Making the decision that you want an outdoor kitchen is easy. What’s not so simple is actually creating an efficient, attractive, entertaining and cooking space that you and your family will use and enjoy is a bit more difficult.

Go to your outdoor space and think about what the perfect outdoor entertaining area would look like in your backyard. Imagine this as if money is not an issue, then take an imaginary photograph of this perfect space for your memory.

Now evaluate this perfect space step by step. First, how much (or how little) of the items in this space do you really need? You may have envisioned a huge, built-in, fully-equipped outdoor kitchen just like you might have seen on a TV cooking show. But if you grill only once a month in the summer, then your money is better spent elsewhere. If that’s the case, then you may be happy to buy a small, basic, free-standing grill with a nice prep table next to it.

On the other hand, if you spend several months out of the year eating and entertaining weekly in your backyard, cooking full meals and regularly entertaining guests, then the larger setup might be right for you.

Your lifestyle is just as important a consideration as your outdoor cooking style, so think about all the different ways you could use the new space, then plan accordingly. As an example, suppose you love the tastes and smells of grilled food, but really like to eat and entertain indoors (no bugs or weather issues to deal with). So in your outdoor space, perhaps you could think about concentrating on creating a simple, well-appointed grilling area, and not putting as much into the entertainment and dining aspects of the space.

Others enjoy the outdoor entertaining aspect, so more effort should be put into patio and dining furniture. If this is your style, then it makes a lot of sense to design an outdoor kitchen for those needs. You can take some of the things you love in your indoor kitchen and bring them to your backyard space. For example, if you have an island or bar in your indoor kitchen where everyone regularly gathers to watch you cook, put a kitchen island in your outdoor space as well.

The size and scale of the outdoor kitchen and entertainment space depends on how many people will be using the space. If you usually only have family gatherings outdoors, then you may only need seating for 8 to 10. But if you regularly host large events or buffets, then you may need multiple tables and other configurations.

Would you like to be able to keep your dishes outside and at hand instead of carrying them out of the house? If so, installing cabinets could be the answer.

Does it matter if you have to bring dirty dishes into the house or would you rather have a plumbed outdoor sink to do those chores outside? If the latter, then a wet sink should be considered.

Another aspect to take into account is the weather. If you live in a particularly cold area, installing some type of enclosure or protection for your outdoor kitchen area might be a good idea.

You should now have a pretty good idea of ​​what combination of kitchen, dining, and entertaining space you want your backyard entertaining project to include. Once you have that understanding, it will be easy to add additional elements to the whole design. Just try to keep your outdoor kitchen layout as practical as possible and you will ultimately create the perfect space for your needs.