Outdoor kitchens people actually cook in

Counter space is the thing people underestimate

The most common regret in an outdoor kitchen is not the grill. It is that there is nowhere to set down a tray on the way in and a plate on the way out. A cook needs a landing zone on both sides of the heat, and cutting it to fit a smaller footprint is the decision that makes a kitchen ornamental.

The second most common regret is the cook facing a wall. If the point of eating outside is being with people, the kitchen should face the seating, not the fence.

Materials that survive a Southern California summer

Direct sun at inland Ventura County temperatures is hard on outdoor surfaces. Dark stone becomes untouchable by mid-afternoon, some composites chalk and fade, and cheap stainless pits within a couple of seasons, particularly within reach of coastal air in Malibu or Westlake Village.

Polished concrete holds up well and takes a color that will not read as a sample board in five years. Whatever the surface, the counter needs shade at the hours you would actually use it, which is a design decision rather than an accessory bought afterward.

Gas, power, water and the parts nobody sees

An outdoor kitchen is plumbing and electrical work with a nice front on it. Gas runs, a dedicated circuit, a sink drain that is legal to connect, and lighting that lets somebody cook after dark all have to be planned before the hardscape is poured, because retrofitting any of them means breaking concrete.

Questions people actually ask