Kalamazoo, MI — There were once only two types of people: outdoors people and indoors people. Now, thanks to the growing popularity of the gourmet outdoor kitchen, indoors types can venture into the wilds of the backyard without sacrificing their beloved indoor creature comforts.

The outdoor kitchen has grown into an entertaining space more opulent than the simple grills and picnic tables of the past. While the traditional grill still has its place, today’s outdoor kitchens feature everything from freezers and icemakers to pizza ovens and martini bars.

The first annual Oasis Award for Outdoor Kitchen Design, sponsored by Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet and Garden Design magazine, was established to honor the best and brightest designers of these spaces. According to the award’s creators, the Oasis Award seeks to “recognize the booming popularity and sophisticated design of today’s outdoor kitchens.”

Entries were solicited from design professionals across the spectrum, including kitchen designers, architects, landscape architects and interior designers and were judged by a panel of industry experts. The panel for this year’s competition included landscape architect and chef J’Nell Bryson, Pete Georgiadis, president of Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of Garden Design magazine, Bill Marken and interior designer and outdoor room specialist Sandy Koepke, ASID.

“This award celebrates the unlimited creativity that designers are bringing to outdoor entertaining spaces,” says Georgiadis.
Jon van Allen of McLean, VA-based McHale Landscape Design was selected for his expansive outdoor pavilion-style design.

The Winner

Van Allen, who has been a landscape architect for over 20 years, has worked on some 60 outdoor kitchens.

“I’ve been designing and installing quite a few outdoor kitchens with my current employer, McHale Landscape Design, Inc. – everything from simple grill counters to more elaborate pavilions with fireplaces, kitchen appliances, big screen TVs, with even a request for a dishwasher,” says the designer. “I wanted to have fun with this award entry and have it be all-inclusive of every luxury I could think of, keeping in mind that the main objective is the seamless flow with the outdoors.”

Marken notes that van Allen’s design “incorporates the latest high-style equipment in a landscape plan that makes the most of the spacious site and provides the owners with a gracious, comfortable space for outdoor entertaining for much of the year.”
Constructed of pressure-treated lumber with a dark gray slate roof, van Allen’s pavilion is situated on five acres in Great Falls, VA.