How Wodar is taking sinks and taps outdoors for the new era of entertaining

The recent heatwaves will have given the increasingly popular concept of outdoor kitchens an even further boost – we talk to Michael Sammon, design director of Wodar, to hear how the company's sinks and taps can help with a garden project.

As homeowners continue to invest in gardens that work harder for entertaining, cooking and relaxed everyday living, the most successful outdoor spaces are now being planned with the same attention to detail as the kitchen inside the home.

For Wodar, the British-designed kitchen tap and boiling water tap brand, this shift marks an important change in how homeowners think about the outdoor wet zone. A sink, tap and source of instant boiling water may once have felt like details reserved for the main kitchen, but in a garden bar or outdoor cooking space, they can transform how the area is used.

Whether preparing drinks, rinsing herbs, cleaning barbecue tools or making hot drinks outside on cooler evenings, an outdoor sink and tap can reduce the constant journeys back into the house, allowing the garden kitchen to work as a complete space rather than a satellite of the main home.

Michael Sammon, design director at Wodar, says: “Outdoor kitchens are becoming far more sophisticated, but the sink area is still too often treated as a secondary detail. Once you add proper washing, rinsing and instant boiling water into the space, the whole way you use it changes. You are not carrying sticky glasses, greasy trays or half-prepared ingredients back through the house; everything can happen where people are gathering, which makes outdoor hosting feel much more natural.”

A hot water tap outdoors offers far more than convenience. For garden bars, it allows hosts to make tea, coffee and warm drinks without stepping inside. For outdoor kitchens, it makes light work of rinsing serving dishes, cleaning utensils and washing hands, while filtered water on tap helps with drinks and ice buckets.

Wodar says its Design+ Pro-Pull has been designed around this kind of real use. Delivering hot, cold, filtered and instant boiling water from a single fitting, it brings 4-in-1 functionality to the outdoor sink area while retaining the flexibility of a pull-out dual-spray head. Its pull-out feature allows the user to rinse down the sink, wash larger items and direct water more easily around the bowl, while the dual-spray supports everything from gentle rinsing to more practical clean-up. 

The tap is available across Wodar’s 4-in-1 finish offering, including Aged Brass, Brushed Brass, Brushed Copper, Brushed Nickel, Chrome, Dark Brass, Gun Metal Grey and Matt Black, allowing homeowners to co-ordinate the tap with cabinetry, worktops and outdoor finishes.

For outdoor kitchens, the Kubik Workstation Sink is particularly useful. Designed with accessories that slide and sit neatly within the sink, it allows the user to chop, rinse, drain and protect surfaces in one compact zone, freeing up worktop space in layouts where every inch matters. Accessories include a stainless steel soaker, stainless steel colander, solid ash chopping boards, folding roller mat and protective wire tray, each designed to work within the Kubik system.

Available in Brushed Stainless Steel, Brushed Brass, Gun Metal Grey, Brushed Copper, Matt Black, Aged Brass and Dark Brass, Kubik has been designed to co-ordinate with Wodar’s kitchen taps, boiling water taps and soap dispensers, helping the outdoor sink area feel as finished as the kitchen indoors.

“Outdoor kitchens and bars need to be beautiful, but they also need to be able to cope with proper use,” explains Michael “That means thinking carefully about the sink, tap, waste, worktop and finishes from the beginning. Stainless steel is a very practical material in this setting because it is durable, hygienic and straightforward to maintain, while a co-ordinated finish helps the whole area feel planned rather than added on at the end.”

When specifying a sink and tap for outside, weather exposure should be part of the design conversation from the outset. A covered or partially sheltered position will always help protect the installation, particularly from heavy rain, strong sunlight, frost and wind-driven debris. Finishes should be cleaned with gentle products, rinsed after exposure to salt, chlorine or acidic food residue, and dried regularly to reduce water marking.

Plumbing and electrics also need proper planning. An outdoor sink will require a suitable water supply, waste connection and drainage route, while a hot water tap system must be installed in line with the manufacturer’s guidance and relevant regulations. The boiler tank and filtration system should be housed in a dry, protected and ventilated location, with easy access for maintenance, filter changes and winter checks.

Electrical supply should always be installed using equipment specified for outdoor conditions, including weatherproof protection and residual current device safety. The same level of care should be given to water isolation, frost protection and pipework, particularly if the outdoor kitchen is likely to be used throughout the year.

As gardens continue to take on more of the role once reserved for the open-plan kitchen, Wodar says it offers retailers the ability to create an outdoor bar or kitchen that feels complete, capable and connected to the home.