Natural stone has become synonymous with elegance and sophistication in the landscaping industry. Not only is it incredibly strong and enduring, it also offers plenty of variation in shade, texture and character. There are various ways in which natural stone can be nestled, or boldly showcased, within an outdoor room. Here are just a few ways to imbue your outdoor kitchen designs with the timeless luxury of natural stone in State College, PA.

Related: Stunning Natural Stone Walls for Hardscape Projects in State College

A stone island

Whether it houses a grill or not, an island is a wonderful addition to any outdoor kitchen and can serve a number of functions. It can be centered, to serve as the main surface for the preparation of food, or be set aside to serve as additional storage space. You can also create a stone island designed to house a grill. This tends to make the grill the focal point of the outdoor kitchen, creating a single point around which the rest of the design revolves. The rich textures and unrefined edges of individual stones pair well with sleek metal appliances and can often result in eye-catching contrast.

Related: Outdoor Cooking Recipe #8 Grilled Atlantic Salmon

Seat walls and room dividers

Low walls are incredibly versatile and can serve to organize a hardscape into distinct rooms, all while simultaneously providing plenty of casual seating space. Natural stone is an excellent candidate for low walls and bears the compressive strength to support relatively heavy loads. A stone wall doesn’t have to be constructed from large units of heavy stone, but can consist of a concrete skeleton clad in thin sheets of stone instead. Stone veneer will imbue any wall with a heightened sense of grandeur. Consider adding smooth and/or rounded edge coping to stone walls that line the boundary of a kitchen. This will invite guests to sit in comfort and chat with the cook, or watch the food being prepared. This will also ensure that the coping won’t damage clothing or scratch skin.

A pizza oven

When it comes to facilitating fun for the entire family, few features challenge the pizza oven’s ability to keep guests of all ages intrigued and entertained. Children love creating their own pizzas, while few adults can resist an authentic wood-fired pizza made to their exact specifications. After being utilized during the day, a pizza oven can retain its warmth long into the evening and can warm the room after sundown. Pizza ovens will contain hazardous coals and should, therefore, be built sturdily and with an acceptable degree of heat-resistance. Incorporate only natural stone that is primed to withstand high levels of heat for the construction of a pizza oven.

Related: Spare ribs and MOINK balls on our new Primo Smoker/Grill

A stone platform

By positioning an outdoor kitchen on a raised platform, you can clearly define it as an outdoor room that is separate from the rest of the patio. This is important because it preserves the specific design and atmosphere you’ve planned for the kitchen and prevents it from interfering with the ambience of other areas. Stone can serve as an attractive siding to this platform.