An outdoor kitchen designer will help you design a functional and stylish plan for your outdoor area, provide you with 3D drawings of the proposed outdoor area and provide a written fixed price quote so there are no nasty surprises to take you over budget. You get the advantage of having your works done by trusted and reliable tradesmen without the worry of having to plan, organise and supervise the job.

A recent renovation project involved turning a cluttered carport into a spacious entertaining area. We started off with some demolition to open up the area, then built a partition wall to keep some storage space, texture coated the area to match the exisiting house, lined and insulated the ceiling for a functional and stylish finish and organised the plumbing and electrical work. We have also staged the renovation to fit the budget. The pizza oven has been installed to make the most out of the renovated area and the remaining outdoor kitchen will be installed at a later date.

An outdoor kitchen designer is only too happy to listen and work with you to deliver exactly what you want. A designer can take the hassle out of renovating and give you a lifestyle that is priceless.

It occurred to me that yes the world around us is speeding up at an ever increasing pace, why? Don’t people miss the was it once was?  How the weekends were made for relaxing and not working and how it didn’t matter that you missed the green light.

Use a specialist outdoor kitchen designer to wind the clock back to a time that once was.

Don’t expect a kitchen or an oven that is premade using machines offsite, then delivered and installed like an IKEA product. Do expect love and passion. A completely bespoke kitchen or oven that is carefully designed and then handmade on site before your own eyes, using only the highest quality materials and the upmost care.

Making kitchens for the outdoors means a lot of old fashioned attention to detail – everything is waterproof, air temperature differential proof, dew proof and kid proof.

I was reminded yet again how easy and enjoyable entertaining can be with the right outdoor kitchen. With the right kitchen entertaining even the masses is a breeze! If your outdoor kitchen has a fridge and some storage cupboards you can stock up the kitchen beforehand eliminating the need to ferry anything to and from the house while you’re entertaining. Prepare and season your meats beforehand and store them in the bar fridge, keep your  paper towels, oil, tongs and serving platters in storage next to the BBQ and you’re ready to cook. 

For me the best part of having a great outdoor kitchen is being able to mingle and be in the kitchen preparing or cooking at the same time. It’s important to consider the position of your kitchen, BBQ  and prep areas to that you can still enjoy entertaining while you’re in the kitchen.

Simply Magic Liner

A recent bike ride around the Swan River saw us stopping to cook some sausages on a public BBQ- the perfect chance to test out our new “Simply Magic Liner”!

This clever little product sits directly on the BBQ hot plate- eliminating the need for us to clean the public BBQ before using it. It would also come in handy for those with allergies who a weary of using a public BBQs. Using it an home will also mean no need to clean the BBQ afterwards! Unlike foil, the BBQ mat was totally non stick and didn’t need any oil at all- perfect for cooking delicate fish, frying eggs or even cooking marinated meats without the sticking. I can see it will also appeal to those who don’t enjoy the generic charcoal flavour that some foods on the BBQ can have.

The liner can withstand heats up to 260 degrees- that means it’s suitable for even the hottest of hottest grills. The mats can also be used for baking and other conventional cooking.

You’ll be able to buy them from our online shop which will be up and running shortly. In the mean time visit www.simplydelighful.com.au for the “Simply Magic Liner” and more non stick cooking products.

For those that are eager enough to be hosting get togethers with family and friends have endless amounts of planning and preparations. A well designed outdoor kitchen can help aleviate the stress of being stuck in the kitchen cooking. It doesn’t feel as though you’re stuck in the kitchen when you’re outside in the midst of the festivities . Most guests are more than eager to have a hand at cooking their own pizza too so share the cooking load  and relax!

Each year after Christmas when the sales have died down and the Easter eggs appear on the shelves at the supermarket I think to myself ‘here we go again’. There must be a lesson to be learnt from my mistakes- It’s never too early to prepare for the next big  event. Whether it be Christmas, Easter, New Years or a significant birthday bash- if you’re planning to host the event start planning your outdoor kitchen now. You’ll be glad it’s in sooner rather than later and it’ll make for stress free entertaining.

Enjoy the festive season and stay safe!

The investment in your outdoor kitchen is a worthwhile one and is one that needs planning and careful consideration.  You need to do your homework about the kinds of appliances you’ll benefit from and the best construction materials to suit your needs as well as how the design and look will fit in with the rest of the surrounds.

When you engage an outdoor kitchen specialist, you want someone experienced in designing a kitchen that will not only look fantastic but have all the features you want and nothing you don’t need. The designing stage can take up to a month for custom designs when you consider that ideas and needs may change from the original plan. 

1. Quality. An outdoor kitchen is going to need to withstand the elements so you need to use quality materials. Granite bench tops are an obvious choice but porcelain tiles and timber bench tops are also great option. Stainless steel should be 316 marine grade to prevent staining and corrosion, especially in coastal areas.

2. Services available. The cost of installing natural gas appliances may not be economically viable if the services are not readily available. If there are extensive site works and the gas pressure needs to be increased it may not work out cheaper in the long run to have the appliances running on natural gas. Same goes for dishwashers that need to be connected to the mains. It may end up costing a lot more than just the price of the dishwasher if there are extensive site works involved.

3. Kitchen Shape. Think beyond an outdoor kitchen that is tucked away up against a wall. Think about where you will be spending time preparing food and try to have those areas facing towards where guests might be seated. It’s always good to be able to look out at a nice view while cooking. Think about adding an island or an L shaped kitchen to take advantage of the views.

4. Value for money. Think about how often you will use your kitchen. Would you use it more if you could store all your cooking utensils, crockery and glassware near by? Would you be more inclined to use it if you didn’t have to track everything inside to wash up? By the same token be realistic about how often you will use the features you choose. There is no need to fill every inch of under bench space with cupboards just for the sake of it.

5. Complement the surrounds. Try to design your kitchen to fit in with the feel of your surrounds. A Kabana style kitchen with a bar would suit nicely next to a pool. Where possible you can try to match the finish of the kitchen with the finish of the house, for example matching face bricks or rendered finish. Rock cladding and texture coatings are also popular.

If you need some design inspiration for your outdoor kitchen contact us for a free consultation and get ready to enjoy the summer months ahead.

Could you imagine exposing your inside kitchen to the elements an outdoor kitchen is subject to? Laminated bench tops and vinyl wrapped doors are not going to last long nor will manufactured stone bench tops. Even in a covered area the temperatures an outdoor kitchen will be exposed to will vary more and will be more extreme than what you experience inside. That means you’ll want your bar fridge to be able to keep your drinks  cold when it’s 40 degrees outside so you’re better off investing in quality products. 

The appliances you use outdoors such as the BBQ and wood fired oven are very different to cooking with your conventional stove inside. You’re likely to have very hot fat or even ashes or embers land on your bench top from time to time and you don’t want something that is going to burn and can’t be repaired. Granite or porcelain tiles are smart choices for outdoor kitchens.

We all know when things heat up and cool down they expand and contract. We’ve all seen the dew on the grass on cold mornings. We’ve all felt the extreme heat that Perth’s summer brings.  Your outdoor kitchen will be exposed to these extremes, so you’ll want quality that is going to last outside.

Quotations may vary, but if you’re considering an outdoor kitchen you may need to be prepared to spend around $15,000 for a basic design and upward from that for more elaborate kitchens with more features.

Having the outdoor kitchen adjecent to the indoor kitchen, the clients did not require any storage or refrigeration only a larger oven and prep area and to match the indoor kitchen as well as blending into the alfresco area all the while sticking to a budget set by the client.

Most outdoor kitchens this kitchen are going to be subject to a degree of weathering, so the type of construction materials is a big consideration.

Most BBQ’s can be converted to run on naural gas to save you the hassle of keeping an eye on the LPG gas bottle so you don’t run out of gas in the middle of cooking. It’s also cheaper to run the BBQ on natural gas, but it can be a costly exercise to run a natural gas supply to the BBQ, especially if there is a lot of site works like pulling up pavers. Having the gas connected before any paving or decking is laid will save time, money and disruptions.

For those who would like a conventional oven in their outdoor kitchen means a whole new circuit will need to be installed for the oven to run on. This too can be costly if the house is a double story and access is limited. Any electrical work for the outdoor kitchen including powerpoints for appliances can be done during the building or renovating and will work out to be much more cost effective. A little bit of planning too will ensure powerpoints are placed in the right spot and won’t need to be moved.

Decking areas are a popular site for an outdoor kitchen but quality stainless steel modular units that sit on top of decking can be more expensive. A solid brick pizza oven is extremely heavy and would not be able to sit on decking which means the decking would need to be cut to be able to build a solid base for the pizza oven. A little bit of foresight means your outdoor kitchen can be built prior to the decking being installed which means you’ll be able to choose a more affordable kitchen. Furthermore the decking can be installed up to the kitchen which will give a nicer finish and saving you on the extra decking area that would only be covered up by your outdoor kitchen anyway.