A Garden Transformation to Create a Perfect Outdoor Social Space

A local project in Hampshire, helping a customer shake up their outdoor garden space. With the brief, we created them a render-finished kitchen outside with a complimentary social area to entertain friends and guests. We'll take you through every step of the journey, including the design process, the build, the worktops, render and the installation of the appliances.

An effortlessly stylish yet simple L-shaped outdoor kitchen allows for maximum socialising space to continue chatting with friends, whilst cooking-up a meal they will never forget.

With an L-shaped kitchen, we tend to build up the frame of the outdoor kitchen using concrete blocks. When we began this project, we had a clear patio area allowing us to build up. The wall behind the BBQ had been built from concrete blocks however there was no render on there, making it look bare. We went back and forth with the client with 3D designs until the customer was happy with the design and the layout. We built the shape and frame of the outdoor kitchen using concrete blocks and lintels, ensuring to keep to the customers brief. The customer requested a shelf to be made within the build for them to use for ample storage. With this, they included a beautiful oak worktop to place pizza cooking utensils on the open shelf. A simple, yet personal touch that we can work into any design, upon request.

We installed a built in barbeque - the BeefEater 7000S BBQ - and behind the double stainless steel doors, there you can find the gas tank for the BBQ, which can also be used for dry storage for kindling, charcoal or firelighters. The pizza oven of choice was the Alfa Nano, that allows you to cook one pizza at a time. Heating up in only 20 minutes, you're looking at cooking a pizza in 90 seconds.

With outdoor cooking spaces, we tend to use granite worktops or a Deckton which is similar to a recycled porcelain worktop. But for this kitchen-living space, we used porcelain slabs that you can use on your patio at home. They are more
economical than granite and porcelain but they do the same job. Perfect for  outdoor living spaces, however the only downside to this is that you get joins in the slabs. Each slab generally comes in 600mm tiles so you know every 600mm
you will have a join. Once they're pushed up together and it's been grouted in, it doesn't show. These are imperative to heat and cold in the weather - a good option for functioning worktops and they look good too!

The rendered finish - Monocouche Render - is coloured, therefore you don't have to paint it. A contemporary look with easy maintenance. Once it's rubbed down it has a mottled effect and we continued this effect round where it looks like it's an extension to the wall. Both the original wall and outdoor BBQ area blend and compliment each other. 

A stunning outdoor socialising space to enjoy all summer long. If you're looking to revamp your outdoor living space to create garden kitchens to die for, drop us an email.