The Design

What drove the design?

We had several requirements for our designer and contractor, Ulisses Banuelos:

• NOTHING must interfere with the view

• It has to be protected from the wind (yes, we get a lot of wind on top the hill)

• It has to be an inviting, comfortable place by both day (cool with shade) and night (warm and no harsh lights)

• There has to be room for guests to participate in food preparation and "hang out" with those "working"

• We want it to be not only a unique space, but also have capabilities that uniquely fit us for food prep and entertaining

• Finishes and colors must coordinate with the house and existing patio

All of this led us to a modified "U" design (more like a flat bottomed, lop sided "V"; sort of  \_|  ) with a center island for the cooking area, a fire pit not far away, and a long, low, curving wall on the border that can serve as seating.  Additionally, we placed umbrella sockets into the structures at several places so we didn't need to have stands taking up space (Ulisses came up with a great way to do that and allow water to still drain out the bottom of the sockets).  Cooking equipment includes a large (Diane would maintain HUGE) BBQ pit/smoker, an Italian wood fired oven, a large gas grill, and two side burners.  The center island contains the sink (hot and cold water and a disposal) and refrigerator.  The gas fire pit combined with a portable gas heater provide warmth on cool evenings.  Ulisses designed the lighting so that one never sees a light, only illuminated surfaces.  We added six natural gas tiki torches for warm, soft ambient lighting.  To soften the lines, we added several large built in planters, an arbor (that will have a wisteria grow up to it) on either side of the oven and above the smoker, and Tuscan cypress trees behind the oven.

Here's a rough sketch of the original design:   

And an early drawing of the wood fired oven and island: