1. CASUALLIVING.COMSeptember 2015158
EXTENDING THE
OUTDOOR COOKING
season has always been a
story about the products that
keep people outdoors. In this
post-recession world, it is
also a story about a cultural
shift and the way those prod-
ucts tie into the way people
are living their lives.
It’s not enough for us to
know about the heaters, fire
pits, misting systems and
specialty cooking items that
keep people outdoors. To
stay ahead of this trend that
is only growing stronger, it
pays for those of us outfit-
ting those outdoor spaces
to also know that life has
changed and so have the
reasons for living and cook-
ing outdoors.
FAILURE TO LAUNCH
For the general public,
life has gotten more expen-
sive, and wages haven’t kept
up in order to give them
more disposable income.
B B Q T O D AY
by Chris Mordi
Gas-fired pizza ovens for the countertop and built-in installations are becoming increasingly popular outdoors because they offer a
restaurant-style experience just outside the backdoor.
Photo credit: Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet
LONGER OUTDOOR
COOKING SEASONS
P O S T- R E C E S S I O N C U LT U R E K E E P S P E O P L E O U T D O O R S

2. According to the Economic
Policy Institute, “the wide-
spread problem of stagnant
hourly wages is not a problem
of insufficiently skilled or
educated workers.”
According to the EPI’s
“Wages Incomes and Wealth:
Wage Stagnation in Nine
Charts” report, a four-year
college degree has been no
guarantee of decent wage
growth. In 2013, inflation-ad-
justed hourly wages of young
college graduates were lower
than they were in the late
1990s, a trend that held for
both young male and female
college graduates. Thus,
wage stagnation and erosion
afflict even the one-third of
workers who have earned a
four-year college degree.
As a result, they are stay-
ing at home and looking for
ways to improve their quality
of life there.
“People are still cocoon-
ing at a high rate,” said
Ray Wiese, president of the
Wiese Co., Sherborn, Mass.,
and a Certified Master
Kitchen and Bath Designer
(CMKBD). “There is a high
rate of people who want to
make the most of the time
off we all have.”
The cocoon is expanding
because of the economy.
“People are trying to
save money,” said Christy
Demonte-Edlin, owner of
Patio Comforts in Austin,
Texas. “More families are
mixed [with several genera-
tions living at home]. Kids
are coming home to live
[after college] because they
can’t find a job or rents are
unaffordable. Grandparents
are also living at home. And
we’re seeing this at all eco-
nomic levels.”
OUTFITTING
THE COCOON
Making the most of the
time off from the job is trans-
lating into the installation of
creature comforts outdoors,
and it’s about making sure
those comforts fit the home-
owner’s lifestyle, personality
and pocketbook.
A 2015 survey of residen-
tial landscape architects
by the American Society
of Landscape Architects
showed that some of the most
popular design elements
being requested by clients in-
clude items such as lighting,
stereo systems, televisions,
cooling and heating systems
and grills.
Both Wiese and Demonte-
Edlin said the outdoor space
is a now a destination. Simi-
lar to the way a resort used
to be a destination. Since
the outdoor space “get-
CASUALLIVING.COMSeptember 2015160
B B Q T O D AY
Continued
WAGE STAGNATION
AND EROSION
AFFLICT EVEN THE
ONE-THIRD OF
WORKERS WHO
HAVE EARNED
A FOUR-YEAR
COLLEGE DEGREE.
A speaker system overhead, a television mounted on the wall and
ambient lighting in the ceiling combine to give this Connecticut
homeowner numerous excuses to cook and entertain, even when
the weather turns chilly.
Photo credit: Caryn B. Davis Photography

