Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet Announces 2009 Oasis Award Winner
Small site lives large through inventive use of space, wins national outdoor kitchen design award.

Brian Griffith, ASLA, of Columbus, Ohio, has won the Third Annual Oasis Award for Outdoor Kitchen Design.

Griffith’s outdoor kitchen concept will be featured in the November/December issue of Garden Design magazine; in Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet’s Hot off the Grill! and Outdoor Kitchen Profits by Design e-newsletters; and the websites of the Oasis Award, www.oasisaward.com; Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet, www.kalamazoogourmet.com; and Garden Design magazine, www.gardendesign.com.

Griffith has been in the profession for more than six years and is a graduate of the Ohio State University with a master’s degree in landscape architecture. His winning design took a small, empty space that connected a house and a garage and transformed it into an outdoor living space that features the cooking grill as the centerpiece of the design, making the host/cook always accessible to the guests; extends the interior feel of the main residence to the outside space; and uses terracing to create cooking, conversation, and serving areas.

“We are once again excited to support the only nationwide competition that recognizes outstanding outdoor kitchen design,” said Pantelis A. “Pete” Georgiadis, president of Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet. “This award has grown to become an important industry accolade and a career booster. We know from past winners that they saw increased client traffic and they continued to receive Oasis Award-related client inquiries a full year after winning the award.”

“The Griffith outdoor kitchen and dining area is clearly the heart of this home. If you look out on the courtyard from inside, you are compelled to move out,” said Sandra Kinbar, editor of Garden Design magazine. “Once outdoors, everything you could want or need for relaxation and entertainment is within reach, so why go back indoors? What’s more, the design and material have continuity and are pleasing to the eye.”

As the only nationwide contest that recognizes excellence and innovation in the increasingly sophisticated design of outdoor kitchens, the Oasis Award for Outdoor Kitchen Design is open to all design professionals, including architects, landscape architects, interior designers, and certified kitchen designers.

The panel of judges included Bill Marken, Honorary ASLA and editor-in-chief emeritus of Garden Design magazine; Michael Thomas, interior designer, Fellow of ASID; Jane Humzy, furniture designer; Mary Jo Peterson, kitchen and bath designer, author; Mary Palmer Dargan, ASLA, landscape architect and author; and Kinbar.

Entry acceptance for the Fourth Annual Oasis Award for Outdoor Kitchen Design contest begins January 1, 2010. Information can be found at www.OasisAward.com.