Kitchens Are Stepping Outside

Chelsea Gardens 2025 left us thinking about boundaries – or rather, how to erase them. A growing number of projects now pull the kitchen right up to the garden. Sometimes that means large folding doors; in some cases, two sets – one on each side of a corner – so the entire edge disappears when they glide back. Planters sit tight against the threshold, herbs only a step away. With the doors folded and birdsong drifting in, there’s a moment when you can’t quite say where the room ends.

But some designers pushed the idea a step further. Instead of stretching the main kitchen, they set a small, rectangular building elsewhere on the lawn. One face is nothing but folding glass; open it and the room becomes the garden’s kitchen. Inside, hardwood cabinetry, ovens, hobs, fridges and a deep sink are finished to the same standard as the house. A sofa, a low stack of books… These spaces felt lived in and loved. On the terrace just outside, a barbecue and a pizza oven take care of the wood‑fired cooking. Come July, you hardly need to cross the grass. Come January, you draw the glass across, light the fire and watch frost settle while soup ticks away on the hob.

Materials were interesting this year. One plot used paint mixed with metal filings so the timber weathered to a soft rust, more iron than oak at first glance. Others used charred boards, brushed stone or a coat of matt limewash that glowed at dusk. Texture does more heavy lifting than colour when the flowers already deliver the spectacle.

Two small planters either side of the kitchen doors was just enough to keep for a handful of mint or thyme. For tighter spaces, a window box works perfectly – open the sash and pick what’s needed. Compact planters were in such demand at Chelsea they sold out within days. It’s a small detail, but when the herbs are close and useful, the kitchen feels more generous.

Lighting followed the same tone. Low brow lights traced paths and borders, extending the evening without turning the garden into a stage set. A few strings of festoon bulbs overhead gives a relaxed pub-garden feel.

We’ve found that outdoor cooking has slipped from novelty to expectation. Pizza ovens, grills and built-in hobs cropped up in almost every scheme. Cabinetry inside the garden rooms stores utensils, crockery and the odd bottle of something cool, keeping journeys back to the house to a minimum. Small details that make the difference between popping out for supper and staying in for the night.