Outdoor Design Issue#34 2016

Our love of spending time outdoors is nothing new. Nor is our fondness for barbecued fare. What has changed is our level of sophistication. As a nation, we love to travel and dine out, which means we’re exposed to diverse cultures and cuisines. Now, when we entertain or cook outdoors, we demand a full-on gourmet experience — and we want it to be in a well furnished outdoor room-style space. While the barbecue still holds centre stage, it’s no longer the sole star of the show. Today it is likely to be part of an outdoor kitchen, where it shares billing with a sink, under-counter fridge and more. Or it might form a double-act with a woodfired oven. If you’re planning an alfresco cooking area, our feature on the latest trends…

Our love of spending time outdoors is nothing new. Nor is our fondness for barbecued fare. What has changed is our level of sophistication. As a nation, we love to travel and dine out, which means we’re exposed to diverse cultures and cuisines. Now, when we entertain or cook outdoors, we demand a full-on gourmet experience — and we want it to be in a well furnished outdoor room-style space. While the barbecue still holds centre stage, it’s no longer the sole star of the show. Today it is likely to be part of an outdoor kitchen, where it shares billing with a sink, under-counter fridge and more. Or it might form a double-act with a woodfired oven. If you’re planning an alfresco cooking area, our feature on the latest…

There are countless benefits to working from home — no daily commute or annoying co-workers chief among them — but there can be challenges, too. For example, if you have a house full of children, getting peace and quiet in those tumultuous hours before and after school can be near impossible. Building an office in the garden can be a great solution and it’s one that increasing numbers of Australians are adopting. Your garden can provide a light-filled and serene space in which to work. In a large garden, an office can be nestled into the landscape and located some distance from the home, but even in smaller outdoor spaces, an office can be seamlessly integrated with a little care. Some garden offices are pre-fabricated pods, some are converted shipping containers, others…

BARBECUE CARE 1 Put your barbecue on a high setting for five minutes (without the hood) to burn off all excess grease. 2 Turn off the gas cylinders. Let your barbecue burn out and then switch the barbecue burners off. This will clear any excess gas from your barbecue hose. 3 Scrub the cooking surfaces with clean warm water or suitable oil and grease remover and then dry. 4 Spray the cast-iron or steel plates and grill with vegetable oil. This handy trick will prevent rusting. 5 For the outside of the barbecue, use a wet rag (no wire brushes — you don’t want any scratches) to wipe everything clean and bring out the shine. 6 Place a protective cover over your barbecue when finished. Source: Home Timber & Hardware. If you’re Australian and you like to cook…

For those who love to cook and give their guests the greatest range of taste sensations, a woodfired oven — either on its own or as part of an outdoor kitchen — is a fantastic idea. A woodfired oven is ideal for pizzas but it’s just as suited to cooking slow-roasted lamb or tandoori chicken. Of course, the appeal doesn’t end with the array of different dishes you can create. A woodfired oven adds a focal point — and ambience — when entertaining outdoors. GROWING IN POPULARITY Liz Fenton of Aussie Heatwave Fireplaces says the popularity of the woodfired oven has grown in tandem with the growth in popularity of the outdoor room. “Having an alfresco room lends itself to incorporating things such as a woodfired oven,” she says. “With everincreasing house…