Tips for Making an Outdoor Fireplace the Focal Point of Your Backyard in the Portsmouth, RI Area
A fire feature is often the main “creature comfort” that will make everyone comfortable outdoors in practically any season. An outdoor fireplace in particular is an excellent way to bring warmth to your outdoor living space, but it’s also a top choice for fire features that command attention. Here are five tips for making an outdoor fireplace the focal point of your backyard in the Portsmouth, RI area.
Location, Location, Location
Position your fireplace prominently if you want it to be a major focal point. This could be along the edge of a patio (to maintain good traffic flow) but avoid tucking it into a wooded corner with tall trees as a backdrop
Make It Bigger
If you want the fireplace in a corner, choose a larger outdoor fireplace structure and add on to it by extending the sides with seat walls, wood storage, a water feature, or even a wood-fired pizza oven.
Keep in mind that keeping your outdoor fireplace proportionate to the house is important. Don’t make it too tall if your home is a single-story ranch style. Don’t make it too wide, if your home is tall and narrow (such as a home with a walk-out basement). Your landscape designer can help you design an outdoor fireplace that complements your home yet stands alone as its own striking feature.
Make It Stand Out with Different Materials
Use the pavers (or natural stone) of the patio to draw the eye toward the fire. Instead of making the fire feature out of the same materials you’d use for a retaining wall or other vertical feature, use a different material. Create an integrated look by using the retaining wall/outdoor kitchen materials as accents. For example, a starkly modern concrete fireplace without any embellishments other than a chunky hearth made using the same materials as surrounding vertical elements, will be a visual knockout.
Use the Hearth and Mantle
The hearth and mantle are two opportunities to add prominence. Most outdoor fireplaces have weather-resistant stone mantles. Choose a style that is thicker than average; and elevate the fireplace itself on a taller hearth that invites you to sit and warm your back, rather than a low hearth.
Strategic Lighting
Even when the outdoor fireplace is burning in full force, it’s always important to include the space in your outdoor lighting design. Use spotlighting or uplighting/downlighting strategies to bring attention to the masonry structure even when the fireplace isn’t in use.
Open Vantage Points
The outdoor fireplace doesn’t need to be in the middle of an open patio to be a prominent feature of a landscape. Reduce the number of vertical elements near your outdoor fireplace and don’t block sight lines from the back door with large features such as a pergola. If you want to add the shelter of a fireside pergola, then treat the fireplace/pergola as one unit. Your fireplace won’t stand out on its own, but the pergola will - and it’ll be even more welcoming with the addition of fire.
Two Sides of an Outdoor Fireplace
An outdoor fireplace is usually a chamber that’s open on one side to spread heat and light in a semi-circle around the flame. However, some great outdoor fireplaces have two or even three sides fully open. This is a great option for a larger and potentially more dynamic outdoor living space as it can spread the heat and light uninterrupted in more than one direction. This type of fireplace will be positioned prominently in the center, acting as a “room divider.”
Related: Complement Your Bristol, RI Outdoor Kitchen With an Outdoor Fireplace