Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet News and Press

Bloomalicious.com
January, 2009

An Outdoor Oasis of Calm in Manhattan Beach

Outdoor Oasis

So, we have some crazy ice coating everything out here in New England today.  It's turned my driveway into a downhill ice skating rink (scary) and makes me wonder why I ever left California - oh yeah those super high housing prices.  So that I can best deal with this storm I spent the afternoon editing these images of this amazing outdoor kitchen located in Manhattan Beach, CA - you can literally smell the fire crackling in the outdoor fireplace, and taste the roasted veggies coming off of that grill can't you?

This project was designed by Sandy Koepke in conjunction with Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet, who provided the grill, the outdoor refrigeration, outdoor freezer, keg tapper, ice maker, wine chiller, and outdoor cabinetry.  Remarkable!  Note the slate colored concrete counter tops, stucco walls, and stamped cement patio. 

In my long and illustrious career I was actually an office manager for a stucco and plastering company in California, and really admire the way Sandy Koepke used it on the fireplace surround and married it with the walls and banquette.  I love the burnished look that the natural lime gives the finish as it ages.  Very clever idea to use a cushion suspended from a curtain rod above the banquet (above)- that really must make relaxing near the fire on a moon-lit evening quite cozy.  The plantings and containers of echeveria, bamboo and palm trees are so inviting and gorgeous as well.

This elevated seating area is a lovely, cool space for more formal family gatherings and dinner parties. Chandeliers made of wrought iron and votive candles offer warm, gentle, light in the evenings.