Outdoor Kitchen Design & The Ultimate Essential – Stone
Kitchens serve as the natural gathering spot for family and friends. With the increasing availability of complementary and easily installed stone products, homeowners are transforming them into havens of natural beauty.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Kitchens serve as the natural gathering spot for family and friends. With the increasing availability of complementary and easily installed stone products, homeowners are transforming them into havens of natural beauty.
Outdoor kitchens have transitioned from a rarity to a coveted feature among homeowners seeking to maximize their living spaces and indulge in their love for fresh food and air. According to Mike Kornele, territory sales manager for Instone, parent company of Toro Stone, these outdoor culinary spaces are rapidly gaining popularity.
Stone elements have emerged as the quintessential must-have, enhancing outdoor living spaces’ beauty, functionality, and durability. Adding a modular outdoor kitchen with a stone veneer and a natural stone countertop can give your backyard a unique and envy-inducing look.
Expanded Functionality
Outdoor kitchens are no longer limited to grills and a small prep area. They now have sinks, refrigerators, storage cabinets, pizza ovens, and dishwashers, becoming more like indoor kitchens in functionality.
Modular kitchens like those produced by Isokern Fireplaces & Chimneys help fuel the trend. They make design and assembly simple. Simply choose your features, such as a wood-burning pizza oven, a gas grill, or a searing station. Then, add your panels and clips, and you’re on your way to an amazing outdoor entertainment space.
Homeowners are dressing these modular structures in stone veneers to make them look stylish and distinct. Depending on the stone you choose, you can achieve a rustic outdoor kitchen look or a new-age outdoor kitchen.
“It seems now more and more Mrs. Smith wants a kitchen that’s going to be more unique than Mrs. Jones’s kitchen, so they’re getting into a lot more veneer work,” Kornele said. “Everybody is always going to be doing their water tables, foundations, entryways, stoops, and things like that, but outdoor kitchens are definitely on the rise. That’s a market that’s going to be pretty solid for the next couple of years,” said Kornele.
What Makes MSV Essential
Many homeowners are opting for stone because of its resilience and aesthetic appeal. Manufactured stone veneer (MSV) is favored for finishing kitchen surrounds due to its ability to withstand harsh weather conditions and extreme temperatures while offering easy repair and replacement options.
Manufactured stone veneer (MSV) products like Toro Stone have become a go-to choice for cladding outdoor kitchens. The following are some of the many benefits of using MSVs for these projects.
Durability: Withstands the elements
MSVs are exceptionally durable, withstanding harsh weather conditions and extreme temperatures with little risk of cracking, peeling, and water damage. If a piece or section is damaged, you can get another piece to match the existing sections perfectly. That can also be useful if a property owner decides to expand their entertaining space later and needs identical products.
Aesthetic Flexibility: Many textures, colors, and finishes to suit any style.
With the wide variety of textures, colors, and finishes, there’s a stone veneer to fit any style a homeowner desires seamlessly. A quick skim of Toro Stone’s collections shows industrial bricks, rustic stacked stones, and modern stone arrangements that could create different vibes for the same modular structure.
Ease of Installation: Lightweight, Easy to Cut, quick and custom installation.
A significant benefit of MSVs for masons is their light weight, which allows them to install quickly and easily. Toro’s thin-stone veneer products come in small containers that are especially easy to move around a job site. A thin-stone veneer is easy to cut, making it easy to customize pieces to fit specific dimensions. This is particularly handy when working with irregular spaces or when integrating features like grills, refrigerators, etc., into the design.
Choosing panel systems such as Toro Stone Fast Set can also speed up the process and simplify your installation.
Ease of Maintenance: Clean with soap and water.
Another reason homeowners appreciate stone veneer is its low maintenance. There is no need for harsh chemicals or complicated cleaning routines. You often only need to clean it simply with soap and water.
Choosing Colors, You’ll Love
Of course, when it comes to which veneer color is right for a project, the answer is always “what the customer loves.” However, a good rule for choosing the veneer style is to consider what would best harmonize with the patio stone the outdoor kitchen will sit upon.
“When choosing your colors, you want things that are going to complement each other, but you don’t want things that are exact because you don’t want to step back from your project and see a blob of one color,” Kornele said. “You want the colors to stand out and be distinct, but you don’t want them to battle each other.”You can use the Toro Visualizer to create instant digital renderings showing how any of our veneer products would look with your current patio. Just upload a photo of your outdoor kitchen or use a sample photo and begin mixing and matching online.
Manufactured stone veneer provides contractors with a versatile, durable, and aesthetically pleasing material for outdoor kitchens. Its flexibility makes it easy to deliver custom, functional designs that meet clients’ desires while enhancing property value. Contact Toro Stone today to learn more about MSVs or to incorporate them into your next project.
Selecting the right color for the veneer is crucial for harmonizing with the patio stone upon which the outdoor kitchen sits. The Toro Visualizer allows homeowners to experiment with different veneer styles and colors to achieve their desired look seamlessly.
