I think a rectangle patio is more practical, especially for grilling and seating. Plus, you get corners to decorate with.

The pavers sound pretty, I've always liked them But I remember growing up in a house with a stone patio and everytime I tried to lay in the sun on a lawn chair, it would always rock. lol.

Depends. Will it be an extension of the house? Or out in the "yard" so to speak? Will their be rectilinear paths around the patio and yard, or free flowing curves? I remember from other pictures your house is somewhat geometric and has lots of angles with windows, etc. So I think a square patio will work for you. And if you plan to place it away from the house, a round one would work.

I was working on a sketch last night and came up with an idea for mine, a kidney bean shape with a water feature in the depression. Sort of two shapeless blobs, but my paths are curved with no straight lines.

I think the shape depends upon the integration with your house/garden. Whatever works for you! :-) I like all shapes.

My patios are rectangular because that's the shape that fit with the areas. Our dining patio had to fit our large, rectangular teak dining furniture. The waterfall patio had to tuck into a right-angle corner created by our house and gable wing. We recently widened the path connecting the two patios so that we have a garden bench and two planters there for more seating.

I like flagstone (or other moveable pieces) because it is so easy to work with for a DIY project.

Since you are wanting an outdoor kitchen, those fixtures that you mention would have to all fit in a circle for a round design and still leave you with space for a (round) table or other seating.

We have a separate grilling deck off the kitchen for the outdoor cooking. It's a summer heat issue and personal preference -- we don't want to sit by the grill when we eat. Also, by having our grilling deck off the kitchen, it is an extension of our indoor kitchen. My husband grills year-round (including the Thanksgiving turkey) and likes to be close to where I am fixing all the other food.

Cameron

I prefer the round shape - seems to have a better flow of energy. At least that's what I chose in my garden.

Our patio will be off of our small deck. The deck is rectangular. However I do want, up in the back (visible from the deck) a circular deck built into the grade of the land (which slopes into the property slightly). This will be a landing pad for a "hot" and cold tub. I don't need a pool, but I'd like to be able to jump into water after a hard days work (and I no longer use a tub indoors). Round is a shape that would work well up there so I originally was thinking of echoing that shape.
As for pavers, I will use just the plain, cheap concrete style. Which may sound odd (so many people get rid of them) however, they are very 50's/60's and that is the look I am going for. Our furniture is coming from a friend, and it's all vintage. Our outdoor kitchen will not be (are you shocked?) what most people would have. A small adobe oven for baking, an "open" adobe "grill" instead of a typical BBQ and a side area with two burners - sort of like a vintage wood stove idea (I'm even thinking of finding an iron stove top and old burners to build into this idea). Off to another side will be the "island" so we can have an area to use for dry ice cooling if needed, a utility sink (hooked up to a hose) for washing vegetables and a small prep area. The tables and chairs are all rounded shapes.
But you are right Token, everything else is very linear at our house. There will be slightly more flowing areas in the back: the dry creek will have some very gentle bends, there will be a round-ish dry pond, I bought an arbor with four sides that is rounded to put a hammock under. I think the cistern field will be a round shape too for simplicity. There are paths planned, they will be casual and not purposefully windy but gentle, not perfectly straight but close to it.
Again, in my mind I had a rounded shape for a patio here but then I though that might not be conducive to having casual seating areas. There maybe be a small table, but it might be more of several chairs and side tables. We have another area close by with a rectangular table and 4 chairs on a retangular patio coming as well, but you won't be able to see that from the deck patio.

Rectangular or squares. I foresee that to set up a rounded patio, you will need a larger area in order to set up your furnishings. Inevitably you will be limited in setting up your furniture in the center or set up against the outer edges of the area, because any other way would look a bit odd. In contrast, its not as limiting with regards to squares or rectangles.

Your outdoor kitchen sounds wonderful! I hope you are going to invite us all over for dinner, right? ;-)

First of all, I agree with Ianna about the circle. It sound great, but I think it might be a little hard to get around. I think there is something to be said for both pavers and poured concrete.
With concrete you do not have to lay down individual pavers. And, as you said, there isn't anything to stumble over since it is all even (unless it isn't poured right!). Nothing will grow on it since there are no cracks (though I personally like a little greenery inbetween my pavers).
But I suppose there are downsides. There is a large slab of concrete in my back yard that was suppose to be for parking cars. It has become very cracked and uneven over the years. Don't know if the initial cracks came from tree roots or minor earthquakes. Then water got in there and froze over the winter, making them bigger (I don't think you will have to worry about that in GA though!).

I have a paver patio. Even though I used weed-barrier material things are still growing on it. I don't mind that much, it softens the look of hard concrete. It has become quite uneven, but I just wedge things under the leg of the table. The only thing I wish I had thought out better was the placement. It is in shade for the whole day except around dinner time. So I have to sit under the shady maples at dinner. But it's not a big deal since I don't entertain much.

So I guess it just depends on what you like and what would be easiest for you! Make sure to show pics of this new are once it is completed. That adobe grill sounds awesome! Can you bake bread in it too?
CMK

Why not have a rectangular patio with an intersecting circular seating area? You could elevate one or the other and even use different materials.

My husband and I recently set up a small squared deck and it worked out so well with furnishings that include a circular table and umbrella. And if we wish, we could set up living room style lounge chairs with a rectangular table, etc.. My point is, it's squares and rectangular shaped patios work best. Later, if you wish to expand, you could add pavers extend the patio into yet another shape. I am planning to do the same thing with my platform type deck - connecting it with the house with interlocking.

I have a suggestion that is none of the above. :-)

I have an irregular large "bean" shaped (think oval, wider at each end) stamped and dyed concrete patio that runs the width of the back of my house. Of course this is my personal opinion, but I think it is great for a cottage style garden. If you can imagine, each of the wider ends of the "bean" are easily large enough for a 6 person patio table, one side is a little larger and could accommodate a table that would seat 8 or 10. In your case, I could see having one side devoted to your outdoor kitchen and the other to seating. The space in the middle of the "bean" is open space which is great mingling space at a bbq and room for kids to run around (if you have them). Mine is lined on two sides by grass and two sides by plant beds and I love how the plants follow the curve of the patio. I am very happy with the concrete for a level ground, easy to clean off, not having to maintain the gaps like I do on my flagstone paths.

Ianna, you've probably answered most of my questions. I like the idea of the "bean shaped" patio, but I do not think it's going to go in this place - it may actually be what works best for the hot tub deck, because the tub could be on one side and the other side for seating. I'm leaning towards pavers but will speak to the contractor. I may not be allowed to pour concrete (mine won't crack, he'll see to it!) - because I'd need another permit and the city is being very ridiculous about the whole thing. The other aspect is that then there is permeable water around the edges of the patio for the plantings. A rectangle of patio is certainly easier to lay than a circle - circle will require cutting, and a higher expense of man power and renting equipment.
CMK, the adobe oven is for breads and pizza. I bake my own bread (currently using a bread maker but want to starting doing it outside as much as I can). There is a gal in our neighborhood who is a master pizza maker, and we love to get together for pizza bakes. Lots of fun folks live around here!
Today on one of the discount remodel shows on HDTV they showed integration of a rather cheap BBQ grill into a it's own kitchen set up. That was exactly what I want, just adobe sides instead of wood (purple adobe!!). Nothing fancy, just pretty and useable!

Well glad to have helped out with ideas.