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Health & Fitness

Melanie Atkinson: Has The Heart of the Home Moved Outside?

Indoor kitchens vs outdoor kitchens? Which do you prefer?

We have all heard that the kitchen is the heart of a home.

For the most part, I agree with that.  The kitchen is the place that guests migrate to during a party, the place your kids do their first homework assignments, and the place that you make your grandmother’s secret recipes.  When people build a home, they will spend hours in a design center choosing the upgrades for this one room. 

However, a funny thing has happened over the past few years that got me wondering if this saying is in need of some revision.

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We are lucky enough to live in the Sunshine State.  Sure it may feel like 110 degrees out there in the summer, but with our SPF 30, us Floridians have never been afraid to go outside.  Pools and patio areas have been a staple of the Florida backyard since the discovery of chlorine.  But something else has been bringing us out of the air conditioning recently:  the outdoor kitchen.    

With these outdoor living spaces sprouting up all over the Westchase-area, I’m wondering if the outdoor kitchen is giving the indoor one a run for its money.  I have seen outdoor areas that are simple with just a grill and a small refrigerator.  I have seen others that have fireplaces, pizza ovens, beer coolers, ice machines, multiple televisions, and grills that make our old charcoal ones cover their grates in shame. These are full-fledged living areas. They are gorgeous rooms with fresh air and fewer walls.

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The outdoor kitchen is a space that is near and dear to my heart. We built an outdoor kitchen when we finished our pool back in 2007.  It isn’t overly fancy, but it seems to be the place people congregate when they come over to our house.  That outdoor space is the backdrop of so many good times with family and friends.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my indoor kitchen too.  I was one of those people who spent days in the design center picking out my kitchen cabinets.  But I feel distinctly different when I stand in each of those spaces.  Indoors feels like Monday, outdoors feels like Saturday.  It is the difference between high heels and flip flops, coffee and lemonade, a 20 lb turkey and a hot dog.  

The outdoor kitchen is the perfect addition to the tropical Florida living we enjoy.  But, as most of us who are years away from retiring know, that casual Florida lifestyle can’t last all week long.  We need our Mondays, high heels, and coffee.  We need turkey on Thanksgiving because I am positive the Native Americans and the Pilgrims did not share hot dogs. 

The beautiful outdoor kitchen in the photograph with this blog post was built by Grand Vista Pools. You can contact them at: 727-234-7093.

Melanie Atkinson is a Realtor with The Wood Team at Coldwell Banker. Follow her  @CBMelanieA She can be reached by e-mail at Melanie.atkinson@floridamoves.com or by phone at at 813-368-6084.

 

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