Arizona Backyard Design Ideas: Covered Outdoor Kitchen Design, A Chef’s Dream

Are you looking to upgrade your backyard but aren’t sure what your budget can get you? Don’t worry, you are not alone! Putting together a budget for your dream outdoor living design can be an intimidating task.

Our Arizona Backyard Design Ideas series was created to help spark ideas of what is possible in your backyard within certain budget ranges. When you’re building a pool, there are numerous decisions to make about your design, features, and materials selected. All of these decisions can also impact the budget of your project.

At California Pools & Landscape, we’ve been creating custom pools in the Phoenix area since 1988. We’ve designed over 35,000 backyards, custom-built to match the look & feel of every home.

In this article, we’ll use this stunning Gold Canyon backyard as a case study of what you can get with a backyard budget between $175,000 – $220,000 or rather, $1,463 – $1,840 per month based on a 20-year pool loan.

About This Gold Canyon Backyard

This ultimate backyard space features everything under the sun, including a giant covered outdoor kitchen, a modern pool design with a baja shelf, a fire pit, and several destinations to relax with awe-inspiring views of the surrounding desert landscape. Our design team worked hand in hand with the homeowner to bring their ultimate backyard vision to life.

These Gold Canyon homeowners were looking for a complete backyard design with a large outdoor kitchen, a pool, and a fire pit. With a large amount of space to work with, our designer created an ultimate backyard that would earn a chef’s kiss, incorporating all of the elements that were important to our client. Almost 3,000 square feet of Arctic White Travertine is integrated throughout the backyard, adding a luxurious feel to the space and tying together the entire modern backyard design.

Covered Outdoor Kitchen Design Ideas

Creating a custom backyard design can go far beyond a pool and landscaping, including outdoor kitchens and firepits or fireplaces. These destination areas can be great spots for you to gather with family and friends to entertain and relax.

If you have wondered if you can have all of the tools from the kitchen inside your home incorporated into an outdoor kitchen design, yes chef, it is possible! These Gold Canyon residents wanted a large area where they could gather all of their family and host delicious cookouts.

This outdoor kitchen has a gas-powered bbq, a gas-powered griddle, a built-in refrigerator, an outdoor sink, a beverage station, and an oven with a range on top. These elements are seamlessly integrated into the stunning modern design of the ramada, with plenty of storage space, counter space, and room for entertaining.

The Arctic River Stacked Stone covers all sides of the ramada columns and the perimeter of the outdoor kitchen. The Charme Evo Pearl Grey tile that is on the pool’s waterline is also used as a backsplash in the kitchen and on the interior face of the outdoor kitchen walls. The Arctic White Travertine doubles as a counter surface and bartop area, complementing the modern look of the outdoor kitchen. An outdoor fan hangs down from the center of the ramada, offering a cool breeze to the chef and guests around the table.

The 4’ x 4’ fire pit is located next to the outdoor kitchen and offers a front-row seat to look at the open desert beyond the property walls. The fire pit aesthetic matches the other design elements of the yard, covered with Arctic River Stacked Stone and capped with Arctic White Travertine. This outdoor living area is perfect for entertaining and is able to be used year-round.

Modern Geometric Pool Design

The geometric play pool sits in view of the outdoor kitchen and sparkles in the Gold Canyon sunshine. The play pool design depth starts at 3” in the shallow end, goes down to 5” in the middle of the pool, and then back up to 4”. This design enables you to stand anywhere in the pool and offers great depth for playing games like basketball or volleyball in the water.

Some special design features of this modern geometric pool set it apart from traditional pool designs. Three pillars sit on the far end of the pool with 18” sheer descent water features that create a soothing ambiance in the backyard when the water cascades into the pool. The pillars are covered in Arctic River Stacked Stone on all sides and capped with Arctic White Travertine Pavers to match the surrounding pool deck.

You can enter this backyard oasis by using a small step before hitting a large Baja shelf. This shallow seating area sits at a 15” depth and is 56 square feet which creates a nice area for relaxing in the water without having to get all the way into the pool.

The pool’s Mediterranean Sea Glass Pebble interior creates a vibrant blue color that sparkles in the Arizona sunshine. The Charme Evo Pearl Grey 6” x 6” waterline tile contributes to the modern look and pairs beautifully with the Arctic White Travertine coping that surrounds the perimeter of the pool.

Landscaping Around A Pool

While the outdoor kitchen and inground pool are the stars of this ultimate backyard, no outdoor oasis is complete without landscaping to add the final touches! Landscape design is pivotal in creating a natural feel in the backyard, along with beautiful splashes of color.

The homeowners have a green thumb and enjoy gardening and cultivating plants in their backyard. Our design team allowed the desert to flow into this modern design, and the trees, flowers, and accent plants selected create splashes of color and a lush environment in this Gold Canyon backyard.

Designing Your Own Backyard Oasis

Hopefully, these backyard design ideas helped you figure out some design elements that you might enjoy in your backyard design. Selecting pool and backyard elements, as well as design features, is a fun part of the process. It’s important to consider what will fit into your home’s environment and be enjoyed by you and your family while staying within your budget.

The elements in this stunning Gold Canyon backyard are just a few of the many design options that we have available at California Pools & Landscape. We’ve built a resource that will help you establish a budget for your backyard and learn more about the costs of design features. To see more backyard design ideas, visit our Photo Galleries.

Love this backyard design idea? If you’re ready to start with your dream yard design, get started with one of our talented designers.