This eye-catching outdoor kitchen with vertical garden feature wall was put together in one weekend for $1500.
The project
We have a water tank at the end of our back deck where we keep our barbecue. I didn't find it unsightly, but I felt like we could do more with this space. I was keen to have extra storage, bench space for barbecuing and ideally a sink to wash hands and help with food preparation.
I built a simple frame made of 35 x 70mm treated Pine. I made the frame slightly higher than the water tank so that we wouldn't see it when finished. I also left space to include a vertical garden in the middle of the wall.
With 140mm Merbau decking installed over the frame, the wall started to take shape. We used marine grade plywood for the backing of the recess as it would be hidden by the vertical garden. Getting the team at Bunnings to cut the Merbau to size for me saved a lot of time and gave me cleaner cuts than I would have been able to achieve.
I considered building outdoor kitchen cabinetry, but then saw some outdoor cupboards and thought they weren't bad for the price and would save me a lot of time. I opted for the ones with the stainless steel top, and then did a hack by cutting a hole for the sink and tap.
I added deck lighting to the Un-real Boston Fern vertical garden. I was impressed by how easy the artificial garden was to work with, and was able to cut it to size for the recess in the wall. I also used an outdoor weatherproof box by ARLEC to store the smart switch and powerboard out of the weather.
The cost of the wall, including framing, decking, the artificial garden, lighting and plumbing for the sink was $950. This also included about $40 of tool parts I needed such as a countersink bit for the drill, and blade for the jigsaw to cut through stainless steel, so you might be able to save your budget here if you already have these tools. The cabinets, sink and tap was $600, so all together it was around $1500 for this outdoor kitchen and feature wall set up.
Before and after
How to build a plant wall feature
Whether it's an attractive feature for your alfresco dining area or used to add colour indoors, an artificial plant wall can offer a low-maintenance touch of greenery around your home. Create your own artificial plant wall with this step-by-step guide.
More inspiration for outdoor areas
Bunnings Workshop member lcooksey88 used Un-Real hedge panels alongside Merbau screens for this attractive fire pit area.
Workshop member Nikkaz created this beautiful artificial plant feature for the plain brick wall at the front of the house.
Workshop member jmagnayon built this simple yet stylish outdoor kitchen for under $1300.
An outdoor screen is the ultimate concealer. You may want to hide something in your garden, add some privacy to an area or create an eye-catching feature. Check out our Top 10 most popular screening projects for more great ideas.
