A clay pizza oven is a hit for the whole family and can work nicely into a few different outdoor kitchen styles or make for a neat addition to your entertainment space for a tasty sit-down pizza.

13. BBQ grill and prep station under the stars

Image source: Pinterest

Most outdoor BBQ grills and prep stations are under lovely decking or pergolas, but there is something for everyone when you take your grill under the stars. A number of garden lights could help light the way around, but a BBQ grill placed inside a compact food-prepping station is all you need in your backyard as you look up at the sky and admire the view. Simple, easy, and affordable, this style of outdoor kitchen really is one that won’t break the budget, but will still be sure to make a lifetime of memories.

14. Retractable windows for selective dining

Image source: The Spruce

Closing in your kitchen space with retractable windows is not only an excellent idea when things get a little bit chilly, but also makes for a great way of turning your indoor kitchen into a multi-functioning outdoor kitchen. Retractable windows will give greater access to outdoor spaces and also provide more serving options from your indoor kitchen. If limited on outdoor space, the retractable window allows for a makeshift benchtop where you can serve food from inside your kitchen to your dining space. These retractable windows do come at a price, but if you have the time and resources we highly recommend considering these as an option to shake up your current kitchen space and optimize the way you blend indoor and outdoor living.

Beach chic with reclaimed wood grill and food-prepping station

Image source: Pinterest

With this design, you can evoke a sense of coastal living bliss with the beachy feel of a reclaimed wood grill and neatly curated food prepping station with Hamptons or modern coastal details. Beach chic style is all about whites and coastal blue colors, these work well next to your reclaimed wood grill that can be built DIY if you’re handy. The food prepping station will complement the grill nicely if framed in the same reclaimed wood and classic stone-white benchtops. To top off the beach chic flair, look for soft blues or greens in your appliances, adding some rattan storage baskets and light shades that beautifully complete the look.

Inspired and motivated to update your outdoor kitchen and living space but have no idea where to begin? Let us help you design and install your outdoor kitchen with the peace of mind that it will all come together seamlessly. Contact the Patio Company here.