Outdoors Is The New Indoors

Out west in hot dry climes, say Los Angeles or Santa Fe, indoor rooms
moved outdoors a while ago. It’s only very recently that Hamptons’
homes have joined the bandwagon, starting with outdoor living rooms
and culminating with outside kitchens.

“Having either an outdoor breakfast bar, built-in grill or full built-in
kitchen is important for the whole Hamptons outdoor lifestyle,” says
Gary DePersia, a broker with Corcoran. “What happens outside the
house is equal if not more important than indoors.”

We’re not talking about kitchens in pool houses, though there are plenty
of those. We’re referring to fully exposed, open to the elements cooking
areas worthy of a five star chef. With or without the added ambience of
a fireplace.

Builder Jeffrey Colle recently built an outdoor kitchen that “is more
elaborate than most indoor kitchens.” It features grills, burners, warming
drawers, refrigerator drawers, wine cooler, deep fryer, and pizza oven.
“We put outdoor kitchens in all our spec houses,” says Al Giaquinto of
Plum Builders. As for his custom houses, most clients ask for them too.
The builder calls them “summer kitchens,” but makes sure he positions
them “in a convenient area for wintertime use” as well since so many
residents spend time in their houses year round. “I make sure there’s
good lighting because in winter it gets dark early.

“Outdoor kitchens are the hottest new home accessory,” says Douglas
Elliman broker Lori Barbaria. “Everyone loves them.” And they are “an
asset to selling homes.”

When Suzanne Caldwell of Southampton’s Design House designs an
outdoor kitchen, material considerations come into play. Often, she says,
the structures that house appliances are stone while cabinets are stainless
steel rather than the more erosion-prone wood. In a recent kitchen she
matched the slate floor with a slate counter both for looks and the fact
that “you don’t have to worry about it.”

Another consideration is an easily cleanable surface. Giaquinto prefers
stainless steel or a synthetic stone such as Caesarstone, which he says is
“easy to keep sanitary.”

When it comes to appliances the top of the line is Kalamazoo Outdoor
Gourmet, an expensive brand Giaquinto recommends but will only put
in clients’ houses if their budgets allow. The company’s Hybrid Fire Grill
was dubbed “the Rolls Royce of barbecue grills” by Forbes. It is the only
grill that allows outdoor cooks to combine wood, (for flavor), charcoal
(for intense heat) and gas (for convenience) and ranges in price from
$10,495 to $21,195. Kalamazoo also makes an Artisan Fire Pizza Oven
($6,795) that is touted to “bake a Neapolitan-style pie in less than 3
minutes.” Bridgehampton power couple, Alison and Andy Brod, make
use of a back-deck pizza oven for their well-attended pizza parties for
A-listers from Donny Deutsch to Katie Lee.

Hollywood producer Sandy Gallin, whose Further Lane house is on the
market for $24.5 million, also loves to entertain. Unlike some kitchens
that are part of the flow of the house, his is off the indoor kitchen and
hidden behind foliage. But it sure comes in handy when he gives his
famous dinner parties at an outdoor dining table that seats 120 guests.