I don't have one, but I would love one someday.
I was just reading about a really cool one a guy built in a fairly recent issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. The tables were made of recycled cinder blocks stacked and shelves from his bakery. It was really cool. I could see a kitchen like that in a cottage garden. I don't recall the issue, but it has a yummy looking picure of some strawberry looking shortcake type of thing on the cover. He used crushed stone for the pavement with groundcovers of different types.

Mindy

You have a very distinct and colorful style so I can see how most of what you have seen would simply not appeal to you. Why not do it more like your interior kitchen? Stick with your creative style. I have no idea of your budget but you could go in either direction with the costs.

You could for instance take an old stove casing (gutted out so you just have the shell) paint it some amazing color and then use it as a faux shell for a grill. You could do similar with cabinets for countertops. I could even imagine an old refrigerator, like those rounded edged ones from the 50s, painted another knockout color. It wouldn't need to actually work. Use it for storage, even put a portable cooler in there for drinks. Plants on top that drape and flower all over it. You could prop the door open and do a mix of storage and plants.

Use something unexpected for the table and seating area. If you were going with a loose flooring material I would think tumbled glass instead of pea gravel for instance. You could do a patterned flooring with a matting ground cover like Corisican mint and glass block or whatever catches your eye.

Those are just a couple of ideas that pop to mind at first blush. I would love to hear what ideas you had in your mind and what requirements you have. Like you indicated, it should be something that reflects your personality just as your home and garden do.

LeSan

I don't have an outdoor kitchen. Husband has a large grill on a deck that corners the kitchen and the screened porch.

However, I use a pine potting bench that I painted for a sideboard serving space. You can put cafe curtains to cover the bottom shelf (I've never gotten to that since DH put his Bose music there). You can attach a bottle opener and towel bar on the outside ends. Some of the boards on the main shelf open to reveal two plastic dirt containers that we fill with ice and beverages during a party. I have dragonfly lights from Smith & Hawken around the window, but you can hang fun lights just about anywhere (trees, umbrellas, etc.).

Cameron

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Hi all:
Thanks for your great ideas!!!

I don't like to call them "Kitchens." We grill. We don't do "kitchens" outdoors. In the summer, it's too darn hot to grill and then sit outside to eat! We gather under the big shade tree while the meat is cooking and have a great time, then we go inside to eat.

We live on an acre and we installed a stone BB grill, it's large and nice. We put it at the edge of the fenced in part of the yard close to a big shade tree, where we all gather our chairs. We have a patio cover but we didn't want it in that area because that's not where we gather in the summer.

Here's a picture of it the day it was being built. It was built in the Winter, but now it's completely shaded and it looks great near the big tree with 4 o'clocks and Honeysuckle growing in abundance under the tree, and tall branches shading the grill.

It now has a stone wind block added to it, which isn't shown in this picture and it looks like fins. lol. My dh and the masons had a ball making it.

We are casual folk and like the simplicity of charcoaling.
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We have a little kitchen in the back yard that is a work in progress.

We found a kitchen counter top at the dump- our dump is well known for having good things to find. The top is one with the sink molded into it, and drain boards on either side of the sink. It is about 6' long. DH built a cabinet for it to set on, and piped water to it, so we have running water to wash vegetables or whatever. The drain runs to the flowerbeds, so we don't waste the water.

DH grills, but I also have a small apartment sized stove out there, that runs on propane right now. As soon as DH can get the gas lines run out there, it will run on Natural gas, as will the grill. I can put my canning jars on that stove, or bake a cake in that oven, and not heat my kitchen up- I love it.

No refridgerator out there yet, but we use a double wash tub on legs for chilling drinks. Just put a stopper in it, and fill it with ice and drinks.

We do plan to put in a nice stone clad kitchen one of these days, but for now, it works very well. We painted the wall of the shop a bright blue, with hot pink trim, and laid a brick floor. We like it.

Something else in my back yard that I just love is the outdoor shower. It is surprising how often I use it, and it is great for people (like the grands) who want to go in the hot tub.

Janie

Try searching for 'cob oven' and 'rocket stove' for some different ideas.

Nell

Oakley, would love to see a current pic. Sounds charming.

There was a similar brick setup in our backyard when we bought the house. The former owner even had a gas line running to it. We never used the thing and eventually took it out. Dh loves charcoal grilling on his Old Smokey. I thought a gas grill might be a nice alternative, but he's not interested. Fine by me, lol.

Those of you that have outdoor kitchens and showers I think that is just so cool. If I could have one I'd want it done up very rustically with a Tuscany theme, well I can dream can't I. I'll be looking forward to see the end result of what you do GGG.

Annette

Here you go, Natal. This was taken last Sunday on Father's Day. My dh would kill me knowing I put his picture up. lol. Hard to believe he's a "Suit" in this picture. :) That's my son on the left, first time father.

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Oakley, looks like a comfortable spot to do some grilling.

"first time father" ... does that mean first grandbaby?

Yes Natal, my first grandbaby! His name is Henry. I call him "Hunky Hanky." lol. Here's a picture of him watching us grill, he was very sleepy.

You'll have to excuse me, I need to rein in my bragging. lol

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That's one handsome little man!!! Brag away, lol! I never had kids, so I don't get the pleasure of grandbabies. Love seeing everyone elses.