Sometimes, an interior designer may be hired to help with home decor styling decisions. Of course, many people enjoy making these decisions themselves. However, when you want an outdoor fireplace, making choices for your backyard is a bit trickier. While a fire feature makes a great backyard focal point, how do you design the space around this centerpiece?
That is where this guide is here to assist you. This guide is going to take you through the step-by-step process of how to plan a perfect outdoor retreat to match your outdoor fireplace ideas.
This Guide Will Cover:
- What Is The Function of The Outdoor Living Area? – It is vital to understand the purpose and function of the space you are designing.
- What Are Outdoor Rooms and How Do You Create Them? – We cover different outdoor room ideas you might want to use.
- Which Outdoor Living Space Tasks Are DIY and Which Need Professional Help? – We highlight a few tasks you may want to hire out to others.
- How Does The Climate Affect Design Ideas For Your Backyard Patio or Outdoor Area? – Weather and temperature are two important factors to consider for your backyard designs.
- How Do You Pick The Best Color Palette For an Outdoor Fireplace Area? – We highlight the importance of a limited color palette.
- Does The Use of Texture Create a Visual Shift Around a Modern Outdoor Fireplace? – How textures can be used to guide the eye within the space.
- What Are Some Different Outdoor Fireplace Designs and Styles? – We break down common outdoor fireplace options.
- Is an Indoor Electric Fireplace a Better Investment Than An Outdoor Fireplace? – This section discusses why an indoor fireplace is a better choice.
- Why Should a MagikFlame Fireplace Be Installed In Your Living Room? – For indoor fireplaces, we explain why MagikFlame is the brand to select.
What Is The Function of The Outdoor Living Area?
Before you even begin to design the area, you need to consider what it will be used for. Without a plan of how the space will be used, you don’t know what features to include.
Do you want a simple fire pit area to roast some delicious marshmallows with your family? Are you planning to host outdoor parties? Are you interested in an alfresco outdoor dining area? Do you plan on just having a small sitting area to relax? Do you have a nearby swimming pool that will be tied to your design?
When designing indoor areas, the features, furniture, and more are all based on the function of the room that it is in. This is also the same principle when you are designing outdoor spaces. The way that you intend to use your outdoor retreat will dictate your design choices including fireplace type, furniture, and more. Think about the activities you plan to do the most in your backyard and use that as your starting foundation when designing it.
What Are Outdoor Rooms and How Do You Create Them?
Now that you have figured out the function of the area, it is time to create your outdoor rooms. Conceptualizing your outdoor spaces into rooms will help you understand what features you will be using. Some designs won’t look anything like rooms but will be more open. This is if you choose to put a fireplace in the center of a beautiful garden or something similar. However, if you have a very specific purpose or function for your backyard, then basing the design on a room is a great idea.
Let’s imagine you want a space to simply sit, relax, and converse with friends or family. Then you would want to design an outdoor living room. An outdoor living room can be in an open space or on a covered outdoor patio. You will want need to choose your outdoor furniture options. A comfortable place to sit is important. You can have outdoor couches, chairs, benches, and more. A nice coffee table to place drinks is also a great idea.
What if you like to cook outside? Then building an outdoor kitchen is a great use of the space. You can build a sink, install an outdoor stove, put in a barbeque grill, and even make a stone outdoor pizza oven. You’ll want to make sure that you have plenty of countertop space for preparing ingredients. You also need storage space for your outdoor cooking utensils, pots, pans, and dishes. Nearby, it is a good idea to have a small area to grow fresh herbs for cooking. This doesn’t need to be a full garden. You can grow them in small planters right on the countertop of your outdoor kitchen.
Regardless if you planning on building a kitchen outdoors or not, an outdoor eating area can be a wonderful idea. This allows you to enjoy the fresh area while eating with your family. For an outdoor eating area, you’ll want a sizable table and plenty of seating. It may also be a good idea to cover it with a pergola or something similar. This provides you some shade while you eat on particularly sunny days. Additionally, consider using an outdoor insect candle while eating to keep away mosquitos and other pests. Remember that nearby stagnant water will often attract more of these insects.
Which Outdoor Living Space Tasks Are DIY and Which Need Professional Help?
If you are embarking on a large home improvement project like having a home builder construct an additional room, you’ve definitely needed an architect. However, what types of professionals are needed for outdoor spaces?
Your specific skills, experience, and capabilities will play a large part in how many tasks you can handle for your outdoor design. You need to make note of the things that you have experience doing in the past. For anything that you are unsure of how to do, do a video search on YouTube for tutorials. Once you see it being done, you may have a better indication if it is a task you can do yourself. However, don’t be fooled. Some tutorials have professionals that make things look easy. Be sure to check and see how amateurs have done with the same job.
Unless you are already an expert in a particular field, certain jobs will definitely yield better results when you hire a professional. This can be things like hardscaping and some of the more difficult landscaping. For outdoor kitchens, any plumbing or gas line installation should be handled by professionals as well. For installation of the outdoor fireplace, some may need a professional while others may not. A simple wood fire pit is something most people can build themselves. However, if you are using gas as your fuel source, then you’ll want to consider a professional for that too.
