8 Ways to Connect Your Kitchen Design to the Outdoors
March 19, 2024
Spring is here, so it is time to think about planting gardens, cleaning up your outdoor living spaces, and getting outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. If you are planning a kitchen remodel for your Gainesville home, this may also be a good time to think about creating a kitchen that connects you to the outdoor environment. Why is this important? You spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so you want it to be a warm, welcoming space with a relaxing vibe.
With simple design techniques that connect your kitchen design to the outdoors, you can create a grounded space with a calm atmosphere. You can also give your kitchen a more open, airy feel, and extend your dining and entertainment spaces by linking indoor and outdoor areas. Let’s explore some of the top tips for connecting your kitchen design to the outdoors.
Maximize the View
Choose a layout that makes the most of the view from your kitchen. Position your kitchen sink facing out toward a large window so you can enjoy the view while you work at the sink. Similarly, place your island workspace with appliances like a cooktop so that it faces toward large windows or glass doors that look into your backyard. Establishing this view lets you feel connected to the outdoors while you prepare dinner or clean up. Position seating areas like a breakfast nook or dining table so they are next to large windows where you can soak up the sunshine while you enjoy your morning cup of coffee. With a carefully planned layout, you can have it all. Choose an experienced professional design team to help you make the most of your available space when planning your Gainesville kitchen remodel.
Oversize Windows and Doors
To make your indoor and outdoor spaces feel truly connected, focus on installing large windows and doors. You can sit in the comfort of your air-conditioned home while getting the visual effect of being outside. What could be better? If you don’t have enough wall space for large windows, consider including skylights to enhance your room’s natural light. Large glass sliding doors also let you open up your kitchen to adjacent outdoor spaces when the weather is nice, so your indoor and outdoor dining and entertainment areas can become one unified space for home and family life. This works especially well if your kitchen opens up to a semi-enclosed or enclosed outdoor entertainment space like a patio, pergola, or lanai.
Bring in Natural Light
The other effect of including large windows and glass doors throughout your Gainesville kitchen remodel is that it maximizes your room’s natural lighting. If your kitchen gets good sunlight during the day, a wall of windows and glass doors will ensure you spend the day bathed in light, soaking up vitamin D from the comfort of your kitchen. It also means you can rely less on your kitchen’s artificial lighting, especially during the spring and summer months with longer daylight hours. Pair this with a layered lighting plan and smart lighting controls to balance natural and artificial light. If you add colors, textures, and materials that reflect light around the room, you will reap the full benefits of sunlight streaming into your kitchen. Mirrors are another ideal choice for reflecting light, so consider including a mirror in your open-plan first-floor living area.
Keep It Open
If you want to give your kitchen design an airy, outdoor feel, then keep your layout and style open and simple. This is essential to avoid a cluttered and dark feel in your space. An open-plan kitchen that lets light flow throughout your first floor is an ideal choice. Better yet, let your layout flow from your indoor kitchen to your outdoor spaces, so you can move freely between the two and host amazing gatherings that include both spaces. Simple cabinet styles and sleek surfaces also help your kitchen to feel more open as you remove embellishments that can distract from your airy kitchen design. Make sure you avoid architectural features like pillars or arches that can interrupt the flow of your open kitchen.
Go for a Nature Inspired Color Scheme
Colors impact our moods and set the tone for our living spaces. Choose carefully when planning key rooms like the kitchen design to select colors that create the atmosphere you want. To establish a connection to nature, select a color palette that makes you feel grounded or gives you the feeling of being in your favorite outdoor environment. Warm wood tones are an ideal option, particularly lightly stained wood that lets the natural grains of the wood show through. Other nature-inspired colors like sunny yellow, sage green, ocean blue, and many more make you feel connected to nature and give your space a natural calming vibe.
Natural Materials
The look and feel of your kitchen design are defined by the materials you choose. From cabinetry to countertops, flooring, light fixtures, and more, select materials that define your room’s style, offer the durability you need in a busy kitchen, and create a comfortable space where you will love to spend time. By incorporating natural materials your kitchen will immediately be connected to the outdoors. Natural materials like quality wood cabinetry and stone surfaces bring effortless beauty to any kitchen design, plus they are typically high-quality, durable surfaces that are an investment in your home. Best of all, natural surfaces are unique, with every piece of wood or slab of granite having a one-of-a-kind appearance.
Add Some Greenery
Plants are an obvious choice for connecting your home to nature, so be sure to include your favorite greenery in your kitchen and adjacent living spaces. They also help to purify the air, and flowering plants can add a pleasant aroma to your home. Some plants like aloe even have medicinal value, so they add a practical benefit when you include them in your kitchen. Think about your lifestyle and personal preferences when choosing plants for your Gainesville home. If you travel frequently or don’t like to tend plants, choose varieties requiring little care to keep them going. Don’t be afraid to add a larger plant in a spacious, open-plan kitchen, or hang plants near a window, but avoid overwhelming your space with too many plants or it will start to feel cluttered. Take this one step further and create a living wall with an indoor herb garden in your kitchen design. This is a striking feature for a nature-inspired kitchen and means you have fresh herbs at your fingertips whenever you need them! You could also create an herb or kitchen garden just outside your kitchen beyond large windows or glass doors where you can see it from inside your home.
Design an Outdoor Kitchen
If you love to cook outdoors, why not create a full outdoor kitchen design for your Gainesville home that lets you take your grilling to the next level? This outdoor kitchen can be an extension of your home’s living and entertainment spaces and can be connected to your indoor kitchen by glass doors leading to your patio or lanai. Outdoor kitchens can incorporate kitchen cabinets, countertops, an island, seating, and lighting, and a cooking area to mirror your indoor kitchen. Add an entertainment setup with a television and sound system so you can host a movie night or play your favorite tunes while you cook and dine. You can give your outdoor kitchen a unique look to your indoor kitchen design or make it a fluid part of your home by matching your cabinet finish and other surfaces. Plan a multi-layered lighting design that takes you from outdoor cooking to relaxing over cocktails with friends. Just like in your indoor kitchen design, it helps to have more than one light source to make sure all your lighting needs are met.
Create Your Ideal Kitchen Design Connected to the Outdoors
Connecting to nature is widely known to have a calming effect on our lives. Why not bring this into your home living spaces by creating designs that connect you effortlessly to the outdoors? The kitchen design is an ideal place to start. It is the heart of the home, where you spend time cooking, working, dining with family and friends, and relaxing over a glass of wine.
Make it a place where you will love to spend time by creating a connection with the outdoors. Include glass doors that open your kitchen up to your outdoor entertainment space, along with a layout that creates an open and airy kitchen design. Add large windows that let in ample natural light, incorporate natural materials and textures, and choose a nature-inspired color scheme.
The result will be a space that lets you feel connected to nature, where you can relax and spend time with your loved ones. Are you ready to create a beautiful kitchen design that will elevate your home life? Get inspired when you visit our Gainesville showroom and then talk to a member of our design team to get started!