2021 Summer Kitchen Trends

Since summer has officially begun, that means homeowners everywhere are redesigning, redecorating, and renovating their summer kitchen space. And since large gatherings are beginning again, the pressure is on to make your space look gorgeous, and be a fun place for your family and friends to spend quality time together. That is why we have compiled our favorite kitchen trends for summer 2021 so that you can be inspired when redecorating your outdoor kitchen space.

Spacing (functional zones)

For 2021 design generally, functional and open spacing options have become increasingly popular. Spacing like this is ideal for hosting people, due to the fact there is plenty of space for everyone to gather and mingle. With functionality also comes storage for anything you are planning to leave out for people to snack on, drink, or enjoy aesthetically.

There needs to be plenty of space for this, so a kitchen island is something that many people utilize for spaces like these. In addition, setting up a buffet outside avoids the mess of having people eat inside, which is always a plus.

Colors

Going bold this summer is in for color trends. We have seen many colored kitchens that look absolutely stunning. Oftentimes, picking multiple shades of one color and adding decor and lighting around it will ensure a beautiful design. We have also seen many stunning neutral kitchens with pops of color, which is also a fantastic way to bring color to your outdoor kitchen.

Accessories

Accessorizing is key to an outdoor kitchen experience. Normally, we don’t recommend too many gadgets in these blogs, but for this instance, a couple of additions can really make your outdoor kitchen. One thing we think is key is a compact refrigerator.

This way, you and your guests don’t have to go in and out of the house to get drinks, you can enjoy the outdoors. A trash compactor is also a great idea because those are often hard to open, and great for keeping animals out. Ice makers and wine coolers are also great to keep outside, for one cohesive area.

Appliances

These may seem like a given but can be very easy to forget. Outdoor grills are a given, which you can read more about in our blog here. Vent hoods are also a good idea to have.

ZLINE Kitchen and bath has some amazing outdoor hoods, you can explore their collection of those here. Our personal favorite vent hoods are the inserts because this allows for full creativity on your part for how you want your outdoor kitchen space to look.

Water Resistant Cabinetry

In all of our research, water-resistant cabinetry was at the top of the list of importance. In the past, companies would only recommend stainless steel for people with outdoor kitchen spaces. Nowadays, however, you can also choose marine-grade polymer outdoor cabinets that offer the same water resistance as steel. They can almost perfectly mimic wooden cabinetry so that you can design your space to look exactly like you want.