How to Design an Outdoor Kitchen in Asheville
If you've spent any time on your deck this summer, you've probably had the thought: A grill over here, a little prep space there, maybe a refrigerator so you're not running inside every five minutes.
An outdoor kitchen sounds like a simple idea, but once you get into the details, it can start feeling more involved than you expected. The materials, the layout, the appliances… There are a lot of moving pieces, and getting them in the right order makes the whole process a lot easier.
At HomeSource Design Center, we make it simple by being your one-stop shop. We carry a full line of outdoor kitchen cabinetry from Danver, Brown Jordan Outdoor Kitchens, and Trex Outdoor Kitchens, along with the countertops, tile, and flooring to complete the space. Here's how we'd walk you through the process from the beginning.
Step 1: Figure Out How You Actually Use Your Outdoor Space
Before you pick a single cabinet or countertop, think honestly about how you cook and entertain outside. A serious griller who hosts regularly needs something very different from someone who wants a simple setup for weeknight dinners.
Ask yourself: How many people do you typically have over? Do you want a full sink, or is a hose connection enough? Are you a grill-only household, or do you want a pizza oven, a smoker, a kegerator? Will this be used year-round, or mostly in the warmer months?
Your answers shape the size of the layout, which appliances to plan around, and how much storage you actually need. It's worth spending time in this step before moving to the design phase.
Step 2: Think About the Space Itself
Outdoor kitchens work best when they're designed for the specific space they're going into, not just dropped in wherever there's room. Consider the relationship to your indoor kitchen and dining area; you want the flow to feel natural, not like you're hiking to the other end of the yard whenever you need something.
Also think about sun exposure, prevailing wind direction, and whether you have or want a covered structure overhead. In Asheville, you're dealing with real weather: hot summers, cold winters, and enough rainfall that materials need to be chosen with the climate in mind.
Step 3: Choose Your Cabinet Line
We carry three outdoor kitchen brands, all manufactured by Danver, which has been making stainless steel outdoor cabinetry for over 20 years. Each has its own aesthetic and price point.
Danver is the flagship line and offers the most flexibility with dozens of door styles, hundreds of sizes, and a wide range of powder-coated colors and wood-grain finishes. European frameless construction maximizes storage and gives a clean, modern look. Residential cabinets carry a lifetime warranty on construction. Danver also offers stainless steel floating shelves, kitchen carts, and finishing hardware from Ashley Norton Architectural Hardware in living finishes that age naturally over time.
Brown Jordan Outdoor Kitchens carries the design sensibility you'd expect from a brand known for high-end outdoor furniture. It's a more refined, design-forward line and a good fit if you want your outdoor kitchen to feel like a deliberate extension of the house, not just a utility setup.
Trex Outdoor Kitchens is a natural companion to a Trex deck. Many Asheville homeowners already have Trex underfoot, and the kitchen line carries the same emphasis on weather resistance and low maintenance. If you're building or refreshing a deck at the same time, this pairing makes a lot of sense.
Step 4: Select the Right Countertop
This is where a lot of people get stuck because the countertop rules outdoors are different from indoors.
Sintered stone is the top recommendation for outdoor use right now. It's made from a compressed mixture of glass, porcelain, and quartz, and it handles UV exposure, moisture, temperature extremes, and scratches better than almost anything else. It won't fade in the sun or break down through a Western NC winter. Many sintered stone options also convincingly mimic the look of marble or natural stone.
Granite is another solid option if you prefer natural stone. It's dense, handles heat well, and holds up outdoors with proper care — it does need to be sealed and resealed periodically, but it's a familiar material we already work with through our range of countertop brands.
What to avoid: Standard quartz is our most popular indoor countertop, but it's not recommended for outdoor use. Most quartz contains resins that break down with UV exposure, causing discoloration over time. Marble tends to weather and stain faster outdoors than most people expect. These are easy mistakes to make, so we like to flag them early.
Step 5: Plan Your Flooring and Finish Details
The surface beneath and around the outdoor kitchen matters more than people usually expect, both practically and visually.
Porcelain tile is typically the best choice for the floor of an outdoor kitchen area. It handles moisture, temperature changes, and heavy foot traffic well, and it gives you a lot of design flexibility. We carry a wide range of tile options suited for outdoor applications, and our designers can help you find something that works with your cabinet finish and overall outdoor space.
If your outdoor kitchen includes a backsplash, a bar face, or a nearby fireplace surround, that's where our stone veneer and tile selection comes in. Connecting those outdoor materials back to your interior finishes, or to the exterior of your home, is something our designers enjoy working through. Done well, it makes the whole space feel intentional rather than assembled.
Step 6: Work Out the Appliances
All three cabinet lines are designed to accommodate grills, outdoor refrigerators, sinks, side burners, pizza ovens, kegerators, and more. Danver and Brown Jordan also distribute appliances directly, which can simplify sourcing.
The key is planning around your appliances before finalizing your cabinet layout, not after. Appliance dimensions, ventilation requirements, and utility rough-ins all need to be factored into the design. If you already have a grill you love, bring the specs. If you're starting from scratch, we can talk through what makes sense for how you prefer to cook outside.
Ready to Get Expert Support?
If you're working with an existing deck or outdoor space, we can design around what you already have.
If you're planning a new build with HomeSource Builders, the outdoor kitchen conversation is worth having early; it's much easier to plan utility connections and structural support before construction than after.
Call us at 828-252-1022 or contact us here to schedule an appointment at our 172 Charlotte Street showroom to talk through what you have in mind with one of our expert designers.
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