Outdoor Entertaining, Engineered to Last
In a full-scale outdoor living renovation, one New Zealand family set out to design an alfresco kitchen that would serve as the central gathering point of their home. They envisioned a space with the soul and comfort of an indoor kitchen, seamlessly adapted for life outdoors. Their dream: multiple cooking styles, effortless functionality, and refined aesthetics—all in a setting that could stand up to the elements.
Building a Better Outdoor Kitchen
The family’s biggest hurdle was finding a kitchen solution that wasn’t a compromise. “The biggest obstacle was finding the right kitchen supplier. A lot of what was on the market was either prefabricated kitset metal boxes or something that needed a kitchen designer and a builder,” the homeowner explained.
Enter Wild Kitchens, a South Island-based outdoor kitchen manufacturer specialising in modular, precision-built cabinetry designed to withstand the elements. Their unique approach, which balances modular flexibility with custom adaptability, delivered the perfect combination of quality, performance, and design freedom.
Talking to Wild reduced our stress levels considerably. We went from feeling like we needed to compromise, to now having a genuine feature of our renovation.
Design that Delivers In Every Way
This project features a clever layout that accommodates three types of cooking: a Kamado Joe, a Weber Q BBQ, and a Grandfire fridge, all accommodated within Freeform’s growing BBQ integration library. The kitchen design promotes full social interaction, thanks to thoughtful island bench seating that extends beyond the cabinetry. This not only allows for relaxed dining but lets the cook remain part of the conversation.
What was important to us was to essentially have an indoor kitchen, outside. We wanted to avoid running in and out of the house to get things, including cold beverages.
Storage was also a priority. From large drawers to premium outdoor rubbish bins that separate waste and recyclables, the design ensures everything needed is at hand, beautifully hidden behind refined surfaces.
