Vertical Garden

This vibrant modern outdoor kitchen in San Francisco’s Cow Hollow neighborhood from Heather Hilliard Design is located on a large balcony just off of the main kitchen and dining space. Bright blue cabinetry adds an unexpected splash of color, but the towering multi-colored living wall behind it steals the show with its manicured design that resembles a work of modern art.

Wood Fired

This warm and relaxing San Francisco outdoor kitchen from Seed Studio Landscape Design features a tiled, wood-fired pizza oven and grill that is seamlessly integrated with vertical wood veneer slats that match the same tones as the horizontal wood fencing. A vibrant blue Moroccan-style backsplash adds some color and indoor sophistication, and light toned concrete pavers and integrated lighting adds modern polish and a pleasing nighttime ambiance.

Seamless

This outdoor kitchen from interior designer Lance Thomas of Thomas Guy Interiors is tucked onto the back wall of a spacious exterior patio and blends in perfectly with the outdoor space’s gray and white palette and adjacent lounge space. Thomas recommends using weather-friendly materials and fabrics in an outdoor space for durability, such as eco-friendly rattan. And he recommends incorporating greenery such as banana leaf trees and orchids “to add a touch of nature,” adding that “high-design planters can be a creative way to show off one’s own personal style.”

Mixed Materials

This long, linear outdoor kitchen and dining area from interior designer Maite Granda has a mix of brick, concrete, stainless steel, and wood, with a vaulted skylight and a clear glass sheet railing that separates the dining room from the pool. The spacious kitchen includes plenty of closed storage space so that supplies can be neatly stored outside, eliminating annoying trips back and forth between the indoors and the outdoors.

L-Shaped

This L-shaped outdoor kitchen from Marie Flanigan Interiors has stainless steel appliances and a pretty patterned tile backsplash that makes it feel as put together as an inside space. An oversized statement hood vent helps to whisk away smoke from the grill and adds dimension to the outdoor space.

Family Style

This spacious outdoor kitchen from Mel Bean Interiors is connected to the outdoors on one side and to the indoor kitchen on the other, separated by sliding windows, and features an outdoor living room space on the other side of the patio with a sofa and a fireplace. “It is important that the design is functional for the family,” says Bean, who recommends “prioritizing hardworking fabrics and an open-concept layout that connects to the outdoors for family—kids and dogs included—to move around.”

Industrial

This compact backyard kitchen grilling station from Manscapers has no-nonsense industrial stainless steel appliances, matte black wood fencing, and plenty of surrounding greenery to define the kitchen and lounge spaces and to soften up the industrial vibes of the kitchen.

Bar Style

This Brooklyn outdoor kitchen from New Eco Landscapes has a wood-clad bar opposite the grilling area that is clad in the same warm wood siding for a cohesive look. The bar offers a place for casual meals or keeping the grill master company, while a larger dining table, banquette and chairs is located a few feet away for sit-down meals and large gatherings.

Up on the Roof

The outdoor kitchen on this rooftop terrace from Fantastic Frank is sleek and compact, with stainless steel appliances and a barbecue built into a freestanding block positioned with its back to the outdoor lounge area on the other side. A pergola provides shade for dining and designer chairs in shades of white, gray, and blue add a contemporary note.

Transitional

This transitional style outdoor kitchen from Marie Flanigan Interiors has a massive signature oven hood with a pewter finish that creates a focal point and provides an essential service for those who don’t like choking on smoke from the barbecue. A counter to ceiling backsplash of pale buttery stone adds texture, wood cabinetry adds warmth, and a large modern table and chairs with clean lines keep it from leaning too traditional. Located on the back patio just off the kitchen and separated by stylish modern metal grid glass walls and doors makes it feel like a well integrated extension to the home and provides convenient access.

Pizza Oven

The main event in this outdoor kitchen from real estate agent and interior designer Julian Porcino is a brick pizza oven painted in a warm shade of gray along the side wall of a spacious Los Angeles patio.

Create a Corridor

While some people like their outdoor kitchens to be as open plan as their indoor kitchens, there are still some people who prefer to keep their kitchens discreetly tucked away and their meal prep mess mostly out of sight. This Florida outdoor kitchen from interior designer Maite Granda is set up corridor-style and behind a half wall that’s tall enough to hide clutter from the lounge space on the other side. A row of pendant lights defines the space.

Go Full Size

This outdoor kitchen from Fantastic Frank is sheltered from the elements by a large tarp, and equipped with a wall of black appliances and prep space that includes a full-size fridge. The wood deck flooring is a nice contrast with the stone wall surrounding the yard, and woven rattan chairs with black metal bases offer a casual chic look.

