When the National Association of Home Builders published its 2024 "What Home Buyers Really Want" report — a national survey of more than 3,000 recent and prospective homebuyers — four of the thirteen most-wanted home features were outdoor amenities. Patios tied for the top position at 86%, followed by exterior lighting at 82%, front porches at 81%, and landscaping at 80%. Outdoor kitchens, while further down the list, were rated essential or desirable by 55% of respondents, a share that has grown steadily over the past decade.
The pattern has held across multiple data sources. The American Institute of Architects, which surveys more than 300 residential architecture firms quarterly through its Home Design Trends Survey, reported in its Q2 2023 findings that outdoor living spaces, blended indoor-outdoor areas, and outdoor fire pits continued to top the list of most-requested special function rooms among architect clients. The AIA's Q1 2023 kitchen-focused survey separately found that demand for outdoor kitchens had "remained desirable" among homeowners working with residential architects.
As consumer interest in outdoor living has broadened from grills and smokers into full kitchen builds involving cabinetry, refrigeration, fire features, and shade structures, the retail landscape has fragmented. Homeowners assembling an outdoor kitchen project frequently report needing to visit multiple specialty retailers to source compatible components — a friction point that some e-commerce operators have begun to address by consolidating categories.
Culinary Wilderness, a Staten Island-based online retailer that originally focused on barbecue equipment, is one such operator. The company's catalog at Culinarywilderness.com now spans more than 50 product categories including gas and charcoal grills, pizza ovens, outdoor kitchen islands, stainless steel sinks and storage drawers, outdoor refrigerators and ice makers, fire pits and fire pit tables, pergolas, gazebos, patio heaters, and weather-resistant dining furniture.
The company ships across the continental United States with no physical retail locations, a model it says allows a broader product assortment than a single showroom could maintain. To offset the inability to inspect products in person, the site publishes dimensional specifications, material descriptions, compatibility notes, and layout planning guides. Portions of the catalog are organized for trade professionals, allowing landscape designers and residential builders to browse items grouped by function or installation type.
Whether sustained homebuyer interest in backyard functionality continues at current levels or moderates as broader consumer spending shifts remains an open question. But for retailers positioned in the category, the data so far points to a market that has moved well beyond a pandemic-era spike and into a longer-term pattern of household investment.
CONTACT: https://Culinarywilderness.com
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Company Name: Culinary Wilderness
Contact Person: John Watson
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Country: United States
Website: https://Culinarywilderness.com
