Whether it’s indoors or outdoors, a good kitchen has to wear many hats. It’s got to be easy to cook and prepare at, have practical storage, not to mention making room for a few chefs. Emilia’s advice to fit all those categories? Go with an island shape.

“Islands are great because they give you four sides you can work at, walk around and socialise while you’re cooking. Grilling can be pretty stressful when there’s only one chef! I made this one using 3 serving trolleys and a grill, that can be rolled away come winter and moved easily to better fit your space.”

Grouping her four sections together, Emilia used one side of the island for a grill and a prepping space for barbecue ingredients. Down below the grill there’s a bin for charcoal (or space for a gas bottle) and wood for smoking if you’re that kind of BBQ maestro. Under the prep station she added another bin for grill ash and containers to put dirty things in for washing up later.

Moving over to the other side, 2 serving trolleys make a big prepping area out of the way of the grillmaster. All that space on the worktop gives plenty of room to put together salads and cold dishes, and bins underneath help out for compost and other rubbish. See those white containers? Emilia used them as electricity free fridge.

“You just fill the bottom container with a bag of ice cubes to keep all your drinks (and other items if needed) cold throughout the evening. The box above gets chilled by the box below so here’s where I store salad and veggies so they stay crisp and fresh.”

To solve the whole “trek back indoors” for that extra plate or glass. Emilia set up a kitchen cupboard outdoors. All your essentials like cutlery, crockery, serving bowls and grill tools are great stored here, so they’re easy to grab right where you plan on using them.

Made by

Interior designer: Emilia Ljungberg
Copywriter: Jamie Rynd
Photographer: Micke Persson