It’s a clear night, the windows are open, the kids are playing in the backyard, and you’re inside cooking up a storm as the sun goes down. It’s nice enjoying a cool breeze from the comforts of your home, but what if you could enjoy it all outside? The L-shaped outdoor kitchen design is sweeping across American homes in troves. The increasingly popular L-shaped outdoor kitchen style features ergonomics for everyday use you can’t get anywhere else and design patterns that will make you the golden host of the neighborhood. Take advantage of these stylish designs and increased ROIs by jumping on the L-shaped kitchen design bandwagon today.
In this guide, you’ll find Aztec’s outdoor kitchen appliances have everything you’ll need for the perfect kitchen style.
At a Glance:
Budget and Benefits of an Outdoor kitchen
What Do I Need for an Outdoor Kitchen?
How to Plan for Your New Outdoor Kitchen
If you’re ready to start on your L-shaped outdoor kitchen ideas, there are a few things to consider before you begin.
Outdoor Space
An L-shaped outdoor kitchen is great for homes that don’t have limitless space in their backyard. If you have children, they probably won’t be keen on having a kitchen take up their playing space. An L-shaped kitchen can benefit adults and kids alike. Since the L-shaped kitchen design is known for its ergonomically easy structure, there’s plenty of space to work with, whether you have five acres or only a few feet to your fence.
When you’re gazing at your backyard, what do you see? Is your fencing fitted up to the sides of your house or do you have some space around the corners? For homes with smaller spaces, it’s best to fit your L-shaped outdoor kitchen into the corner of your backyard. This will take advantage of blank space while keeping your backyard open.
If you happen to have a larger backyard with some room to spare, consider designing your outdoor kitchen right off the back door. This will create a seamless transition from the inside to the outside. Another element you can add to your outdoor kitchen is bar seating. Our experts suggest leaving at least three feet of space at the front and four feet of space from the back of your island for optimal usage.
It’s not all about the space of your backyard, though. When you invest in an L-shaped outdoor kitchen, the focal point of your backyard becomes the patio. If you are considering building one of these beautiful kitchens, make sure there is enough space for guests to enjoy the area. If you don’t want your L-shaped kitchen to take up the entire backyard, consider placing a picnic table on the grass for guests to utilize as well.
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Style Ideas
One of the beautiful things about outdoor kitchens is the many ways you can design them. From dark red bricks that encircle your patio to light-colored stucco to bring a more Tuscan aesthetic, you can make it your own.
When mapping out your outdoor kitchen ideas, consider how you want your cabinetry to look. Because of the versatile space these kitchens provide, you can choose to have enough cabinets to hide all of your outdoor essentials or decide to eliminate them. Depending if your indoor kitchen has enough space for your extra accessories can impact this decision.
Your L-shaped outdoor kitchen can be as expansive as you want it to be. If you simply want an outdoor BBQ grill and enough counter space to prepare your meals, then an L-shaped kitchen can easily provide that. Or in contrast, if you want your patio kitchen to be the focal point of your yard, it can stretch from one side of the house to the other. You can include a pergola or overhead awning to make the experience that much more enjoyable on hot summer evenings.
Budget and Benefits
Before you start on your outdoor project, set a budget. It can be easy to get caught up in everything your kitchen can provide and not realize the expenses. What you choose to include in your kitchen will affect your outdoor kitchen budget. Begin with what you need for an outdoor kitchen like a grill or an outdoor kitchen sink. Once you’ve established your needs, then implement your wants. An outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven may not be essential, but it sure would be fun.
There are several benefits to investing in an L-shaped outdoor kitchen. On top of it being a welcoming and fun addition to your outdoor entertainment, it can also provide improvements for your home down the road. When, and if, you decide to sell your home, an outdoor kitchen will surely increase its value. Since this trend is on the rise, many homebuyers will be looking for this added benefit to a backyard. San Diego is a year-round outdoor city, so investing in this booming trend now will only help your future.
Enjoy the Outdoors Safely with our Summer Grilling Safety Tips
An outdoor kitchen increases the size of your home. Investing in an outdoor kitchen adds an additional room to your house, but as an added perk, it’s outside. You will no longer need to run inside to grab a soda or check on the meal. Your L-shaped kitchen will provide you with more time to enjoy company outdoors and more space to do so.
And, of course, an outdoor kitchen will help improve your overall health and wellbeing. Scientifically proven benefits come with spending more time outside. An increase in vitamin D brings those happy feelings along with daily fresh air. You also won’t have to turn on your ventilation as much since the outdoors will take away those smokey smells.
