Bringing the outside in: the summer kitchen
Here in Cheshire, warm, sunny days are like gold dust. So when one comes along, we abandon the kitchen, hurriedly dig out our barbecues and deck chairs from the shed and make the most of the rarity. But outdoor dining doesn’t have to be limited to those few days of sunshine. With the right design, the outdoors can be moved into your home.
We at David Lisle Kitchen Design believe that the kitchen should occupy the best room in the house. After all, it is the place where we spend most of our time. Rather than shutting a kitchen away in a dark corner, we often inspire our clients to re-imagine their kitchens as bright, open-plan spaces with a wealth of natural light and a sensitivity to their, often remarkable, surrounding landscapes.
Access your outdoor space
To create a kitchen that appreciates its natural surroundings, access is essential. By incorporating glass folding or sliding doors, a whole wall of window can be created, seamlessly joining indoors and outdoors. Fresh air flows through the home; the sounds of birds and rustling trees can be heard, all contributing to a much more natural atmosphere.
On warmer days when dining outside, cooking in the kitchen can be done as though outdoors, without trudging back and forth to prepare food whilst trying not to miss the sunshine. Family and friends can gather throughout both kitchen and garden effortlessly.
Making the most of the breathtaking views of this property in the Peak District.
Using natural materials
Extending materials from the kitchen to the garden, such as concrete floors and timber, make for a seamless transition and an almost infinite space.
Using neutral combinations of woods, stones and veneers gives homage to natural colour palettes, whilst adding splashes of colour, pattern and texture with paint, paper, tiling, or a bespoke splash-back give unique touches, creating a kitchen that harmonises effortlessly with the surrounding landscape, whilst being wholly personal and bespoke.
Natural timbers and granites give a warm autumnal feel in this open-plan kitchen filled with natural light.
Effective details
A simple, yet effective way of bringing the garden into a kitchen is by planting herbs inside. Not only will they look and smell beautiful, avid cooks can pluck ingredients straight from the plant for use in dishes. Planters can be anything from vintage pots that add a quirky twist, or elegantly inset into worktops and islands.
Installing windows in unexpected places also provides effective bursts of the outdoors, as though framing little organic and ever-changing artworks.
Splashes of sky-blue and oak harmonise with the snippet of ever-changing greenery outdoors.
By incorporating any or all of our ideas above, our clients can expect a space that is not only wholly bespoke and crafted to the highest standard, but harmonises so beautifully with their surroundings to ultimately provide the perfect, year-round, summer kitchen.
