I’ve heard Granite is the best option. We are building a house in Florida with an outdoor kitchen and our builder says Granite is the way to go. Also, I’ve been told by many sources, neighbors and even appliance salespeople, those very expensive icemakers are almost guaranteed to break within a year. We originally wanted with an outdoor icemaker, now we decided against it.

Maybe if you live in the foothills of Los Angeles, place them under a porch roof and they won't get rained on, then they might last a couple of years. Any other climate/location and it will be a really bad idea. Can you use them in a basement or garage for extra storage?

My immediate thought is soapstone for this project. It can have the look and feel of having been there forever and is hearty enough to withstand almost anything you do to it or put on it. As an added bonus I think it would look spectacular with your cabinet choice. Of course other elements have to work with it as well. Your overall style, your flooring choice, window and trim styles etc. Here is a link to some colours available and note that they show both the natural colour and after it has been treated with oil. Both treated and untreated are foodsafe - it is a matter of preference. And here are some samples of soapstone with dark green cupboards so you might get an idea of how it would look in your space. Personally if I was choosing soapstone I'd put it everywhere, on the perimeter and the island. However, if you want to coordinate a different colour for the island maybe consider the soapstone for the island as a "centrepiece" star of the show and something else on the perimeter cabinets. Could be a white quartz type product or granite in a light colour with veining in a colour to coordinate with the soapstone.

Using space behind our garage where the oil tank used to be, getting a deck put in that will be roofed. Any ideas on what to do with it or a layout for an outdoor kitchen? We can get electrics brought to it, no water though. It's 4*3.6m