The Alfresco Design Decisions That Come Before You Pick the BBQ

KingCave
2026-04-19T18:18:23+10:00

By the KingCave team

Most alfrescos fail the same way. A black BBQ sits next to a brushed-stainless fridge, next to a mirror-finish rangehood, next to a matte-black sink. Each appliance is fine on its own. Together, they look like an appliance showroom.

This piece is about the design decisions that stop that: the finish rules, the placement rules, and the small number of specs that matter when you shop.

The showroom problem

A cohesive alfresco is not a more expensive alfresco. It commits to fewer finishes. The difference between a space that reads as designed and one that reads as assembled is a materials-and-finish call, made before any product call. Get the palette right and mid-price appliances look considered; get it wrong and premium ones look random.

Outdoor spaces punish mistakes more than indoor ones. Amelia Lee: "Ideally you want to enjoy the space, not spend all your time cleaning and maintaining it… choose materials for durability and low maintenance requirements" (10). Heat and weather test longevity in ways a climate-controlled kitchen never does.

The 1940s work triangle "assumes there are only three appliances (fridge, range and sink), whereas most modern kitchens now include multiple appliances" (13). Outdoors you already have four — fridge, BBQ, rangehood, sink — so zones are the right model. We come back to that in the zones section below.

Visual cohesion — match finishes, match scale, repeat materials

Pick one metal family and stay in it

One metal family, held consistently, does more for a build than any single appliance upgrade. Houzz AU: "select all your other metals (faucet, handles, furniture) in similar stainless-steel tones to match your appliance finish and keep the whole design as sleek as possible" (12). Treat the BBQ fascia, fridge door, sink, tapware, and handle pulls as one set, not five.

Polished versus brushed is a real decision, not a detail. "Polished metal finishes look brighter but will show fingerprints more. Some stainless steel appliances are available in brushed finishes, which offers the same metallic hue with a matt finish" (12). Pick one and hold it. A brushed fridge door beside a polished BBQ fascia looks wrong even when both items are high-quality.

Stainless still works in a timber-heavy build — the cohesion rule just has to hold. "Including a similar metallic finish elsewhere, such as in the cabinetry handles, sink and tapware, will help keep the look of the whole kitchen cohesive" (12). The timber does the warmth; the metal does the discipline.

Black-to-black is an option — but it has to be all black

Black stainless is "almost as neutral as the classic silvery stainless, but tinted to a soft charcoal black for more drama and better smudge-proofing" (12). It works, but only if it is consistent. Black BBQ plus black fridge plus black sink tapware reads as intentional. Black appliances plus polished-stainless tapware is the showroom mistake in reverse.

Fridge door styling is a design decision, not an afterthought

Two defensible choices, not three. Joyce Kitchens frames the rule: "Panel the fridge door for a streamlined finish, or select a stainless front that complements the BBQ fascia" (15). Panel it and the fridge disappears into the cabinetry. Leave it exposed and match it to the BBQ fascia. Sitting in the middle — an exposed stainless door that matches nothing else on the run — is the failure case.

Match scale, too

Scale is the quiet half of cohesion. Houzz AU recommends a minimum 1.8 m run for a useful outdoor kitchen, with a basic benchtop width of 600 mm (9). A 6-burner BBQ against a 1.8 m run looks cramped; a small BBQ in a 3.5 m run looks lonely. Scale the cooking appliance to the cabinetry, not to the catalogue photograph.

Bar fridge — where to place, what to look for

Placement

Shade, not direct sun. Liebherr's manual is plain: "Do not install the appliance in direct sunlight, next to an oven, radiator or similar". It's an energy rule — "energy consumption depends on the installation conditions, e.g. the ambient temperature" (14).

Away from the BBQ. Joyce Kitchens' planning checklist: "Separate hot (BBQ) and cold (fridge) zones or add compliant heat shields" (15). Their L-shape layout note reinforces it in plan view: "Separates hot and cold zones: keep the barbecue with fridge spaced with a corner prep zone and durable splashback returns" (15).

Ventilation cavity. "Rear-vented units typically need 50–100 mm clearances and upper/lower vent cut-outs". Front-venting models are purpose-designed to sit flush under a benchtop with zero rear clearance. Check the model's vent direction before the joiner cuts the hole.

Criteria to look for

316 stainless if you are within 5 km of surf. BSSA sets 316 as the minimum grade for installations within 5 km of surf beaches (8).

