Every since we went to the Four Seasons resort in Vail, Colorado and experienced their amazing outdoor gas fireplace area, I have been wanting to add a similar feature to our own home. Spoiler alert, we did. These are photos of our brand new revamped backyard entertaining area featuring a large hearth, grand courtyard for large parties, outdoor chefs kitchen, and decorative fountain. When we first dreamed up this design, I was a bit worried that it would be mismatched and random, without much of a cohesive look. Our landscape designer suggested using coordinating concrete pavers to unify the space, and boy was he on to something. We utilized this material throughout the fireplace area, courtyard, and kitchen spot. Not only did it produce a very pretty result, but it was fairly inexpensive as well (a big bonus for my penny pinching wife). Then for the outdoor fireplace, we choose a coordinating stucco finish that blended perfectly with the pavers but conducted the heat very well throughout the neighboring sitting area.
An outdoor fire pit is such a fun addition to any backyard entertaining area no matter the size of your yard or the climate you live in. We recently had this unit added to the backyard of our lake house and could not be more pleased with how it turned out. Rather than using one of those rustic pit-stye designs we opted for a slightly more upscale gas fire pit table options that look like a combination of a coffee table and grill top. This actually turned out to be the perfect piece for our home because it gave us a lovely warm space to hide away on chilly evenings and also provided the perfect means to make smores and charred hotdogs on summer evenings. So far our family has enjoyed the new addition so much more than we ever would have dreamed of. In fact, we are now considering adding a full outdoor fireplace on the opposite side of our patio to provide even more warmth and increase the cozy ambience we have begun creating. I would definitely recommend taking the plunge to anybody who is currently on the fence.
An outdoor fireplace is definitely on our list of must haves for the new home. Admittedly, I don't think that our yard will be very large so we may have to settle for a patio fire pit like this, but regardless I think that the natural flames will make such a cozy outdoor entertaining area. If we can't fit a full fireplace, a smaller table option would actually be quite pretty especially if we also buy a new furniture set to coordinate with it like this designer did. I have heard that a propane fire pit is actually pretty easy to maintain, even for beginners, and not very expensive to instal. I would like a nice bronze version like the one in the pictures because it is traditional yet has a modern twist that I think will go nicely with our Cape Cod architecture. The cute string lights was a really nice touch as well.
Ever since I was a little kid I have been so intrigued with fire. Yes, this may make me sound like an arsonist but it really has been an innocent fascination. One of the first elements I wanted to add to my new bachelor pad was a fire pit table. I figured that I can do so many things with a feature like this, from cozying up to a date on a cold evening, to grilling a huge ribeye with my buddies. The thought of it seemed perfect. When I approached my landscape designer with the idea he definitely agreed, but suggested that I look into an outdoor gas fire pit instead due to their versatility, simplicity to maintain, and fairly low cost. After doing a little googling and seeing what he was talking about, the decision was a no brainer. As you can see from the photos, I added a couple of fire elements to my patio area. There is a pit design just like I had originally imagined, as well as a larger outdoor fireplace to accommodate larger gatherings, and a smaller flame detail in tiki torches around the pool area.
When our builder told us that a patio fireplace would be a fantastic bonus feature to our new home, I went along with his suggestion but did not really think it would be all that wonderful. Well I was totally wrong! After finally moving into our home, we are finding ourselves out here every single evening enjoying a relaxing fire bundled on the couch. The fireplace stone blends perfectly with the slightly rustic architectural style that we chose for the exterior but is neutral enough to blend well with any color palette we decide on inside. If you are on the fence about adding an outdoor fireplace to your patio, I definitely think that you can't go wrong by adding one of these.
One of our most requested projects of 2022 has been installing an outdoor wood burning fireplace into existing backyard entertaining centers. I certainly see the draw of one of these features -- they are a gorgeous and impressive architectural element, plus they serve a great purpose heating those gathering areas that you may not be able to typically use during colder months. Fortunately, this project is one that is actually a lot easier than it looks. I know that this impressive brick fireplace looks like it took months to design and build, but it was actually quite simple. The key to these designs is determining how large of a hearth you require to heat your desired area. For some a small fire pit will do, whereas others require a much larger outdoor fireplace. If you are willing to spend a bit more money, I highly suggest adding on a neighboring grill or pizza oven like we did in this house, just to make that outdoor entertaining area even more fun for friends and family.
