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Aztec Rock Panels for Outdoor Living in Florida
We’re really loving our outdoor living spaces this summer and today we have another great project to share with you, right here in our own backyard of Central Florida. This project done about two years ago consists of an outdoor kitchen and feature wall done in our Aztec XL Series Rock Panels. The stone is beautiful but what we really like about this project is how every inch of space is used to the max creating multiple areas to actually “live” in this outdoor living space. Let’s take a closer look!
The first area the stone was used in is as the base for the outdoor kitchen. Complete with a sink, grill, and refrigeration, this stacked stone outdoor kitchen has got pretty much everything you need to cook a nice meal to be enjoyed al fresco. One of things that makes our Norstone Rock Panels a good fit for these outdoor kitchens is that most of them feature prominent outside corners in multiple locations, including the one we are featuring today. This is where our industry leading finger jointed corner units really shine since they create such a seamless looking corner, especially when compared to other stone veneer manufacturers that are using simple dove tail corners, sometimes leaving saw cut edges exposed. When you work through every detail on a project like this, from the grill to the counter top to the fridge, those very prominent outside corners is a detail not to be overlooked.
We also really like how the Aztec color palette works on this project. Particularly when used outside, and bathed in natural light as the stone is in these photos, the Aztec really comes off a good bit lighter in overall color than when used interior. From a color standpoint, Aztec does a great job of blending in, while still giving a little bit accent color pop against the very neutral color palette the smooth stucco exterior and brick paver lanai create.
The other prominent use of the stone is in a large feature wall directly opposite the outdoor kitchen. This is a space that we really wish we had a before and after picture of – because the transformation of this space is huge! From a simple smooth stucco wall painted the same neutral tone as the rest of the exterior of the home, to a vibrant, textured feature wall, this wall went from something you walked past on your way to the pool to the focal point of an outdoor living space that adds value to this home.
The last photo of this project encapsulates the space utilization that we mentioned above. In a relatively small space, the homeowners have created an outdoor kitchen with a small bar area for entertaining both wet and dry guests, an outdoor dining area, and an effective outdoor living room to be enjoyed almost the entire year round in Florida. The stone does a great job of bringing the space together horizontally from one side to the other and creating some consistency of color and texture. And while it’s very subtle, the unique loose flagstone style pool coping does a neat job of loosely bringing the natural stone design element into the pool as well. This is really cool, especially since you almost always see brick coping when the pool deck is brick pavers. Details really do make the difference!
Thanks for letting us take you on a tour of another really cool stone inspired outdoor living space this summer. Although we’re just a few turns of the calendar away from starting to see the leaves change, there’s still plenty of time to plan, design, and build the outdoor stacked stone kitchen of your dreams this year. Reach out to our design experts today and let them show you how our stacked stone panels are the system to use for cladding outdoor kitchens!