3. CASUALLIVING.COMSeptember 2015162
aways” are literally close to
home, they are being made
with every family member
in mind.
“Homeowners just want
another place to spend time,”
said Dan Marguerite, owner
of Backyard Barbecue Store
in Wilmette, Ill. “People have
done and redone their indoor
kitchens. Now they’re mov-
ing outside.”
Don Sivesind, VP of sales
at Kalamazoo Outdoor Gour-
met, said the post-recession
shift in culture is driving the
demand for more complete
kitchens that are part of the
outdoor spaces.
THE TOTAL PACKAGE
“Extending the season is
no longer just about cooking
outdoors in November,” said
Marguerite. “It’s about the
experience.” He said many of
the outdoor kitchen projects
he works with are being built
under pergolas. Installed in
those structures are heaters
and televisions.
“The last three outdoor
kitchen installations I
worked all had TVs in-
stalled,” Marguerite said.
“You can watch football out
there in November. You’re
out there smoking cigars.
Guys just want to be outside.”
Heaters are another part of
that football equation. “They
are a godsend,” Marguerite
said. “I sell Infratech [heat-
ers] here, and they definitely
take the edge off.”
“We poll design profession-
als during outdoor kitchen
design webinars that we con-
duct quarterly,” said Sivesind.
“They’re telling us that
designers who create outdoor
kitchens and living spaces
are seeing more demand for
B B Q T O D AY
Continued
This outdoor kitchen in Bethesda, Md., makes food preparation and
cooking comfortable in nearly every season with a pergola overhead
that features retractable shades, an overhead heater and a ceiling
fan that helps keep a breeze moving and flying insects at bay.
Photo credit: Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet
SINCE THE
OUTDOOR SPACE
“GETAWAYS” ARE
LITERALLY CLOSE
TO HOME, THEY ARE
BEING MADE WITH
EVERY FAMILY
MEMBER IN MIND.

4. CASUALLIVING.COMSeptember 2015164
B B Q T O D AY
Continued
Some outdoor cooking
and living areas are
created to seam-
lessly connect with the
indoors. This outdoor
kitchen is connected
by a door to its indoor
counterpart, and the
windows over the bar
open to connect the
two spaces. Even the
speakers over the bar
are tied to the home’s
indoor audio system.
Photo Credit: Kalamazoo
Outdoor Gourmet
FermobUSA.com
Las Vegas Market
C-5
AmericasMart
Bldg 1, 14-A-3
photograpy by Julie Ansiau

5. CASUALLIVING.COMSeptember 2015166
a structure to be built over
them.”
Some companies are
capitalizing on this structure
trend. Berlin Gardens has tak-
en the building of pergolas out
of the hands of professionals
and put them into the realm
of the DIYer by creating a kit
and giving the homeowner
instruction on how to put one
up without a contractor.
“I see a lot of structures
being built,” said Marguerite.
“They’re great places to hang
heaters and TVs.” Sun Brite
and SkyVue are two popular
TV options that are specifi-
cally made to withstand the
outdoors. The televisions
range in size from 32 inches
to 80 inches.
Heaters by Heatscope
and Infratech are becom-
ing prevalent heat sources
because they are designed to
blend into a design aesthetic
and deliver a swath of heat
without being seen because
they are installed into a
structure.
In addition to heaters for
the cold months, misting and
mosquito control systems in
hot, humid climates are mak-
ing time on the patio more
comfortable during summer
months. And they’re not just
for humans, according to
Demonte-Edlin.
“I had a customer who
bought a misting system for
his dogs,” she said. “They
were Newfoundlands.”
While the grill is the king
of the outdoor cooking appli-
ances, Marguerite said pizza
ovens are coming on strong.
“The pizza oven is a
whole experience,” he said.
“Everyone is in awe of the
flames and pizzas cooking so
quickly.”
The product also offers
cooking results that are
normally found in restau-
rants. Some models that have
become popular in recent
years are gas-fired models
including the Artisan Fire
Pizza Oven from Kalamazoo
Outdoor Gourmet, the Pizza
Oven Plus from Alfresco and
the Napoli from Lynx.
“People don’t want to
be indoors anymore,” said
Demonte-Edlin. “They’re
looking for an excuse” to get
outdoors.
B B Q T O D AY
Continued
PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR AN
EXCUSE TO GET OUTDOORS.