Outdoor kitchens to elevate your summertime dining

We look for the best outdoor kitchens to bring our culinary prowess to the garden this summer season

Norma Outdoor kitchen
(Image credit: Courtesy Roda)

Whether you are planning your next lunch in the sun or a moonlit dinner, these outdoor kitchens provide the perfect spot to prep, cook and enjoy a meal or an aperitif during the warm season. These outdoor kitchens reimagine gardens and terraces as an extension of our homes, bringing the party outside with a plethora of innovative solutions, cutting edge materials and design compositions to suit any space.

Outdoor kitchens: the Wallpaper* edit


Very Simple Kitchen outdoor modules  

Outdoor kitchen in stainless steel by Very Simple Kitchen

(Image credit: Photography: Mattia Parodi. Styling: Greta Cevenini)

Italian brand Very Simple Kitchen has over the years perfected a single kitchen design that, as the brand name suggests, is based on a minimal, flexible design. Made of stainless steel and based on lightweight modular elements, each kitchen can be tailored to suit specific needs and space limitations. The brand has now expanded its offering to include outdoor kitchens, based on the same efficient design and featuring a series of outdoor-appropriate accessories, including a corrugated metal canopy. Like all of the brand’s modules, the outdoor kitchens can be customised with colourful surfaces and accessorised with barbeques, hotplates, folding sinks, and even wheels.

verysimplekitchen.com

Helios outdoor kitchen by Vincent Van Duysen for Molteni

Outdoor Kitchens

(Image credit: Courtesy Molteni & C)

The Helios outdoor kitchen is part of Molteni & C’s debut into outdoor furniture, an expansive collection led by creative director Vincent Van Duysen and launched in spring 2023. The kitchen combines the company’s rigorous approach to design and its all-encompassing approach to the art of living, combining innovative technology with traditional Italian craftsmanship. The monolithic design is created to be a discreet presence in an outdoor space, and the kitchen’s wide selection of material and finishes makes it a perfect companion to Molteni & C’s outdoor furniture offering.

molteni.it

Phil outdoor kitchen by Gordon Guillaumier for Ethimo

Outdoor kitchen and barbecue by ethimo

(Image credit: Courtesy Ethimo)

In keeping with its mission to enhance outdoor living, Ethimo’s latest launch is a new outdoor kitchen and barbecue created in collaboration with Gordon Guillaumier. The newly launched Phil kitchen aims at simplifying the art of outdoor cooking, with a round design imagined to be nomadic and emphasising a modern approach to entertaining within different outside spaces. The small cylinder only measures 95cm in height and 75cm in diameter, making it ideal to fit in smaller balconies and patios as well as larger gardens. The metal structure is available in olive green and sepia black, and can be configured as a barbecue, induction hob or sink (with the possibility of combining them in a more complete outdoor kitchen offering). Guillaumier’s design combines all main kitchen elements within a small, ergonomic structure, with a soft design that is functional yet sturdy and portable.

ethimo.com

Emily outdoor kitchen by Emu

Outdoor Kitchens

(Image credit: Courtesy Emu)

A modular aluminium outdoor kitchen, Emu’s Emily features a stoneware countertop and comprises different elements that can be used individually or combined into a bespoke functional solution. Each module can be configured to be used as a cooking, washing, barbecuing station, as well as a single countertop, and its design can adapt to be open or closed, featuring shelves or storage containers. The outdoor kitchen design is raised from the ground with a lighter appearance thanks to the slim legs, while the rounded edges give it a soft shape.

emu.it

Modulnova outdoor kitchen

Italian kitchen and living specialist Modulnova

(Image credit: Courtesy Modulnova)

Italian kitchen and living specialist Modulnova is taking its expertise outside the home with their outdoor kitchen. Designed by Andrea Bassanello, the new piece follows Modulnova’s modus operandi: rigorous lines, a rational composition and a design that enriches the outdoor space. The kitchen’s materials, from steel to stone, have been specially selected and treated to withstand the elements and convey the stark aesthetic the brand is known for. Functionality and performance are at the core of the design, which features a classic BBQ, a wood-fired oven, a fryer, a teppanyaki grill and an induction grill. Further spaces have been created for watching and cooling, including an ice machine. 

