Outdoor kitchen built by KACE Construction, designed by Landscape Solutions.
When we think of the quintessential outdoor dinner party, we picture a blush-toned sky on a warm Tennessee evening, guests chatting and glasses clinking, and laughter carrying from the patio to the kitchen island where someone’s plating up the next course. It’s the kind of evening every property owner wishes for when they’ve made the decision to integrate an outdoor kitchen into their backyard area, but getting there takes far more than a grill and a dream. Nashville’s humid subtropical climate, with our stifling summers, freeze snaps, and everything in between, can really put the screws to outdoor kitchens, especially ones built with the wrong appliances or materials. Choose wrong, and that vision of effortless entertaining turns into an island counter cut in two to fix the electrical and replace the sink.
This is why local expertise is vital in Middle Tennessee, and why property owners across Nashville, East Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, and College Grove consistently recommend our professional, certified design-build team. At Landscape Solutions, our craftsmen and artisans bring years of experience to every project, creating outdoor kitchens that flow seamlessly into the surrounding hardscape and softscape. We focus as much on aesthetics as on the design principles and technical foundations that guide a stellar outcome. Clean lines, a color palette that echoes the home’s architecture and interiors, and finishes that turn a gathering into a true resort-style retreat.
So, how do outdoor kitchens work for entertaining when the goal is a space nobody wants to leave? It starts with a comprehensive consultation and ends with distinguished construction built to last. Whether you envision a cozy kitchen area for family evenings or a full-scale outdoor kitchen for weekend get-togethers that outlast the summer season, Landscape Solutions brings the design passion and local expertise that have earned us perfect five-star ratings across Google and Birdeye listings.
How to Elevate Your Outdoor Garden and Entertaining Experience
While the grill is the centerpiece of your setup, multiple cooking zones are what separate good designs of outdoor kitchens from unforgettable ones. We start with the right materials: 304-grade stainless steel is the baseline, but 316 marine-grade stainless offers the corrosion resistance that keeps built-in grills, griddles, and burners performing season after season. True outdoor-rated appliances, rated for ambient temperatures above 90°F, with sealed compressors and UV-resistant gaskets, are vital here.
For counters, we favor quartzite, bluestone, or 1¼-inch granite with a leathered or honed finish rather than polished stone. The subtle texture a leathered finish provides hides fingerprints far better than a glossy surface, and it eliminates sun glare during summer entertaining. Right now, creamy limestones, stacked natural stone, and warm reclaimed wood are trending across Middle Tennessee.
Beyond the grill, we help clients weigh BTU output for high-volume cooking, propane versus natural gas, and the plumbing and electrical rough-ins required for each decision. Smokers, wood-fired pizza ovens, and even Argentine grills expand the menu well beyond burgers, brats, and steaks, while an outdoor-rated pellet ice maker, paired with a mini fridge and a wine fridge, rounds out a proper bar area. Commercial-grade pull-out trash and recycling drawers, a sink with a shut-off and drain-down valve (essential for our freeze-thaw winters), side burners, and warming drawers keep the workspace functional and clean, and prepared food ready to serve.
Layout matters just as much as the materials we settle on. An L-shaped kitchen, where two counters meet at a right angle, tucks neatly into a corner space, leaving the yard open, and creating a natural work triangle between the grill, sink, and fridge. L-shaped kitchens are also ideal for buffet-style dinners. A U-shaped kitchen adds a third counter, creating a layout that flanks the cook with dedicated zones (cooking, prep, wet bar) and a wraparound bar ledge, ideal for larger properties in Franklin, College Grove, and beyond. In these suburban and rural areas, zoning often allows for a more expansive footprint. Whichever shape fits your space, we make sure there’s room to circulate comfortably around both the cooking area, the dining table, and other seating zones.
Task lighting over your work area, complemented by ambient and path lighting, creates an elegant atmosphere that nobody wants to leave, while pathway lighting keeps the route to the kitchen and around your property visible and safe after dark.
To truly level things up, many of our clients are working weatherproof TVs and integrated audio into their outdoor spaces (great for special sports events such as golf, football, and FIFA).
Masonry Construction Built for Nashville’s Climate
Many clients ask about framing an outdoor kitchen island in wood, which can look great but can also be more vulnerable to moisture seeping behind the cementboard and veneer. Unless the wood has been properly prepared, this material can pose real risk given our region’s humidity and heavy spring rains. Done correctly, however, it is a stunning design choice.
Masonry construction is what stands up best to the weight of built-in grills, refrigerators, and stone countertops, without the shifting or cracked finishes that can develop over time. From foundation to finish, our construction experts understand what it takes to build custom outdoor kitchens that perform for decades.
And since many estate properties across Middle Tennessee feature rolling or sloped landscapes, retaining walls are often integrated to serve a dual purpose: they hold back soil to create a level space for a kitchen or patio, and they provide built-in seating that adds capacity without extra furniture. A few well-chosen throw pillows, blankets, and floral bookend planters can turn your built-in into a showpiece of a feature.
Water management, critical for any wall retaining soil, requires French drainage systems. This design strategy directs water away from the structure, preventing hydrostatic pressure that can lead to bowing, cracking, or failure over time. A well-designed retaining wall becomes both an engineering solution and an aesthetic anchor for the whole outdoor space.
Fire Pits That Blend Modern Luxury With Southern Charm
A well-placed fire pit extends the entertaining season well past grilling weather, giving you a natural gathering point once the sun goes down and the cold sets in. We build both wood-burning and gas fire pits that match the same stone or masonry palette as the kitchen, so the entire space reads as one cohesive design.
Gas fire pits controlled by a simple valve offer instant ambiance with no smoke or cleanup, while wood-burning pits bring an authentic crackle and scent that many homeowners still prefer for a true backyard-retreat feel.
A Layered Design Scheme That Elevates Your Property’s Aesthetic
Our favorite outdoor kitchen designs are those that feature textured, layered layouts with plantings (including an edible garden that puts a selection of gorgeous herbs at the chef’s fingertips) to define distinct zones without breaking up the overall flow. Retaining walls, steps, garden beds, and furniture groupings guide movement from the kitchen to the fire pit to a quiet seating nook to the central cooking area. This is where outdoor kitchens and design intersect with stellar landscape architecture.
To achieve our clients’ vision, every project begins with a consultation addressing aesthetics, materials, and structure, as well as the plumbing, gas, and electrical rough-ins. Our goal is to understand the personality our clients want the space to reflect and the style preferences that tug at their heartstrings and light their soul on fire. Whether through bold colors and patterns, warm earth tones, or a more minimalist palette, as a full-service firm, we ensure every space we build fits a home’s existing architecture while feeling entirely personal to the people who live there.
Protect Your Investment and Optimize Your Property Value
A beautifully built outdoor kitchen deserves luxury landscaping to match. At Landscape Solutions, our teams keep your entire property looking its best during every season. From seasonal plantings, mulching, mowing and trimming to weeding, pruning, irrigation and garden bed care, when you work with a firm that understands the perfect whole comes from the sum of its parts, you’ll never need to worry about property upkeep or hardscaping failures.
A well-manicured property with a state-of-the-art outdoor kitchen doesn’t just enhance everyday living; it can also strengthen curb appeal, making your property more attractive to future buyers. When every element of your outdoor space is professionally maintained, it signals a certain standard and helps protect your investment for years to come.
From the first sketch to the final details, Landscape Solutions builds outdoor kitchen designs that withstand our unique climate, elevating your outdoor lifestyle at home.
Ready to put your plans for a backyard retreat into action? Schedule a consultation with the landscaping experts at Landscape Solutions today.