Luxe Outdoor Kitchen in Cali
When a couple in San Juan Capistrano wanted to transform their meager outdoor kitchen into a grand space to complement their indoor dining room and kitchen, they turned to the team at Moya Living, a firm that specializes in design, engineering and product manufacturing. The husband and wife fell in love with the Moya Living outdoor cabinet line at a local showroom and were excited to get started on a space specifically designed for entertaining guests, which they do often.
That Was Then, This Is Now
The previous outdoor cooking area was a small run on two concrete slabs and only included a 36-inch grill. The soil and grass around the slabs made for a muddy experience after a rainstorm, and there was not enough room for a proper seating area.
“We hardscaped the new space and duplicated many elements from the adjacent dining area,” said Moya O’Neill, owner and CEO of Moya Living. “It looks like it has always been there – not like an add-on.”
The “after” outdoor kitchen now features ample room for cooking, prepping and storage and a peninsula for seating and mingling with guests. The design team – which included O’Neill and Jovane Zavala, the firm’s senior industrial designer – specified a pizza oven and a larger grill; water-resistant, stainless-steel cabinets; and a waterfall countertop for the peninsula.
Digging Into the Outdoor Kitchen Details
Several elements in the outdoor kitchen were chosen to complement those of the nearby indoor spaces, including the countertops and cabinetry. The large concrete tile squares in the dining area were extended to the flooring outside, eliminating the possibility of mud creeping in. The bar stools from Mater are the same as those in the dining room, and they feature black cushions to match the cabinets.
The Lapitec countertops, which match those inside, are outdoor-rated white porcelain with an 18-inch miter and waterfall edges. The design team also integrated a backsplash in the same material behind the 42-inch Hestan grill and pizza oven. This prevents items from falling off the cooking platform and provides a ledge to hold things like spices.
Sturdy & Artisanal Cabinetry
The durable stainless-steel cabinets by Moya Living were welded together by hand and made in the U.S. Although they are outdoor rated, they feature soft-close hinges and slides, as well as sleek brass hardware in a satin-nickel finish. The jet-black cabinetry in a low-gloss finish features a gasket that provides a seal against moisture.
Overcoming Project Hurdles
The landscape architect originally wanted to locate the outdoor kitchen near the pool house and bar, but the homeowners wanted guests to have more than one place in which to congregate.
Because the Moya Living team is specialized in designing outdoor spaces, they were able to create an access hole behind the cabinets for the gas line and knew exactly where to make the cutout in the countertop to accommodate this step.
The homeowners wanted black cabinets outside to match those inside, so the design team explained ahead of time what to expect. Darker surfaces look best clean and require a bit more maintenance than something in another color, and the clients were up for the challenge.
Outdoor Kitchen: The Grand Finale
O’Neill said being able to see the original site ahead of time and understand their clients’ vision in person was very helpful. She also appreciated their desire for a quality project.
Most of Moya Living’s clients do not have a specific budget in mind, which was the case in this project. The design firm gives them an estimate, and they can decide whether it’s a figure with which they are comfortable.
O’Neill and Zavala were able to hit all the clients’ requests for this outdoor kitchen, and they have already been invited back to enjoy the new space.
“In some projects, the outdoor kitchen is an afterthought,” said O’Neill. “But in this one, the transition looks like it was meant to be – that it was originally there when the homeowners bought the house.”
Sources
Designer: Moya O’Neill & Jovane Zavala, Moya Living; Photographer: Greg Sims, Moya Living Ambassador; Appliances: Hestan; Cabinetry: Moya Living; Countertops: Lapitec; Hardware: Ashley Norton; Stools: Mater
