How We Designed Our Outdoor Kitchen for California Living

As I write this, my “Beach House” Pinterest board has exactly 1,323 images saved to 44 different sections. There’s a whole folder just for “kitchen hardware.” Another one called “vibes???” that is exactly what it sounds like. Six years of planning and permitting for our beach house renovation gives you a LOT of time to make decisions—and then re-make those decisions as you discover new ideas and your taste inevitably evolves.

But for all that obsessive research, there was one area where my board came up pretty empty: the outdoor kitchen.

I knew what I saw when I imagined it—an organic, earthy space where you’d flow between the prep area, the grill, and the pizza oven. Where the materials told a story: teak weathered by salt air, terracotta tile that looked like it had been there for decades, stucco walls that connected the whole thing to the landscape. Where the inspiration was equal parts Mallorcan kitchen and a long weekend in Oaxaca.

What my research kept turning up? The complete opposite of that. So many outdoor kitchens that looked like a carbon copy of the last one: stainless steel appliances, polished concrete, and brick that was just a little too perfect. Many of them were pretty, but styled within an inch of their lives (in a way that made you feel like the grill had never been turned on).

SO… Adam and I did what we always do when designing a space. We turned to our camera roll to start drawing from inspiration photos we’d taken on our travels.

Our Visual References

We scrolled through years of iPhone pictures from trips. There were meals eaten at long wooden tables in dusty courtyards, kitchens tiled in patterns we’d photographed through restaurant windows, and pizza ovens glowing orange at dusk. We sketched layouts on napkins. We pulled together a reference folder that was half travel diary, half mood board, and handed it to our landscape architect, Michael Fioré, who got it immediately.

What’s taking shape is a space that doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen before (which is always the goal).

So What Are We Actually Building?

The outdoor kitchen will have three main structures working together: a full countertop workspace housing our grill, a separate station for the pizza oven, and a center bar-height teak table that pulls the whole space together. That table is doing a lot of work in this design. It’s the gathering spot, the extra prep surface, the build-your-own-pizza station during parties, and honestly, probably where everyone will end up sitting with a glass of wine while Adam grills.

One of my favorite details that you can see in the renderings: the Clay Imports terracotta brick underfoot, laid in a herringbone pattern that gives the whole space that warm, sun-baked feel. There’s nothing like terracotta to make a space feel lived-in and loved from day one.

The kitchen will also connect directly to the interior kitchen through a huge window with sliding glass panes, which means there will be an outdoor countertop acting as a pass-through. I keep picturing serving platters being passed through the window, or just posting up on a barstool there with a drink while the pizza comes out of the oven. The line between inside and outside is going to be beautifully, intentionally blurry.

The Grill We Chose (And Why)

We’re installing a Zwilling Flammkraft Grill, and I will just come out and say that it’s undoubtedly the prettiest grill I’ve ever seen. German-engineered, infrared technology, individual cooking and heating zones—which is genuinely key when you’re trying to grill a whole meal at once. (Basically what we do every single weekend.) The built-in gas grill will be fully integrated into the countertop design so it looks truly custom. Which, if you’ve been following along, you know is exactly the vibe we’re going for.

The Tile That Started It All

When we were in Mexico a couple of years ago, I took a photo of this small restaurant kitchen that had terracotta tiles running across the countertop and up the backsplash. It was one of those moments where I just stood there absorbing every detail so I wouldn’t forget it. I’ve referenced that photo more times than I can count while planning this space.

So for the backsplash behind the grill, we’re working with our friends at Clay Imports to use their terracotta antique matte 2.5×8 tiles. They have this gorgeous warmth and slight texture that you can see even in the renderings—catching the light differently throughout the day, making the whole wall feel handmade in the best possible way. It’s the element I think will give the kitchen its true signature look.

The Pizza Oven Situation

Okay, THIS is the part I’ve been dreaming about since we first started talking about this house. We ordered a DIY kit from Forno Piombo to build a large, custom wood-fired pizza oven—big enough to cook 3 or 4 pizzas simultaneously. (Read: actual pizza parties are happening.) We’ll install it onto the countertop and build up a dome with a smooth stucco cover for that rustic, Italian farmhouse look. You can already see it in the renderings—that glowing arch, just sitting there looking like it belongs in the Italian countryside.

The Detail That Will Make Everything

In the center of the space, we’re planting one large ornamental olive tree. This is the thing I will look at every morning from the kitchen window. Just an ancient, gnarled, perfect olive tree in the middle of a Mediterranean garden, with lavender drifting around the edges and terracotta pots of herbs and small citrus trees scattered throughout, so I can literally grab a handful of rosemary or squeeze a lemon straight from the tree while I’m cooking.

Looking at these renderings, the table set under that canopy of branches, the bowl of lemons sitting out, the lavender in full bloom in the foreground—it already feels like the space I’ve been trying to find on Pinterest for six years. Turns out it didn’t exist yet, so we’re making it.

Construction’s moving quickly, and we’re planning for a June completion. Which means we’ve got some major outdoor cooking ahead this summer! More soon.