Light & Shade

A partnership between Caribbean Blinds and Grillo is an outdoor cooking and entertaining solution for all seasons, as ISABELLE GRAY discovers

Ask Stuart Dantzic, managing director of Caribbean Blinds, how the company got its name, and he offers two stories: either a nod to the Caribbean’s holiday appeal in 1987 when the company launched, or the result of a blindfolded pin drop on a map. Either way, the name felt spot on in the heat of the late afternoon sun at its event in partnership with Grillo
Outdoor Kitchens.

Specialising in premium louvered pergolas, the award-winning company has joined forces with Grillo, a leading outdoor kitchen brand, to create a new pergola that allows cooks to be at the centre of the party at all times, and in all weathers. Founded in 2018, Grillo specialises in design-led outdoor kitchens that combine the beauty and durability of iroko hardwood
with heavy-gauge, marine-grade cabinetry.

Of the collaboration, Dantzic says: “It will elevate the whole outdoor entertaining experience for clients. Grilling throughout the seasons has never looked so good.”

Grillo managing director, Dougal Donald, adds: “Caribbean Blinds has developed a top- quality, sturdy pergola, colour- and size-matched for Grillo kitchens – a great solution for our clients.”

I got to experience a small taste of this when I visited the Caribbean Blinds Dream Gardens show site in Suffolk for the launch. The combination of summer sun, drinks, chilled from the built-in fridges of the Grillo kitchen, and homemade pizzas fresh from the DeliVita oven all came together as a perfect reminder of the joys of outdoor entertaining, and being entertained.

Standing at the helm of the Grillo kitchen’s ceramic Gusto charcoal BBQ, shaded by the pergola’s canopy, I was able to cast my mind back to BBQs and dinner parties of my own, and immediately recognised why this is the dream set-up for outdoor dining and hosting.

When it comes to hosting outdoor get-togethers, much of the time spent prepping, cooking, and fetching drinks often takes place away from the guests. The chatter of friends’ voices and clink of glasses drifting in from outside can sometimes make hosting feel like an isolating experience. But this is an outdoor living product that ensures that the host can remain at the heart of the party.

Motorised louvres on the roof rotate through 150°, stopping at any angle to balance light and shade, or fully closed a to provide weatherproof protection from the elements. When this is combined with the versatility of Grillo’s modular kitchen layout, it becomes the ideal setting to cook, eat, and entertain in one beautifully designed space.

Matching with Grillo’s signature black finish, the pergolas come in three sizes designed to accommodate Grillo’s most popular kitchen layouts. With the option for custom size pergolas, or the addition of sun screens, heating and built-in LED lighting, as well as features of the Grillo kitchen that could include gas or charcoal BBQs (or both), sleek built-in cabinets, a sink suite, seating options and more, there’s endless scope for the space, and memories, you could create.

This collaboration between the two brands renowned for their high-quality, British-made outdoor living products offers their customers the opportunity to craft an outdoor cooking and dining area that’s greater than the sum of its parts.