By Loren Kessell
Every day, designers create beautiful indoor kitchens, but more people are bringing that functionality outside, too. During KBIS in 2017, The Backyard was unveiled to highlight these outdoor kitchens. It makes its comeback at KBIS 2018, offering a casual spot to grab some food, watch product demonstrations, and rest a moment after walking through the convention center.
This year’s Backyard offers a casual fire pit where attendees can gather around for discussions from the Kitchen Cousins and Kerrie Kelly. They will speak around the theme “Build It-Design It-Outfit It,” and inform the audience about trends and challenges with kitchens al fresco. These fireside chats are sponsored by Coyote Outdoor Living and Clifrock.
“The fireside chats will look to make builders, interior designers and end-user customers a bit more familiar with planning and designing your outdoor space,” Jim Ginocchi, president of Coyote Outdoor Living, said. “The focus on the chats will be informative.”
John Colaneri and Anthony Carrino, also known as the Kitchen Cousins, kick off the discussion with a talk about building a space in a way that accommodates homeowners’ needs, lifestyle and the way they entertain. Their chat will be live-streamed on their “Home with the Cousins” podcast.
Award-winning designer Kerrie Kelly will provide insight about creating well-designed outdoor spaces. She will showcase layouts, materials, and products that support her outdoor kitchen design processes.
“Just like the interior of a home, the exterior should include appropriate finishes, rugs, lighting, furniture, appliances and accessories to accentuate the look and feel of the space,” Kelly said. “Outdoor kitchens, entertaining and lounging areas should garner the same consideration as our beloved interiors — they should be well-appointed, thought out, functional and beautiful.”
Creating outdoor kitchens, or any outdoor living space, comes with challenges and consumer concerns. The Backyard Fireside chats aim to alleviate some of those concerns by equipping attendees with valuable knowledge of the processes and products.
“The biggest challenge I see in the consumer designing outdoor spaces is that most do not know where to begin,” Ginocchi said. “Life experiences have taught consumers both the pragmatic and entertainment elements of designing indoor kitchens and entertainment space, but somehow the outdoor seems daunting to most.”
Adding to the complexity of the projects, now there is an abundance of outdoor living products on the market as well, and consumers need help navigating this sea of options.
“Today, outdoor entertainment areas can tout performance materials in all colors and patterns for area rugs, throw blankets, umbrellas, awnings, cushions and pillows,” Kelly said. “Fabrics are durable, heat-resistant, and easy to clean, making them the ideal finish for a favorite chaise or outdoor seating — and the good news is, they coordinate with your indoor motif, creating visual and physical spaciousness for the home.”
The Backyard at KBIS is an ideal place for industry professionals to amplify their knowledge expertise in product, design trends and installation for this growing — and very specific — area of kitchen creation. For more information, visit www.nkba.org or www.kbis.com, and watch social media for updates about the programming.
