What Are the Top Trends in Outdoor Kitchens?

You’ve likely seen jaw-dropping outdoor kitchens on your favorite HGTV shows, as well as on Food Network shows like Guy Fieri’s. Inspired by these luxury living shows and segments, more homeowners want to experience that same upscale outdoor living, and a top-tier outdoor kitchen is part of their dream. So much so that home designers report spending within the $6.2 billion outdoor home cooking industry to be up 5.4% in recent years, with the trend growing annually. Some designers say that their clients spend twice as much on an outdoor kitchen as they do on an indoor kitchen design or remodel. Everyone wants that amazing outdoor kitchen for their family’s al fresco meals and especially for their outdoor entertaining.

The kitchen has always been called the ‘heart of the home,’ and now with a spectacularly-outfitted outdoor kitchen, you get another very special setting for your family and friends to enjoy, plus the luxury resort feel of preparing sensational cuisine outdoors.

Here are the top trends in outdoor kitchens, to inspire your own outdoor kitchen design:

• Multi-burner stovetops. That rolling grill gets replaced by chef-quality stovetops, many with an impressive number of burners, such as a 12 stainless steel burners with 42,000 BTU and temperature control. Add to that side burners, warming racks and drawers, a searing grill for steaks, a rotisserie fitting, electronic ignition and multi-fuel capability letting your system run on wood, gas, or charcoal.

• Colored grills. The art of outdoor kitchen design introduces custom colors for the stovetop and grill, as the new #1 trend in outdoor kitchen design. All-black stoves come in at second place, and stainless steel is still a winning vision in third place.

• Pizza oven. One of the hottest outdoor kitchen Musts is the wood-fired pizza oven. With gourmet pizzas being a top trend in cuisine and entertaining menus, pleasing as they are to guests of all ages and dressed up with garden-fresh veggies, herbs and artisanal cheeses – again, inspired by Food Network segments and celebrity chef cookbooks – outdoor pizza ovens add more luxury style to your outdoor kitchen, in tiled or wood-burning designs with arched tops.

• Deep fryer. Make fresh veggie tempura, fries, fried chicken and more without having to go inside your house to plug in your small appliance deep fryer. This one, built into your outdoor kitchen design, expands your menu capabilities.

• Ice maker. You’ll need plenty of fresh ice cubes for those cocktails, sangrias, granitas and ice beds for serving oysters, clams on the halfshell, and shrimp cocktail, so an in-place ice maker is another top trend for outdoor kitchens.

• Stainless steel cabinets. The gleam of rich stainless steel adds pure luxury to an outdoor kitchen, making this another top trend in outdoor kitchen design. Stainless steel kitchen cabinets are weather-proof, preventing rot, making them a stellar addition to an outdoor kitchen through all of NJ’s weather seasons.

• Luxury countertops. Homeowners put as much thought into their outdoor kitchen countertops as they do into indoor kitchen countertop choices, making attractive granite countertops an attractive luxury addition to the open-air kitchen. Plus, countertop materials complement the natural elements of your poolside landscaping and backyard space, for a unified look that feels more comfortable while being indulgent at the same time.

• Refrigerators. Sub-zero frefrigerators are a must for the outdoor kitchen, joined by upscale brand wine refrigerators, for superb access to fine vintages, summery brews, sodas, recipe ingredients and more.

• Fireplace and fire table. Warming elements like mood-setting outdoor fireplaces and exciting fire tables let your family and friends enjoy your outdoor living space well into the night, and more often throughout the year as seasons change. Custom fireplaces and fire tables join the trend, as fire elements get more luxurious than a ground-dug fire pit or portable chiminea. Heating lamps and lights also add to the warmth of an outdoor living space, an especially welcome feature after those late-night dips in the pool, after which guests head to the kitchen area for drinks and late-night bites.

• Ceiling fans. They complete the look of this outdoor ‘room,’ and add a cooling breeze as well as resort-style design flair to your outdoor kitchen.

• Furniture. A luxury outdoor kitchen is no place for plastic lawn furniture or mismatched piece, so homeowners now outfit their open-air gathering spaces next to the kitchen with coordinated furniture sets, including couches, ottomans, glider chairs, love seats, and more, in upscale all-weather fabrics designed with calming neutral or vibrant colors, patterns, textures, and the addition of throws and pillows for guest comfort.

• Entertainment elements. The outdoor kitchen may have a large flat-screen television for watching the big game, and a high-quality sound system that can even be controlled by a remote system to help you program your party’s soundtrack via your smartphone.

• Terrific lighting. Lighting sets a tone for outdoor gathering spaces, and your outdoor kitchen needs to have great lighting for safer food prep in the evening hours. Expert-designed lighting elements illuminate your outdoor kitchen’s cooking spaces, as well as the areas around it for your guests’ ultimate outdoor gathering enjoyment. Plus, your outdoor kitchen and living space lighting can be designed to complement your pool area lighting and landscape lighting for a unified look and ultra-impressive ambience and effect,.