4 Landscape Design Ideas That Bring Color to the Outdoor Kitchen in Newport RI

Incorporating color into your outdoor kitchen can be as subtle or dramatic as you like. In this post, we’ll discuss a few approaches for making your outdoor kitchen a visual centerpiece while at the same time avoiding a cluttered look that will quickly become dated. Here are 4 landscape design ideas that bring color to the outdoor kitchen in Newport, RI.

Related: Landscape Design Ideas for Backyards With a View in Bristol and Middletown RI Areas

Large Format Pavers

You can achieve subtle or bold contrasts without making the space too busy by sticking to a “less is more” approach. Typically, a small space such as an outdoor kitchen is ideal for large format pavers -- there are fewer joints between pavers to clean. Instead of being an afterthought, the outdoor kitchen floor can become a beautiful part of the overall look.

You could use richly colored pavers for a warm look and add color to a more neutral palette on your kitchen walls. This color can be echoed in wall accents, as well as on the countertops.

Complementary Colors on Horizontal and Vertical Elements

Avoid using the same color on both the pavers and the walls of your outdoor kitchen. Just as the cabinets in your indoor kitchen aren’t the same as the floor, you want to give each element its own character. Complementary colors could be just a few shades apart, or they could be dramatically different. Since we’re talking about outdoor settings, consider using colors found in nature and specifically in your locale. For example, you could pair rich earthy pavers with a light sandstone color on the walls; then, the pavers’ color could be echoed on a decorative accent band on the wall, on the countertop, or an accent band on the backsplash.

Borders and Accents

Keep in mind the classic rule of threes when you are incorporating borders and accents to horizontal and vertical surfaces. The example above talks about using the color of the pavers in wall accents (a strip of the same color, if not the same material) about two-thirds of the way up the wall; these can also be used on the backsplash of your outdoor kitchen).

Avoid using more than three colors total in your outdoor kitchen: one color for the pavers, one color for the walls, and one color for the countertops. You can pick up any of these colors in borders and accents on the other elements. However, when it comes to this approach, if you’re going to accent the walls, don’t also accent the floors - your kitchen will become extremely busy!

For the most pleasing appearance that won’t get dated, stick to one color family: warm or cool. Warm tones are earthy, ranging from light sand to dark chocolate. Cool tones are in the gray or gray/blue family, ranging from the color of mist to the dramatic blues of bluestone, to dramatic charcoal.  

Living Color

During the outdoor entertaining season, you’ll want a culinary garden close to your outdoor kitchen, so you can harvest fresh herbs for any dish. This will add greenery to your cooking space, and if a pergola covers your outdoor kitchen, this is the ideal opportunity to add living color (and soften the look of the masonry and stainless steel surfaces) in the form of climbing roses, clematis, or other flowering plants.

Related: 6 Fun Masonry Features to Add Interest to Your Middletown, RI Backyard