modulnova.com

Outdoor Kitchen Grill BBQ by Kettal

Outdoor kitchen by Kettal

(Image credit: Courtesy Kettal)

Outdoor furniture specialist Kettal has branched out into different areas of design, including modular office structures and hydroponics indoor gardens. Among its all-encompassing offering is an outdoor kitchen that comprises a grill and barbecue option and is equipped with a sink, storage and a preparation area. The kitchen features an aluminium frame that can be customised with a series of colours that range from neutrals to bold (think lilac, terracotta, jade and cobalt among many others), a stone worktop in ceppo di gre and the option to swap the aluminium for teak on the doors.

kettal.com

AH01 Outdoor Kitchen by Boffi

A kitchen and cooking specialist, Boffi has taken its savoir faire

(Image credit: Courtesy Boffi)

A kitchen and cooking specialist, Boffi has taken its savoir faire to the outdoors with this kitchen. Inspired by light and healthy Mediterranean cuisine, the outdoor kitchen features practical details, such as a wide cooking panel that's inclined for easy cleaning, or the stainless steel sink, expanding its functionality. Modular cooking and storage surfaces allows this kitchen to adapt to different spaces, as well as cooking and serving styles, making it a perfect destination for preparing and hosting in the warmer months.

boffi.com

Cube modular outdoor kitchen by Luca Nichetto for Brown Jordan Outdoor Kitchens

Stainless steel outdoor living


(Image credit: Courtesy Brown Jordan Outdoor Kitchens)

Stainless steel outdoor living specialists Brown Jordan Outdoor Kitchens have collaborated with designer Luca Nichetto on a new modular kitchen concept, unveiled during New York Design Week 2022 and available in 2023. The kitchen modules feature sharply drawn outlines and a distinctive range of bold hues. Contrasting colours, including on surfaces resembling wood slats, create a modern juxtaposition in the individual pieces.

brownjordanoutdoorkitchens.com

Formalia outdoor kitchen by Scavolini

teak shelves and a breakfast bar

Formalia kitchen with steel worktop and doors and aluminium frame in a Rust finish. Finishing touches include teak shelves and a breakfast bar

(Image credit: Courtesy Scavolini)

Making its first foray into the outdoors, Scavolini presents the Formalia collection, featuring 19 elements that can be combined with existing appliances to create a bespoke outdoor kitchen area. Based on an aluminium structure, the range can be expanded with elements in three finishes – rust, black and titanium – with doors and worktops available in steel or high-performance treated wood. 

scavolini.com 

Norma Outdoor kitchen by Rodolfo Dordoni for Roda

Rodolfo Dordoni’s ‘Norma’ outdoor kitchen for Roda


(Image credit: Courtesy Roda)

Rodolfo Dordoni’s ‘Norma’ outdoor kitchen for Roda, developed in collaboration with Italian appliance manufacturer Ilve is a modular system, comprising two freestanding modules – one with an extendable table – with tops made from sintered Lapitec stone. It’s so elegant we might get one for indoors, too. 

rodaonline.com

OiSide modular outdoor kitchens

Outdoor furniture company OiSide presents OiCook


(Image credit: Courtesy OiSide)

Outdoor furniture company OiSide presents OiCook, a modular collection of outdoor kitchens inspired by traditional indoor models, featuring an aluminium structure and a selection of four porcelain worktops. The collection comprises integrated fridge, stove and sink, and its four different models can be combined in a myriad of compositions, both wall-hung and island with a bar-style cantilevered worktop. 

oiside.com

Adapt outdoor modular kitchen by Vlaze 

the Adapt outdoor kitchen collection

(Image credit: Courtesy Vlaze)

Based on the Isle of Wight, enamel specialist Vlaze have launched the Adapt outdoor kitchen collection, aimed at outdoor entertaining and featuring modular elements clad in the brand's signature materials. Freestanding and on wheels, the Adapt outdoor kitchens can be configured to suit different cooking and entertaining styles, from drinks trolley and prep area for pizza ovens to barbecue grills, with a larger module imagined for group entertaining.  

vlaze.co

Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.