In our guide to transforming your garden from Mucky to Marvellous this month, with this blissful July summer sun, BBQ season is upon us so, we will be talking outdoor cooking areas.

These exclusive additions: fireplaces, built in kitchens, pizza ovens and bars are aspirational spaces that can change the way you use your home and bring all the family together outside.

The amazing thing about cooking outside is the floor space is often bigger than any room in the house and you get that holiday feeling at home; as you connect with the heat of the day, the heat of the fire and communal outdoor living.

So how to design? For these big projects it is really time to consider the value they will bring to your life because they are an investment either in time or money and they need consideration of the space in order to create enough ease for regular usage. Think of the sun, think of the wind direction, think of the space you want to dine after cooking and the distance from the kitchen. They should be designed with the whole garden in mind so the space feels connected and purpose at all times of year.

To create life flow and ease requires sensible proportions in mind, usually larger than you would expect. Consider these proportions against the material options: polished formed concrete (often showcased in the modern show gardens) are outside the realms of the normal budget, timber: softwood or oak, brick built, blockwork and render can be installed by most landscaping companies. You can use recycled marble kitchen work tops though these will require precision cutting in specialist workshops. As you can imagine these features are invariably bespoke and my advise is to really consider what you want from the space and how you want to use it first, then consider the scope and scale of the works, be prepared to compromise or attribute a healthy budget to getting what you want. 

I truly believe we can have anything we want if the transformation inspires us. So sink into those ‘what ifs’ and see if this project stokes your coals enough to spend time and money on it’s evolution? It would be an asset to your home and bring the ease of outdoor living to your garden. 

With Love, Lucie x

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