Art Smith's Backyard Kitchen

At first, he wanted only a simple cooking area. "Then I thought, Wouldn't it be great to have a wood-fired oven?" He eventually added a gas grill and a wok/cooker by Viking, a Wood Stone tandoor, a John Boos hardwood workstation, a sink, a porch with a fountain, a pond with 15 koi, a deck, three birch trees, seating for 16, and a vegetable garden.

Art found his outdoor sink, which is made from a block of travertine, at a closeout sale.

"There's just something special about cooking and eating outside," he says. "I don't care if it's just a hot dog: If you make it outside, it tastes better."