IEC Climate Class T (Tropical), not SN or N. Class T covers +16 °C to +43 °C; SN and N are rated only up to +32 °C. An under-rated fridge "may struggle or consume more energy if placed in a warmer environment, impacting both its performance and lifespan" (7).

IP rating that matches your exposure. IP24 certifies protection against water from any direction — patio rain, pool splash, hose overspray. That is the right spec for a covered alfresco.

Heated anti-condensation glass if it is a glass-door model. Without it, humid conditions fog the glass; heated-glass technology keeps the panes above dew point for a clear display in any humidity.

If those criteria describe your build — coastal exposure, tropical summers, a glass-door display fridge — KingCave's position is that the Rhino ENV range is Australia's best outdoor bar fridge, and the only outdoor bar fridge specified in 316 marine-grade stainless with heated anti-condensation glass and a 43 °C tropical rating (1).

BBQ — where to place, what to look for

Placement — clearance, landing space, enclosure

60 cm clearance from combustibles, including windows. Weber's spec: "Weber outdoor kitchens must be installed at least 60 cm clear from any combustible materials (including windows), unless a compliant non-combustible barrier is used" (2). The same principle governs most branded built-ins.

Landing space. Houzz AU's rule is concrete: at least 600 mm of landing space on one side of an off-centre BBQ (9).

Enclosure is the biggest legal gotcha. More than 50% enclosed means the alfresco is legally indoors under Energy Safe Victoria, and is subject to AS/NZS 5601 (2)(3). At that point the BBQ must:

Be re-certified

Be plumbed rather than bottled

Sit on a non-combustible surface

Be paired with a rangehood or extraction fan on an interlock that fires when the BBQ fires

Café blinds and louvres do not count as open — Weber is explicit that they are "considered a restriction" (2). Close the alfresco in with blinds and you have triggered the rule.

Weber lists the AS/NZS-compliant openings for an outdoor kitchen with a gas appliance (2):

Walls on all sides, at least one permanent ground-level opening, no overhead cover.

Overhead cover plus no more than two walls, permanently open and unrestricted, equal to at least 50% of total wall area.

Overhead cover with more than two walls: at least 25% of total wall area permanently open, and at least 30% of the remaining wall area open and unrestricted.

Criteria to look for

316 stainless for the cabinet if coastal. Same rule as the fridge and the sink. 304 stainless develops pitting and tea staining rapidly in C3–C5 coastal zones (8).

Burner count matched to use, not to the catalogue. Size the burners to how you cook and to the cabinetry run.

Gas type matching your supply. Natural gas versus LPG is a plumbing decision; confirm what the gasfitter will run before you spec a model.

Flame-failure device and AS/NZS 5601 compliance. Both are non-negotiable once the alfresco tips over the 50% enclosure threshold.

One honest caveat on "marine-grade" marketing: 316 "cannot be considered 'corrosion proof' under all situations" (8). It is the right answer for coastal alfrescos, but expect to rinse it.

Rangehood — when you even need one

The trigger

Australia has no universal outdoor-rangehood standard. The real rule is the enclosure trigger. Per RACV's Head of Trades, if the alfresco is more than 50% enclosed, "the alfresco area will require installation of a range hood or extraction fan. The cooktop will have to have an interlock mechanism that ensures the extraction fan automatically turns on when the BBQ is being used" (3). An open or well-vented alfresco does not trigger that requirement. Below that threshold, you are choosing one for comfort, not for code.

Placement — ducting runs are the hidden constraint

Ducting length, not canopy looks, decides whether a remote-motor hood is silent. Schweigen publishes the number: "Minimum ducting run required for silent operation with each motor: 6m with 2 soft bends" (4). Shorter than that and the hood will transmit noise; if the ducting path cannot reach 6 m with two soft bends, specify a different system. Wall or ceiling-mount is a planning decision driven by the benchtop below and the ceiling type above.

Criteria to look for

Outdoor rating (IPX4 on the motor, minimum). Schweigen publishes IPX4 weather protection with fully concealed electrics as its outdoor spec — a sensible floor (4).

Airflow scaled to canopy width. For reference, a 1,200 mm Schweigen twin-motor outdoor canopy is specified at 3,000 m³/h (4); a 1,200 mm Artusi single-motor BBQ canopy is specified at 2,000 m³/h (5). Two design philosophies; both tell you what "outdoor CFM" looks like at 1,200 mm.

