An outdoor kitchen bar — the counter-height or bar-height section of the masonry outdoor kitchen base that allows guests to sit at bar stools and face the cooking zone — is one of the most socially transformative features in a Broken Arrow or Tulsa outdoor living environment. A properly designed outdoor bar converts the outdoor kitchen from a solo cooking station into a shared social space where guests interact with the host during cooking, where drinks and appetizers can be set down and picked up without trips back indoors, and where the outdoor kitchen takes on the character of a neighborhood restaurant or bar rather than a residential grill station. VistaScapes & Design designs bar sections into the majority of the L-shape and U-shape outdoor kitchens we build in Tulsa and Broken Arrow.
Bar Counter Height and Seating Configuration
Outdoor kitchen bars are built at one of two heights: counter height (36 inches, the same as the cooking surface) with counter-height stools (24 to 26 inch seat height), or bar height (42 inches) with bar-height stools (28 to 30 inch seat height). Bar height — 42 inches — is the most common configuration in Tulsa outdoor kitchens because it creates a natural visual separation between the guest seating side and the cooking side of the base, and because 42-inch bar stools are the classic outdoor bar aesthetic. Counter height is appropriate when the homeowner wants a continuous countertop surface at the same level as the cooking and prep zone without the step up to bar height. Seating count: a 10-foot bar section comfortably seats 4 guests at 24 inches per stool; a 12-foot section seats 5; a 14-foot section seats 6. We design bar length at each Tulsa consultation based on the homeowner’s typical entertaining group size.
Bar Appliances: Refrigerator, Ice Maker, and Sink
The three appliances that make an outdoor bar fully functional in a Tulsa or Broken Arrow outdoor kitchen: an outdoor-rated refrigerator (15-inch or 24-inch wide, positioned in the bar section for guest access to drinks without crossing into the cooking zone), an outdoor undercounter ice maker (produces 12 to 25 pounds of ice per day, positioned adjacent to the refrigerator in the bar section), and an outdoor wet bar sink (15-inch or 9-inch bar sink with single-handle faucet, positioned at the far end of the bar section for glass rinsing without blocking the appliance zone). This three-appliance bar configuration — refrigerator, ice maker, sink — is the standard we design into full-featured bar sections in Tulsa outdoor kitchens because it makes the bar self-sufficient for drink service without requiring any trips to the indoor kitchen. The bar section can also include a wine cooler or dedicated beverage center in place of or in addition to the standard refrigerator depending on the homeowner’s entertaining priorities.
Call VistaScapes & Design at (918) 779-1317 for a free outdoor kitchen consultation in Tulsa. We’ll design a bar section that fits your L-shape or U-shape kitchen configuration and makes your outdoor entertaining environment genuinely social.