Semi Outdoor Space

Depending on the climate where you live, a fully outdoor kitchen isn’t always desirable or realistic. This semi-outdoor kitchen from Martha O’Hara Interiors is located on the back screened in porch of a Prior Lake, Minnesota bungalow that protects it from the elements and keeps cooks and diners safe from the bugs.

Holiday Home Vibes

The outdoor kitchen in this Ibiza home from Fantastic Frank has a holiday beach vibe. The boxy white structure creates a well defined space that’s separate from the main house, and the cooking and prep area is largely hidden behind a covered outdoor bar. Two open sides ensure that the breezes keep flowing and that the kitchen and bar area remains open to the rest of the backyard entertaining space.

Fine Dining

If you live in a state like Florida, you can invest in an outdoor kitchen knowing that it will get year-round use. This formal Florida outdoor kitchen and dining space from Lisa Gilmore Design is fully equipped and lit for poolside cooking and dining thanks to built-in lighting on the ceiling, the cooking and prep spaces, and a giant chandelier over the dining table.

Carved Details

This luxurious poolside kitchen from Fantastic Frank is designed in shades of pale stone and black finishes, with a sleek built-in kitchen wall and a large outdoor dining table. An imposing hood vent and large carved stone sculptures on either side of the kitchen wall define the space and create a dramatic handcrafted focal point when viewed from behind the glass doors on the inside.

Background

An outdoor kitchen can be the focal point of an outdoor patio, or tucked away to give the rest of the decor a chance to shine. On this outdoor patio kitchen and dining space from Breeze Giannasio Interiors, a compact grilling and prep area is located at the back of the long, linear space, leaving the formal dining area with its black-and-white play of patterns and retro vibes to take center stage.

Hamptons Style

This expansive, secluded outdoor kitchen in Bridgehampton, New York from Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet is the stuff that summer house dreams are made of, decked out in cool, calming shades of gray that complement the stainless steel, state-of-the-art outdoor cooking equipment and cabinetry. The vast outdoor space is a self-contained living space designed for outdoor summer living and entertaining, complete with a lounge area, a firepit, and large dining table under a majestic tree.

Balcony

Not everyone has a backyard that can house a large outdoor kitchen, but if you’re an apartment or condo dweller who is fortunate enough to have a balcony, a built-in grilling station can feel like a luxury. This small outdoor space from White Sands Design Build has a compact grilling station and lounge seating, but an outdoor table and chairs would work here, too.

Wallflower

While an outdoor kitchen can be a focal point in some exterior spaces, in this large Newport Beach, California backyard from Mindy Gayer Design Co., the kitchen is visible from the main outdoor space but tucked along a side wall, leaving space for lounge and dining areas around the pool.

Arch

The grilling station in this outdoor kitchen from Design Lines Signature includes a regular grill and a Big Green Egg, located steps away from a shaded, well appointed seating area through an archway that offers a place to relax while you’re waiting for your food to cook.

Minimalist

Decorating a rooftop space can require a great deal of vigilance and maintenance. If you like to keep things simple and don’t want to have to worry about your outdoor space when you’re not up for a rooftop grill session, opt for a minimalist approach, like this New York City rooftop kitchen from New Eco Landscapes. With a long linear grilling and prep space built against an outdoor wall, it has plenty of built in storage for food, cookware, tableware, and other essentials, and wood cladding for warmth.

Mixed Stone

This outdoor kitchen from Studio KT has contrasting mixed light and dark stone finishes that gives the backsplash and bar counter dimension against the sprawling stone patio. Built in sconce lighting adds polish and warm light after dark.

Corner

This small outdoor kitchen grilling and prep station from Manscapers is tucked away in the corner of an urban rooftop deck in New York City, sheltered with tall wood fencing for shade and privacy, and surrounded by mixed greenery climbing up the walls and in reclaimed wood planters to give it a casual chic urban vibe.

Contrast

This long linear outdoor kitchen from New Eco Landscapes is clad in warm wood that contrasts with the stainless steel grill hood and the rough stone pavers that cover the spacious patio floor.

Sleek

The sleek white minimalist outdoor kitchen on this sun-bleached rooftop terrace in Ibiza from Fantastic Frank is seamlessly built into the wall, making it almost look like part of the architecture until you squint.

Black Decking

The outdoor kitchen and dining area in this backyard living space from New Eco Landscapes has painted black deck flooring that defines the space and offers contrast with the adjacent paved stone patio and lounge space.

Indoor Outdoor