If you’re building your backyard oasis layer by layer, don’t let the different pieces look disjointed or mismatched. If you’re adding an outdoor kitchen to a backyard with a pool or installing a pool to round out your backyard living space, your visitors will think you had it all done at once with any of these four elements:
Use the same concrete style and color themes.
Even if there are ten years between your pool and your outdoor kitchen and the two will have different styles, you can still make them match. Use similarly colored tile between the backsplashes and the pool sides. Alternatively, make an old pool match a new kitchen with a decorative concrete overlay.
Build a sunken kitchen or underwater bar stools.
If you want to completely revamp your backyard, make the two features work together with a modern twist or two. You can build a sunken kitchen with countertops that sit on top of the water level so people can relax in the pool and sip a drink. You can also add simple barstools that stop just below the water level for in-pool seating.
Add paths that connect all of your backyard features.
If your backyard has lots of great features but they were all installed at different times, the hardest part can be creating a cohesive design. Bring everything together by adding concrete paths. This can save your feet and your guests’ feet from ants. With the right decorative concrete, it can also pull wildly different designs together.
Install an over-sized cover that extends partially over your pool.
Every outdoor kitchen needs something overhead to protect it. You can extend your roof for a permanently covered deck or install a thick solar shade that stands alone. No matter what option you pick, stretch out the size so it covers the nearest part of your pool, too. That’s a great way to make it seem like one “space” and add comfortable shade.