How Does The Climate Affect Design Ideas For Your Backyard Patio or Outdoor Area?
Climate affects backyard and patio ideas, including when outdoor fireplaces are used. For instance, if you have some beautiful Mediterranean weather for most of the year, you have more freedom in your choices. However, if you are living somewhere with col winters like upstate New York, you’ll need to design things accordingly. In colder areas, a patio fireplace under a covered patio will be smarter. This will help to hold in all of that heat that is produced by the fireplace. It also protects the fireplace from snowfall.
If you live in an area that is particularly windy, you want things features that are solid and won’t get knocked over easily. You should avoid things like a beautiful outdoor chandelier if strong winds are an issue in your area.
Does it rain a lot where you live? Consider using less metal that can rust and look bad over time. Instead, focus on materials that are weather-resistant and will still look good as they age.
If you get a lot of intense sunlight where you live, make sure to have proper shade. Even if it is cooler out, too much direct sunlight can cause sunburns.
The climate is also going to dictate the plants and vegetation of your backyard area. You’ll want to choose plants that thrive in your environment. Even the grass is a part of this consideration. Some types of grass do better in certain environments than others. Certain flowers will also thrive more in some parts of the country versus other parts. Additionally, consider if you want different plants and flowers for different seasons. Your outdoor garden design is important if you enjoy the greenery.
How Do You Pick The Best Color Palette For an Outdoor Fireplace Area?
It is always better to go with a more limited and minimalist color palette for modern backyards. Adding too many bright and contrasting colors will make the space look confusing and tacky. Instead, try a simple color palette with one or two matching colors. You want to make sure that the colors work with the surrounding colors of nature. If you want bright colors, let the flowers and the plants surrounding your outdoor spaces provide most of the color. The colors of your furniture and other features should be complementary rather than the star of the show.
Also, you need to consider the materials you will be using and how that affects the color. Stainless steel might look great for an indoor kitchen, but it is hard to pull off outdoors. Instead, you can try something like Corten. Corten steel is a type of weathered steel. It is engineered to have a beautiful natural rust or patina color, eliminating the need for painting or other treatment.
You also need to consider the types of wood that you will be using around your designs. Are you going to use rustic dark woods with a deep grain? If you have a lot of greenery surrounding your fireplace area, you can use tropical hardwood. Teak is a good choice. An outdoor teak table will a slightly reddish hue will look great to balance the deep surrounding greenery.
Does The Use of Texture Create a Visual Shift Around a Modern Outdoor Fireplace?
The texture is something that is often overlooked with backyard designs. However, texture creates a visual shift and guides the eye throughout the space just as much as color does. The contrast between two different textures allows these elements to create interesting shapes and can direct the eye towards the fireplace. For example, if you have a patio with smooth stone and clean lines, this might be too similar to the stone electric fireplace you are installing. However, if you have a beautiful wood deck, the contrast of the texture between the deck and the stonework of the fireplace can look great.
Consider all of the materials you’ll be using. How can you differentiate the texture between main features to both complement and contrast at the same time? If you have a kitchen area, try using beautiful tiles to bring out the stone texture of the pizza oven. If you have several leafy, hanging plants, use a rich wood backing on one side of your covered patio. Instead of pouring boring concrete, consider how you can texture the concrete to make it more interesting.
What Are Some Different Outdoor Fireplace Designs and Styles?
The best outdoor fireplace for you and your outdoor area might be different than what is best for someone else. Regardless, it is important to be aware of the different modern outdoor fireplaces that are available.
The most common modern outdoor fireplace is a fire pit. A fire pit can burn wood, or it can be a modern fire pit that uses gas. An outdoor fire pit, just like an indoor gas fireplace, can use different types of fuel. A gas fireplace or fire pit will often use natural gas from your house utilities or propane tanks that need to be changed regularly. There are also simple tabletop fireplaces that use ethanol, but these aren’t as powerful for heating.
For gas fireplaces, you can use a fire bowl or a fire table. A fire table looks great with fire rocks, however, a fire bowl can be decorated with colorful fire glass to match the colors around the area.
Is an Indoor Electric Fireplace a Better Investment Than An Outdoor Fireplace?
While an outdoor fireplace can be fun, you can’t use it all year. Instead, a better idea is to invest in an electric indoor fireplace. Electric fireplaces in your home have all of the beauty and warmth of traditional fireplaces without any of the hassles that come with them. Electric fireplaces are easy to install, there is no mess involved with them, and you don’t have to worry about chopping wood.
Why Should a MagikFlame Fireplace Be Installed In Your Living Room?
MagikFlame electric fireplaces have many great models. They have a selection of freestanding mantel packages that have a timeless design. They also offer an electric insert. an electric insert can be installed into the firebox of your existing fireplace to convert it. Additionally, this versatile model can be used with a custom model.
All MagikFlame fireplaces feature:
- Ultrarealistic Fire Effects That Look Real
- Crackling Log Sounds To Fully Immerse You
- 5,200 BTU Heat To Keep You Warm
- Smartphone App To Control Every Feature
