Every summer, my husband and I retreat to our countryside home, and over the years it’s become a bit of a tradition—he takes on a new project each season to make our time there even better. This summer, it was finally time to build something I had wanted for ages: a proper outdoor kitchen.
Our country home is near the sea, and when the weather is warm and sunny, the last thing you want is to stay cooped up indoors. Even though we have a regular kitchen inside, it becomes unbearably hot during summer. Cooking there just isn’t enjoyable when you’re sweating over the stove.
That’s why the idea of an open-air kitchen made perfect sense. It keeps the heat out of the house, makes outdoor dining so much easier, and saves me from constantly carrying dishes in and out. Now, I cook right next to our gazebo, where we gather for meals and host our guests in the summer.
And no, I didn’t pressure my husband into building it! He actually enjoys doing hands-on work around the property. As soon as I mentioned the idea, he was excited to get started and quickly grabbed his tools. We only needed to buy materials—he handled all the labor himself.
The kitchen’s base is made from sturdy timber, and the walls are built with wooden boards. For the foundation, my husband came up with a clever solution: he buried old barrels in the ground and filled them with concrete. Even the windows are homemade—he reused glass from our old balcony doors when we renovated our apartment, carefully removing the panes and saving them for this very purpose.
I absolutely love how it turned out. It’s spacious, functional, and filled with everything I need for cooking and entertaining. Best of all, my husband built it with his own hands. I’m still adding a few decorative touches, but I can already say—it’s the kitchen I’ve always dreamed of.
