Rattan, clay dishes, and houseplants—an old camp school’s barbecue shelter was transformed into a cozy summer oasis

Right in front of the summer kitchen is an ideal spot for a large dining table. A round table can easily seat a larger group. It’s wonderful to sit in the oak’s shade and enjoy the meal.

“We live in a former village school. In the 1990s, they built a grill shelter here and used it for camp school. The benches could seat dozens of students all at once around the evening campfire. Our family of four loves to cook and the shelter wasn’t functional as it stood, so we began transforming it into a summer kitchen.

The biggest challenge of the project was figuring out how to make the most of the old grill shelter.

Bowls and baskets found at flea markets add a soft, layered feel to the summer kitchen.

The grill is ceramic, and the countertops are plywood salvaged from a floor renovation and covered with DC-fix.

The summer kitchen was built using the old grill shelter’s frame. The floor, roof, and wall supports from the original shelter were reused.

We took on the summer kitchen as a fun side project alongside our indoor renovation. The shelter was well constructed to begin with, so we made good use of its structure. We tore down the long benches and used those boards to build the summer kitchen’s back wall. We also had some old windows that we used to form another wall.

The houseplants soak up the fresh outdoor air during summer and bring greenery to the summer kitchen. In the fall, they return indoors.

We wanted the summer kitchen to blend in seamlessly not just with the yard and nearby forest but also with the main house from the late 1800s. In the end, it was a delightful surprise. It turned out even more wonderful than we imagined.”

The patina of time lends these objects a special charm. Old pitchers, bowls, and vases are not only pretty but also practical.

We use old red clay viili bowls almost every day.

In the planter, wild marjoram, chives, sage, thyme, lemon thyme, lemon balm, and tarragon all flourish.