With more and more homeowners looking to take advantage of their outdoor living spaces each year, features like outdoor fireplaces are becoming increasingly popular. In addition to making it possible to entertain friends and family outside for longer each season, outdoor fireplaces also pack a big punch in terms of landscape design. When integrated correctly, an outdoor fireplace can easily become the focal point in any outdoor living design. Want one that both suits your design style and encourages you to get cozy, any time of year? Draw out your creative side with these 10 outdoor fireplace design ideas to ensure maximum coziness for your patio spaces.
Outdoor Living, Indoor Style
Recreate indoor living room comfort by surrounding your outdoor fireplace with inviting details such as a deep sectional sofa, coffee table, and an outdoor area rug. Make the space usable for more weeks each year by situating your hearth on a patio with a roof overhead, allowing you to get cozy during those crisp autumn evenings. Incorporate homey elements into your fireplace design: durable light fixtures, warm outdoor fabrics, quaint landscape art, and a light-catching mirror above the mantle all work spectacularly.
Rounded Forms
Harness the smooth, curved shape of an outdoor fireplace to create the ultimate backyard retreat. An earthy, natural setting beautifully complements this outdoor fireplace design. Spread crushed rock or pebbles around the area, and encircle your cobblestone fireplace with sturdy outdoor chairs and rustic patio furniture. Natural materials work best for this design idea and when put in the hands of professionals they become true landscape works of art.
Get Cozy with Built-in Seating
Enjoy your outdoor fireplace from the comfort of clever, built-in seating. Incorporate plenty of sitting space into your fireplace design with retaining seat walls, whose “L” shapes provide back support for hours of relaxation. Finish of the stone seat walls with lush cushions and pillows sporting outdoor fabrics in warm and inviting colors. Incorporating built-in seating walls means that even after all the outdoor furniture has been packed away for the season, impromptu gatherings are still possible!
For more inspiration for outdoor seating areas, check out the Unilock Design Ideas Catalog here.
Take a Trip to Mexico
Draw inspiration from the relaxed, welcoming charm of a Mexican-themed outdoor fireplace design. Ideas include an adobe fireplace inlaid with brick, decorative concrete ornamented with hand painted tile, woven rugs, and vibrant, colorful pottery. Consider Unilock Natural Stone line in buffs and tans for the patio materials. For a truly authentic feel, construct a traditional kiva, which not only provides warmth, but, when built with the appropriate features, can be used as an alternative cooking device.
Contemporary Outdoor Fireplace Design Ideas
Take cues from contemporary design experts and construct an industrial-style outdoor fireplace using stainless steel, Brazilian hardwoods, and clean-lined concrete retaining walls like Unilock Lineo Dimensional Stone or Belmuro Wall. Sleek angles and minimalist forms enhance the look, as does matte or glossy stone facing. Create burn markings on your outdoor fireplace and incorporate a strategically impactful burst of color to make the space pop.
Go Bold with Stone
Nothing contributes to a grand but cozy design for your outdoor fireplace like an impressive stone façade. If your space allows, build an expansive natural stone fireplace characterized by sweeping horizontal lines. A large, firebox opening and ornate ironwork overhanging the mantle will increase its awe-factor. Concrete retaining walls like the Unilock Rivercrest Wall are a great choice as they mimic the look and feel of natural stone, but also bring the dimensional consistency prized by installers.
Tuscan Design
Design a pleasant focal point with cultured stone veneer and sandstone capping, and surround your fireplace with water features for an intimate feel. Unilock Natural Stone pavers and traditional brick walls define the area, while Mediterranean plants such as Italian cypress, lavender, and rosemary add beauty and pleasant fragrances to your outdoor living space.
Stylishly Traditional
Lounge in grace and ease with a traditional design. Center your outdoor space on a classic brick fireplace, extending its hearth well beyond the firebox opening. Cozy furniture will help draw people into the space, as will traditional garden features like edible plantings, boxwood shrubs, and wooden latticework. Complete the design style with a traditional backyard barbecue grill, picket fencing, and an antique stone mill fountain. As the foundation for a successful space, consider using Unilock Beacon Hill Flagstone pavers with an accent and inlay of the brick-like Copthorne paver.
Local Materials for a Cozy Design
Practice your resourcefulness by gathering local wood and stone to assemble your outdoor fireplace. Design ideas include tall, irregularly-shaped natural stone facing, rich and rustic wooden furniture, and decorative features composed of materials found only in your area. Is your home situated in a beachy region? Collect seashells and string them along your outdoor fireplace mantle. If a rugged cabin style is more your taste, consider adorning your outdoor space with gorgeous local river stones.
Seeing Double
Create a wow-worthy outdoor space with a double-sided outdoor fireplace, which provides warmth and aesthetic pleasure from two angles. When built underneath or incorporated into a covered patio, this design idea allows you to get cozy by your outdoor fireplace underneath the protection of an overhanging ceiling, or in the open air. For a truly unique option, install a see-through style and savor an unblocked view from either side.
