3 Excellent Materials to Complement an Outdoor Fireplace in Middletown and Barrington RI Areas

3 Excellent Materials to Complement an Outdoor Fireplace Middletown RI and Barrington RI Areas

Outdoor fireplaces are important focal points that naturally create a gathering space. They are prominent landscape features and the materials they’re made with, as well as surrounding materials, should be chosen with care. Here are 3 excellent materials to complement an outdoor fireplace in Middletown and Barrington, RI, areas.

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The Fireplace: Natural Stone, Natural Stone Veneer, or Manufactured Stone

Take inspiration from your home to determine the types of materials to use on an outdoor fireplace. However, use the home as a starting point. You can use masonry to make the fireplace feel more relaxed or more sophisticated with the right choice of materials.

For example, if your home features brick siding, a tumbled block fireplace with brick accents could work to make the space feel more casual than if you chose an all-brick fireplace. A contemporary home with wood or composite siding could be dressed up with a fireplace that features large bluestone slab veneer. 

Or, your fireside experience could be made more casual with a rustic natural stacked fieldstone fireplace (you can also use a manufactured stone veneer to achieve the same look).

Natural stone provides unparalleled character, whether you’re choosing to construct the fireplace using stone, or adding a stone veneer to a concrete block fireplace. With natural stone, you can be sure that your fireplace will be one-of-a-kind. 

Decorative concrete veneers are popular options for homeowners who want to mimic the look of natural stone but want expanded color and texture choices and less complex installation. Fire-safe concrete blocks are used to build the structure of the fireplace, which is then faced with a veneer of your choice.

Concrete veneer allows you to achieve a tumbled quarry stone look in more colors than you might find with locally available natural tumbled stone. 

You can also mix materials to achieve the look you want. A fireplace made of tumbled blocks (concrete) can be made exceptional using a natural sandstone hearth and mantel. A mantel can be made with ledge stones or wood (which will require regular sealing). 

When it comes to creating a unified look, you could use the same materials on the fireplace as on other vertical features such as retaining walls or outdoor kitchens.

Amenities and Custom Accents: Natural Stone, Natural Stone Veneers, or Manufactured Stone

Masonry allows for virtually unlimited creativity. Even fireplace kits can be made to look custom by adding personalized decorative inlays, light sconces, niches, a mantel and hearth, wood storage, or even a wood-fired pizza oven. 

Amenities like pizza ovens or firewood storage can be made using the same materials, which can also be carried through to the rest of the hardscape.

Accents such as mantels and hearths can be constructed using natural stone or manufactured stone.

Creating a Unique Focal Point or Integrated Focal Point

A fireplace can be a stand-alone focal point if you use unique materials (for example, bluestone on an otherwise tumbled paver patio). This could be a good option if a fireplace is the only vertical masonry feature in your landscape. 

Or, a fireplace can blend seamlessly into your hardscape if you use the same materials for other vertical elements. Tumbled pavers and blocks are popular options, often accented with brick.

To recap, fireplace materials themselves can be natural stone (ideal if you want a fireplace made entirely from stone); concrete block with a natural stone veneer; or concrete block with a manufactured stone (concrete) veneer. Amenities and accessories can also be made using any combination of the same materials.

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