Outdoor Kitchen Essentials (or Wants)
When you think of a kitchen, what do you think you need? Probably an oven, a stovetop, a refrigerator, and a space to enjoy your meal. An outdoor kitchen gives you the ability to design your space with a little more diversity. Consider what we have to offer for your L-shaped outdoor kitchen below.
Cooking
Imagine you invite your closest friends over. You have your beautifully designed outdoor fire pit blazing, and you're ready to start cooking your meal. You’ve bought a premium cut of brisket, ready to smoke the night away. But you can’t do that without an outdoor smoker. Aztec Appliance provides you with expansive grilling surfaces and dual racks for optimal food placement. Through WiFi and app-enabled capabilities, you’ll be able to have a drink around the fire while your brisket slow cooks.
If you’re cooking up more than a burger, stainless steel outdoor kitchen side burners are a must. Aztec provides everything from liquid propane side burners to natural gas burners. Cook your asparagus or salmon to the perfect crispiness with an outdoor kitchen side burner.
Refrigeration
A backyard kitchen will only be a hassle without an outdoor stainless steel refrigerator. While enjoying your outdoor L-shaped kitchen with friends and family, it may be an annoyance to run inside whenever someone needs a refreshment. An outdoor kitchen fridge gives you the ability to easily grab a drink or appetizer when needed without having to run inside. Also, if you’re prepping for a meal, it’ll be more convenient to store your vegetables or meat in a fridge next to the grill.
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Pair your fridge with an outdoor kitchen freezer. For kids playing in the backyard, an easily accessible popsicle freezer could be extra fun for them. Or keep ice handy for summer eves when enjoying a refreshment outside. Our U-Line Outdoor Convertible Freezer has two-in-one capabilities by adapting to a refrigerator at the touch of a button. Enjoy quick accessibility with an outdoor freezer and fridge.
Storage
When designing an outdoor kitchen space, storage is a key component. When you invest in an outdoor kitchen grill or a backyard bonfire, there are tools that come with it. But to be able to store them well without feeling overwhelmed, you’ll need the right kind of storage.
Outdoor kitchen cabinets allow plenty of space to store items while featuring stylish designs. Choose between stainless steel access doors or storage that is accompanied by trash centers. Store ice, cans of food, and even extra drinks in any of our spacious outdoor cabinets.
An outdoor gas tank storage unit is essential if you don’t want animals and children tugging at a tank. A gas tank storage tray also hides the bulkiness of the container needed for grilling. The sliding tray provides easy access to an LP tank and gives you enough space to hide it away.
FAQs
Q: What is the ROI on an outdoor kitchen?
The return on investment (ROI) for an outdoor kitchen can benefit far past the years you spend in your home. When you decide to invest in an outdoor kitchen, the ROI increase can be anywhere from 55 percent to a whopping 200 percent. Since San Diego is known for mild winters and beautiful summers, the ROI will most likely be worth your while.
Q: Do you need planning permission for an outdoor kitchen?
According to the San Diego permits and approval guides, a building permit is only needed when a residential deck exceeds 200 square feet in area and is located more than 30 inches above grade level. When building an outdoor kitchen, make sure to double-check with your city to find out if you need planning permission for your design.
Why Trust Us?
Since 1972, Aztec Appliance has been offering quality sales and service for name-brand appliances. Our mission is to not only help you achieve all your appliance dreams, but we also want to bring value to your home beyond materialistic amenities. Our team is an authentic group of people dedicated to our work, and we share the same undeniable passion for people and serving them the best we can. Suffice it to say, we know appliances.
Whether it’s a first birthday, a backyard wedding, or a retirement celebration, our hope is to give you the opportunity to enjoy life’s little moments. After all, memories are not consigned to the big moments — they exist within the little ones. And you can rest assured our inventory of top-performing kitchen, laundry, and outdoor appliances will help you spend less time keeping the home and more time with the people who make it home.
Shop Outdoor Kitchen Products Now
Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today, and shop outdoor cooking appliances online for the guaranteed lowest price at Aztec. Check out Aztec Appliance reviews, and if you have questions, our friendly product experts are always happy to help you find the perfect L-shaped outdoor kitchen designs for you — whether you call us at 858-987-5777 or use our online chat feature. Better yet, stop by our Aztec Appliance San Diego showroom located at the heart of downtown. Visit us today!
Learn More: How to Enhance Your Grilling