Next year's outdoor kitchen bar trend that looks and feels good

Outdoor kitchens are a trend in and of themselves – once you start thinking about how you can take your cooking routine to the great outdoors, you'll immediately find some outdoor kitchen designs that you'll want to have in your own backyard. And while many of these setups are costly, you can even find simple DIY outdoor kitchen hacks that will complete the look without requiring thousands of dollars up front. As this new backyard patio phenomenon becomes more prevalent, designers are predicting some new trends in outdoor kitchens for 2025, namely a rise in eco-friendly, sustainable materials for building a backyard kitchen bar.

Erika Dale, interior designer and founder of Erika Dale Interior Design, spoke exclusively with House Digest about her own predictions for the coming year. “In 2025, interest in using sustainable, eco-friendly materials in general will increase, including for outdoor kitchen bars,” she said. “Every year, as the state of our environment and planet grows worse, more people are taking the initiative to ensure that sustainability and eco-friendly material resources are a priority in their home projects.” So outdoor kitchens aren’t the only thing becoming more sustainable: Eco-friendly and biophilic design will become increasingly popular in the coming years as consumers begin to question their own shopping and furnishing behavior and how their decisions impact the world as a whole. If you want to take small steps to protect the environment, you will definitely choose a more environmentally friendly interior design.

The trend of designing sustainable outdoor kitchens has many benefits for the whole world; By reducing waste and pollution, homeowners can be assured that this will significantly reduce their carbon footprint, Dale said. “Using eco-friendly materials not only looks beautiful, but also makes you feel good knowing you have taken steps to do your part for a more sustainable future.” Additionally, since these materials are usually of natural origin, design a kitchen with lower levels of toxins and plastics and one that can withstand weather phenomena that might otherwise compromise outdoor design elements.

If there are so many positive aspects to making your outdoor kitchen green, why doesn't everyone do it? Erika Dale exclusively told House Digest that the cost factor can be a hurdle for some homeowners. “The only downside is that while many of these materials last much longer in the long run than their unsustainable counterparts, the upfront costs can be higher,” she said. Therefore, you need to factor longevity into your budget estimates and initially accept a higher bill in exchange for a long-lasting, beautiful outdoor kitchen. Additionally, building a trendy outdoor bar adds value to your home, and it seems that being eco-friendly will never really go out of style these days.

Once you've decided to go the eco-friendly route, you can design your home with sustainable materials by looking for some designer-recommended keywords. “Recycled composite decking, bamboo, recycled steel or aluminum, recycled glass (e.g. in countertops or backsplashes), reclaimed wood, adobe and ash concrete are all eco-friendly materials that are incredibly suitable for use in an outdoor kitchen bar .” Dale told House Digest. The word “recycled” obviously plays an important role here, and the combination with durable materials makes for the perfect outdoor furnishings.

Bamboo is a particularly common material for outdoor products, and you can easily find furniture that matches any bamboo cabinets you make for your outdoor kitchen. The Fregramei Bamboo Patio Table and VINGLI Bamboo Folding Chairs are great starting points when it comes to outdoor dining. You can also easily find recycled glass tiles from local and online retailers that you can install into the backsplash of your outdoor kitchen to give new life to the old glass.