Outdoor kitchen in Caversham, Berkshire

This outdoor kitchen in Caversham, Berkshire is the ultimate alfresco space.

Q&A with Martin Baker, Baker’s Garden Buildings:

What did the client give you as a brief? How did you then take this, create your own spin on it and bring your vision to life?

Camilla and Jez first started engaging with Rob Page (senior customer advisor) in 2021 and visited the centre in early 2022. They gave Rob a clear brief of their requirements and I then met them at their property to explore possibilities. The brief was to create a multi-purpose family room that would somewhat be an extension of their home. The area at the end of the garden was fairly rough and unused, but the big decision was whether to make it self-contained with plumbing or to try and avoid that cost and undertaking.

After finding a local landscape company that could get involved with the significant plumbing and drainage, this cemented further ideas of a toilet room, an internal kitchen and bar area, and a canopy for alfresco dining. The room itself was to have a large TV with a lounge area.

My clients already had great ideas and they used our YouTube channel to see previous projects. This helped them make a decision about what they wanted the space to become. Some of the coolest features of the building were completely designed by them, meaning I only needed to give a little guidance. When finalising the plans, we certainly made sure that we had considered every option from the outside look and feel, to how the room was going to be used internally.

What do you love about this project?

There are a number of features I love about this project.

By avoiding cutting back too much foliage the garden room is tucked away behind the tree on the left and looks fully integrated as if it’s been there for years already.
Our Em-glaze roof light is really impressive and makes for a great centrepiece to the room.
The extended patio under the canopy allows the Grillo Kitchen to sit right on the perimeter. This looks really nice and is very practical when you consider smoke from the BBQ.
And last but by no means least is the decoration of this building, I absolutely love the “Ivy” look and feel of the room. It is full of colour, prints and cushions. Seeing the client’s house, I had no doubt it was going to look good. However, this has completely surpassed my expectations. It is outstanding!

A Grillo Kitchen has been included in several projects you have been involved with. How well do you think it fits into different environments?

It’s clear that Grillo and Bakers Garden Buildings share a number of clients who are all like-minded and looking for a high-quality long-term solution for their garden developments. With the projects completed together, it’s clear that whether we are fully integrating the canopy with Grillo, like our Berkhamsted project, or if we contrast it with light creams and greys, it always works and the quality of both the room and outdoor kitchen shouts at you.