Skip to content

Top Navigation

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Food and Recipes
  • Culture and Lifestyle
  • Style
  • Holidays & Occasions
  • Home
  • Gardening Ideas
  • News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living Books this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Southern Living

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • The Best New Haircuts to Try in 2022

      The Best New Haircuts to Try in 2022

      Here are the haircuts you'll be seeing everywhere this year. Read More
    • How To Season A Cast-Iron Skillet

      How To Season A Cast-Iron Skillet

      Learn how to season this Southern kitchen staple in five easy steps. Read More
    • 50 Thoughtful Messages for a Meaningful Thank You Note

      50 Thoughtful Messages for a Meaningful Thank You Note

      Not sure what to write in a thank you card? Here's how to show your gratitude with a handwritten note. Read More
  • Food and Recipes

    Food and Recipes

    See All Food and Recipes
    4 Easy Ways to Tell if an Egg Has Gone Bad

    4 Easy Ways to Tell if an Egg Has Gone Bad

    It’s not all in the senses, but they sure can help.
    • Recipes
    • Quick and Easy Dinner
    • Kitchen Assistant
    • Casserole
    • Holiday and Occasion Food
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
    • Desserts
    • Healthy and Light
    • Side Dishes
    • Party Food and Drink
    • Appetizers
    • Meat
    • Breakfast
    • BBQ
    • Drinks
    • What's Cooking
  • Culture and Lifestyle

    Culture and Lifestyle

    See All Culture and Lifestyle
    70 Cute and Funny Nicknames For Your Best Friends

    70 Cute and Funny Nicknames For Your Best Friends

    Let your besties know how much they mean to you with these unique nicknames.
    • Quotes and Sayings
    • Biscuits and Jam Podcast
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Healthy Living
    • Coastal Living
  • Style

    Style

    See All Style
    The Coziest Winter Nail Colors for January 2022

    The Coziest Winter Nail Colors for January 2022

    The beginning of a new year often has us all feeling like starting off fresh by taking on better habits, getting rid of old ones, and—most commonly—changing up our look. While others are hitting the squats and going into the salon for a pixie cut, why not start slow and steady with a cozy winter manicure in a color that feels new to you? It takes only a little courage to step outside your usual OPI Lincoln Park After Dark or Essie Bordeaux, which is all you need to kick 2022 off on a fanciful foot.  From new wintry takes on classic dark nail colors to unique pops of color that'll have you feeling the opposite of boring, these are the best nail colors to try this January and tick off all the way into spring. 
    • Beauty
    • Hair
    • Fashion
    • Short Hairstyles
    • Nails
    • Medium Hairstyles
    • Skincare
    • Long Hairstyles
  • Holidays & Occasions

    Holidays & Occasions

    See All Holidays & Occasions
    • Thanksgiving
    • Gifts
    • Christmas
    • Mother's Day
    • Hanukkah
    • New Year's
    • Easter
    • Mardi Gras
    • 4th of July
    • Weddings
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home
    16 Kitchen Design Trends Southern Designers Predict Will Be Everywhere in 2022

    16 Kitchen Design Trends Southern Designers Predict Will Be Everywhere in 2022

    There's no denying how the pandemic fundamentally changed the world—including how we live (and work) inside our homes. An overall trend toward celebrating the history and originality of our homes is displacing ultramodern aesthetics and sharp lines as we all look to create cozier, colorful, more personalized spaces that better suit our lifestyles. We're turning away from big-box stores and toward vintage items—first, out of necessity due to supply-chain issues, and now, for design reasons—to add charm and character to every room in the house, including the kitchen. Here, interior designers from around the South share their predictions for what's trending in kitchen design for 2022 and beyond.
    • Home Decor Ideas
    • Idea Houses
    • Kitchen Design
    • Before & After Photos
    • Bathroom Design
    • Curb Appeal
    • Bedroom Design
    • DIY Home Decor
    • Color Palettes & Paint
    • House Plans & Builders
    • Inspired Communities
  • Gardening Ideas

    Gardening Ideas

    See All Gardening Ideas
    If You Keep Finding Ladybugs in Your House, Here's What You Need to Know

    If You Keep Finding Ladybugs in Your House, Here's What You Need to Know

    Plus a few strategies for keeping them out-of-doors
    • Container Gardening
    • Gardening Flowers
    • Fruit, Vegetable & Herb Gardens
    • Garden Pests
    • Plant Guides A-Z
    • Indoor Plants
    • Fall Plants
    • Landscaping Ideas
    • The Grumpy Gardener
  • News

    News

    See All News
    • Celebrities
    • Local News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living Books this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Southern Living
  2. Home
  3. Home Decor Ideas
  4. Ultimate Outdoor Kitchen

Ultimate Outdoor Kitchen

By Susan Stiles Dowell
Skip gallery slides
FB
Planning the Interior Space
Credit: Photo by: Laurey W. Glenn, Styling by: Matthew Gleason
Get inspired by this Maryland coastal house's comfortable screened porch kitchen.
Start Slideshow

1 of 7

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Adding an Outdoor Kitchen

Outdoor Patio Kitchen
Credit: Photo by: Laurey W. Glenn, Styling by: Matthew Gleason

The owners of this Eastern Shore summer home decided that they needed a better spot for entertaining their far-flung kids, grandkids, and friends. They enlisted Washington, D.C., architect and friend Merle Thorpe to build an open-air addition where everyone gets together to cook, mingle, and catch the fabulous views and breezes on their Chesapeake Bay creek.

Architect Merle Thorpe designed the 40- by 19-foot addition (right) to nestle into the existing trees.

1 of 7

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 7

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Capturing the View

Designing the Kitchen
Credit: Photo by: Laurey W. Glenn, Styling by: Matthew Gleason

As a frequent guest at their gatherings, Merle knew how much the family enjoys walking across the back lawn to the water where they set sail for the bay every chance they get. Until they built the addition, the long, beautiful view of the water wasn’t visible from where they entertained. “Rooms inside the house had been renovated before,” Merle says, “but not in a way to cater to their lifestyle on the water.” So he designed a single, enormous room that’s multipurpose. “It’s a 40- by 19-foot, one-room-deep, floor-to-ceiling screened addition to the main house,” he says. “And except for where it’s attached by double doors to the main house sunroom, it is entirely separate to facilitate air circulation.”

2 of 7

3 of 7

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Designed to Stay Cool

Keeping Cool
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Merle engineered natural cooling with a raised roof structure of operable clerestory windows for ventilation. “An internal thermal effect created by those venting windows pulls warm air up from below and cool air in through screening on four sides,” he says. Stainless steel mesh screening has a black anodized finish that looks nearly invisible, so the four sides of the room feel magically open to the outdoors.

Outdoor-rated appliances and a low-maintenance paint finish on the cabinets combat saltwater corrosion.

  • Source Guide
    Cabinetry:
    custom by Ilex’s Millwork Division; ilexconstruction.com.
  • Grill: Professional Built-in Grill with Double Side Burners; lynxgrills.com.
  • Refrigerators: Outdoor Refrigerator; lynxgrills.com.
  • Exhaust hood: custom using rated exterior components; ilexconstruction.com.

3 of 7

Advertisement

4 of 7

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Planning the Interior Space

Planning the Interior Space
Credit: Photo by: Laurey W. Glenn, Styling by: Matthew Gleason

First priority for the open-air room’s layout was a grilling kitchen. Merle placed it so the chef could see straight to the creek while serving guests at the dining table. Good thing, too, because the stainless steel grill, exhaust hood, side burners for big pots of corn and crabs, and twin under-counter refrigerators generate constant conversation. Great care was taken to choose weather-resistant teak dining furniture, upholstery fabrics, appliances, and cabinet paint finishes that are impervious to the corrosive marine environment.

Tip: The brick-paved floor is pitched slightly in all directions so it can be hosed off as needed. Kitchen cabinets elevated on stainless steel legs let the water wash beneath.

4 of 7

5 of 7

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Sitting Room

Patio Sitting Room
Credit: Photo by: Laurey W. Glenn, Styling by: Matthew Gleason

When the meal ends and evening comes, everyone moves to a seating area of wicker furniture before the fireplace. The natural ventilation of the big room has proved so comfortable in summer that family members often chat into the wee hours and inflate air mattresses to convert the spacious area into a sleeping porch.

Tip: Columns are grounded in the thick foundation, so all four sides of the room can be left completely open without the need for diagonal bracing.

  • Source Guide
    Floor and wall brick:
    26-HB 3⁄4" Thin Brick; glengerybrick.com.
  • Wicker sofa and armchairs: For a similar look, try Palmetto All-Weather Wicker Sofa and Armchair in honey; potterybarn.com.
  • Rug: Seagrass with brown border; ballarddesigns.com.

5 of 7

6 of 7

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Outdoor Fireplace

Outdoor Fireplace
Credit: Photo by: Laurey W. Glenn, Styling by: Matthew Gleason

The owners selected a gas insert instead of burning wood because of its lower maintenance. In cool months, they set beach stones that have been warmed by the fire around the room to act as heaters.

Tip: The fireplace hearth is composed of bricks that match the house foundation. Raising the firebox enables it to be seen from around the room.

Source Guide
Wall stain:
semitransparent custom color blend, alkyd-oil; cabotstain.com.

6 of 7

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 7

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Outdoor Dining

Tips From This Open-Air Room
Credit: Photo by: Laurey W. Glenn, Styling by: Matthew Gleason

The outdoor dining table and cafe-like chairs are made of sustainable teak.

Tip: Strong steel columns support walls of screened panels and a roof with ventilating windows to move air through the room below.

Source Guide
Dining chairs & Table:
Jardin Classic Side Chairs with curved slats, teak and powder-coated steel, Jardin Classic Rectangular Table, teak and powder-coated steel; janusetcie.com.

7 of 7

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Susan Stiles Dowell

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 7 Adding an Outdoor Kitchen
    2 of 7 Capturing the View
    3 of 7 Designed to Stay Cool
    4 of 7 Planning the Interior Space
    5 of 7 Sitting Room
    6 of 7 Outdoor Fireplace
    7 of 7 Outdoor Dining

    Share & More

    Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print
    Southern Living

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • About Us
    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Books from Southern Living
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Follow Us
    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    MeredithSouthern Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. Southern Living is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporationthis link opens in a new tab All Rights Reserved. Southern Living may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Southern Living. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.southernliving.com

    Sign in

    View image

    Ultimate Outdoor Kitchen
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.