Design Elements · Outdoor Kitchens

Outdoor Kitchens: 10 from real Napa & North Bay projects

An outdoor kitchen is a hub space. People gather where the food is, so I use it to organize the destinations around it — dining, lounge, fire, pool — and make the connection back to the indoor kitchen as short and natural as possible. Function comes first: counter flow, storage, shade, and where the cook stands relative to the guests. Then planting softens the mass of counters and appliances so it reads as part of the garden. Built into the right spot, it becomes the reason the whole property gets used.