Kitchen Planning: 10 Ways to Create an Amazing Indoor/Outdoor Space
Love your kitchen and your garden? Then why not merge them into one fabulous room?
Open-plan living is high up on everyone’s interiors wish list these days, as the kitchen becomes a multifunctional hub for eating, cooking, hanging out with friends, catching up on paperwork or even doing a quick workout. But don’t forget to include the garden in your desire to break down barriers and create one, light-filled, stretched-out space. In fact, what could be better than sliding back a wall of windows and stepping into the great outdoors (be it a mini patio or expansive lawn) with a cup of freshly brewed coffee in hand? Check out these 10 inspirational ideas on how to link your kitchen and garden for the most desirable in/out spaces ever.
Choose coherent materials
Using the same floor tiles inside and out enhances the streamlined look and visually fools the eye into lengthening the room. And I love the personal touches here (copper pendant, milky glass splashback et al) reminding us that a kitchen should be as packed with personality as the rest of your home.
Discover some great splashback ideas
Using the same floor tiles inside and out enhances the streamlined look and visually fools the eye into lengthening the room. And I love the personal touches here (copper pendant, milky glass splashback et al) reminding us that a kitchen should be as packed with personality as the rest of your home.
Discover some great splashback ideas
Take a simple approach
Purists will drool over this indoor/outdoor kitchen, which really does prove that a simple, graphic box can be as striking as any period architecture. The bi-fold doors, plain white kitchen and considered mix of materials is simplicity at its best.
Purists will drool over this indoor/outdoor kitchen, which really does prove that a simple, graphic box can be as striking as any period architecture. The bi-fold doors, plain white kitchen and considered mix of materials is simplicity at its best.
Link materials
This eclectic, open-plan kitchen is made all the more pleasing thanks to the clever use of materials. The bare brick wall links beautifully with the garden, while the glass ceiling allows a year-round view of the sky. A picture window and French doors give a sense of a fully glazed wall, making the courtyard a key ingredient in the space.
This eclectic, open-plan kitchen is made all the more pleasing thanks to the clever use of materials. The bare brick wall links beautifully with the garden, while the glass ceiling allows a year-round view of the sky. A picture window and French doors give a sense of a fully glazed wall, making the courtyard a key ingredient in the space.
Try a glass ceiling
Use glass to striking effect with sliding glass doors and a chic, ultra-modern glass ceiling, as well. This wraparound glass structure allows the dining end of the open-plan kitchen to be flooded with natural light and connects with the great outdoors at every angle.
Use glass to striking effect with sliding glass doors and a chic, ultra-modern glass ceiling, as well. This wraparound glass structure allows the dining end of the open-plan kitchen to be flooded with natural light and connects with the great outdoors at every angle.
Don’t forget good lighting
While the indoor/outdoor kitchen is all about seamlessly merging with your garden, you’ll still need to install a flexible lighting scheme inside to keep the whole space as bright as possible. A series of spotlights embedded in the ceiling are practical and unobtrusive in a modern design like this, while the wash of light across the floor adds an unexpected touch.
See ways to maximise light in your kitchen
While the indoor/outdoor kitchen is all about seamlessly merging with your garden, you’ll still need to install a flexible lighting scheme inside to keep the whole space as bright as possible. A series of spotlights embedded in the ceiling are practical and unobtrusive in a modern design like this, while the wash of light across the floor adds an unexpected touch.
See ways to maximise light in your kitchen
Put your window to good use
I love this window-on-the-world kitchen, and it’s a great solution where a wall of glass isn’t possible. Like a vast hatch onto the garden, the panes slide back so refreshments can be passed through to alfresco diners, while the opening helps to connect every inch of the kitchen to the outdoors.
I love this window-on-the-world kitchen, and it’s a great solution where a wall of glass isn’t possible. Like a vast hatch onto the garden, the panes slide back so refreshments can be passed through to alfresco diners, while the opening helps to connect every inch of the kitchen to the outdoors.
Go for a classic look
There are no rules to say the open-plan kitchen has to be fiercely modern and monolithic. In fact, this classic, Shaker-style painted design is smart and stylish, while the warm, wooden floor is mirrored by the fences and garden shed.
There are no rules to say the open-plan kitchen has to be fiercely modern and monolithic. In fact, this classic, Shaker-style painted design is smart and stylish, while the warm, wooden floor is mirrored by the fences and garden shed.
Utilise a decked area
This ingenious kitchen stretches outside to a garden deck, where an awning offers shelter from the rain, but still lets light and fresh air circulate throughout. Ideally suited to a tropical climate, there are still design takeaways from this design that would work in the UK. What really makes this kitchen sing, is the simple colour palette and natural materials, creating a laid-back, holiday-at-home vibe all year round.
This ingenious kitchen stretches outside to a garden deck, where an awning offers shelter from the rain, but still lets light and fresh air circulate throughout. Ideally suited to a tropical climate, there are still design takeaways from this design that would work in the UK. What really makes this kitchen sing, is the simple colour palette and natural materials, creating a laid-back, holiday-at-home vibe all year round.
Rethink the humble BBQ
This is perhaps the ultimate indoor/outdoor kitchen, with the smart, all-white units extending out into the garden, and incorporating a full compendium of outdoor cooking kit for sizzling and simmering in the fresh air. I’m just waiting for my dinner invitation…
Have you created an indoor/outdoor space? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below.
This is perhaps the ultimate indoor/outdoor kitchen, with the smart, all-white units extending out into the garden, and incorporating a full compendium of outdoor cooking kit for sizzling and simmering in the fresh air. I’m just waiting for my dinner invitation…
Have you created an indoor/outdoor space? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below.
This indoor/outdoor kitchen is beyond fabulous. The slick banks of pure white cupboards (made even slicker by the lack of handles) are echoed in the almost invisible wall of sliding glass doors, which creates a seamless link with Mother Nature. Flush flooring and a fully set up dining table add to the sense that this is all one space. Even on the dullest day, no one could complain about this spot…