Make the most of the long Australian summers by designing a kitchen that allows a seamless flow to the outdoors and becomes a great family and entertaining zone.
Sunshine, beaches and the great outdoors spells Australia. Our summers are a time to savour and our homes and lifestyle are a big part of it. The humble barbeque somewhere in the garden has evolved into a fully equipped outdoor room and the kitchen in the contemporary home is being re-designed to bring the outdoors in.
It’s all about lifestyle. Whether you want to watch the kids playing in the backyard as you cook, or have flowing spaces when you entertain, designing a kitchen with the long summers in mind can totally transform your living areas. If you are planning a kitchen renovation or are already in the market to buy a new kitchen, here are some tips to build a great summer kitchen.
Capitalise on the best views:
Take a good hard look at your home surrounds. Where are the best views and what’s a great outlook? Is it possible to align your kitchen to the outdoor? A kitchen that overlooks the backyard or the pool creates a terrific family hangout and entertaining space:
- It floods the kitchen with natural light.
- It’s easy to keep an eye on the kids as they play outdoors.
- A seamless transition between the indoor and outdoor areas is great for zoned entertaining – the food can be laid out indoors, while there’s more room to mingle.
Get the orientation right:
Build your kitchen around the views. You may not have a large backyard to step out into, but if you’ve got lovely hedges, and some great feature trees outside the property, consider a kitchen overlooking greenery. But to make the most of the window views:
- Put in benchtops with only base cabinets under large wrap-around windows. This is a great idea that works in townhouses and apartments as well. Not only do you get the advantage of natural light, you can watch the colours of changing seasons as you do the dishes.
- If you don’t have a wide choice of outdoor features, make whatever you have count. Like this one here. The double window in this kitchen creates tremendous impact and can be opened on warm summer days to let the breeze in. the white kitchen frames the picture window beautifully and the island is aligned to make the most of the view.
Plan the flow:
Remember Josh and Elyse’s winning kitchen from The Block? It got a perfect 10 from all the judges – a big reason being the easy transition to the outdoor deck.
An important element of a great summer kitchen design is keeping flow of people and food easy. Ideally the island should connect to the dining area, so guests don’t walk through the prep and cooking zones. Think through the location of the fridge – can kids access it for water, or the adults for a cold drink, without crossing the stove or getting in the way of the cook?
Locate it in the east or north:
Waking up to the warm rays of the rising sun in the kitchen is a great way to start the day. If the architecture of your home allows it, east or north-facing kitchens are ideal. If not, a good kitchen designer should be able to maximise an aspect which will allow natural light and summer breeze through.
Our kitchen designers have been designing family kitchens, beautifully oriented and ideally positioned to take advantage of the long Australian summers. If you are looking at a new kitchen in 2018, and would like to know a bit more about how you can design an ideal kitchen, walk into one of our showrooms and our team members will walk you through it.