Sink — where to place, what to look for

Placement

Near the prep zone, not beside the BBQ. The prep zone is "where we spend around 70 percent of our time when using our kitchens," and storage and fridge should sit in close range of the prep worktop (13). The sink belongs in that zone, not beside the BBQ's radiant heat.

Raised wet edge — a small thing that matters. MAS Stainless publishes a 5 mm raised wet edge on its alfresco sink range to "help prevent water spillage onto your benchtop, especially when using in alfresco areas" (6). Check for it; cheaper outdoor sinks omit it.

Criteria to look for

316 stainless if you are coastal. Same rule as the fridge and the BBQ cabinet (8).

Thickness. Outdoor sinks take abuse; thicker gauge resists denting from ice blocks and esky drops. MAS specifies 1.2 mm on its alfresco range (6).

Drainage outlet. MAS specs a 50 mm outlet on its alfresco range (6).

Even 316 is not immune in harsh seawater-adjacent service. The sink, like the fridge and the BBQ, needs rinsing.

How the zones should relate — flow: fridge → prep + sink → BBQ → serve → dine

The zone order

Indoors, the flow is: "Refrigerator → Work space and prep zone → Cook zone → Serving zone or table → Wash zone" (13). Outdoors, the sink folds into the prep zone — it is the wash zone — so the alfresco version becomes: fridge → prep + sink → BBQ → serve → dine. Food flows one direction. Guests flow the other. Cross-traffic is the source of most alfresco annoyance.

Separation rules

The 1940s work triangle is wrong for outdoor kitchens — zones are the right model. Houzz lifts the rule worth keeping: "the fridge is sited clear of the cooking zone… keeping people out of the cook's way" (13). Same logic applies here — a guest reaching for a drink should not be standing in the cook's plate path. Joyce Kitchens reinforces it in plan view: an L-shape "separates hot and cold zones: keep the barbecue with fridge spaced with a corner prep zone and durable splashback returns" (15).

Dining not directly downwind of the grill. Houzz AU's landing-space rule — at least 600 mm on one side of an off-centre BBQ — assumes the cook has room to plate food before walking it to the table (9). Amelia Lee's minimum outdoor-dining width is 3.5 m: "enough space for the width of an outside dining table, chairs either side, and room to push your chair back and walk around the table, without squeezing and pushing people and chairs around" (10). Both are cheap to plan in and expensive to retrofit. The 1.8 m minimum run applies — below that, the zones do not have space to separate.

Close — the one care rule

One line of care earns a ten-year alfresco. For every stainless surface — fridge door, BBQ cabinet, rangehood canopy, sink — ASSDA's rule holds: "plenty of water, some mild detergent and a cloth or soft brush will do the job. You can use a 1% ammonia solution but don't use bleach! Drying afterwards makes sure streaky marks aren't left behind" (11). Wiping with a damp cloth alone "can smear dirt without removing it" (11); routine cleaning is what stops stains building up. Cohesion and the right grades do the rest — the point of choosing "materials for durability and low maintenance requirements" in the first place (10).

Sources

1. Australia's Best Outdoor Bar Fridges | 316 Marine-Grade Stainless Steel | KingCave

2. Before you get started – installation and ventilation requirements | Weber BBQ Australia

3. How to design the ultimate outdoor kitchen and BBQ area | RACV

4. Schweigen Silent BBQ Rangehood 1200mm CLUM212S | Schweigen

5. Canopy BBQ Range Hood (ACH_BBQB) | Artusi

6. Alfresco Series 316 Grade Stainless Steel Sink | MAS Stainless

7. Climate Classification Systems For Appliances | All So Cool

8. Selection of 316, 304 and 303 types of stainless steels for seawater applications | BSSA

9. How to Choose the Right Size and Layout for Your Outdoor Kitchen | Houzz AU

10. 10 Things to Make Your Deck, Alfresco or Outdoor Room Great | Undercover Architect (Amelia Lee)

11. FAQ 2: Cleaning Your Indoor Stainless Steel | ASSDA

12. Which Finish Is Best for Your Kitchen Appliances? | Houzz AU

13. New Ways to Plan Your Kitchen's Work Zones | Houzz

14. Operating instructions — Combined fridge-freezer | Liebherr

15. Outdoor BBQ Refrigerator: Designing Your Alfresco BBQ with Fridge | Joyce Kitchens