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Design 101
10 Fire Pit Ideas To Elevate Your Outdoor Living
November 07, 2024
If your outdoor living spaces are unused or uninspiring, it’s time to change that and breathe new life into your property. Modern living is all about bringing indoor relaxation outside, making these outdoor spaces as important as your home’s interior features. Here are 10 fire pit ideas to liven up your yard.
Create a Boho Vibe
If you love bohemian design, extend that laid-back vibe to your fire pit area. You can add a set of colorful resin wicker chairs around a metal fire pit table, complete with outdoor cushions and boho hanging swing chairs. For textile decor, consider outdoor rugs, mismatched pillows, and a few rock accents.
Do you have a covered balcony or pergola-covered patio? You can take this look to perfection with a stunning Tibetan or Moroccan-style pendant lamp.
Go Minimalist With a Stone Fire Bowl
Sometimes less is more. When you’re searching for outdoor fire pit ideas, you can’t go wrong with a curved fire bowl, natural decor, and streamlined furniture. The rounded design of the fire pit provides contrast with the sleek shape of an outdoor sectional or seating set. To bring a touch of greenery around the seating area, add potted plants in a few groupings. This keeps to the minimalist design while letting nature take its place.
Welcome the Angles
Other backyard fire pit ideas get a bit more boxy — in a good way — with attractive angular designs. This fire pit design uses plenty of straight lines in your seating sets, including low-profile outdoor couches, sprawling sectionals, or adjustable Adirondack chairs. Pairing them with a rectangular or concrete fire pit box adds layered dimension, where each angle plays off another. For an intriguing contrast, you could install a privacy wall built of hexagonal tiles.
Bring Modern Chic to Your Fire Pit
If you’ve been curious about modern chic decor, now is the perfect time to try it out! Using a neutral color palette and luxury-style fabrics, you can add a touch of sophistication and glamour to your outdoor living space.
This look might start with a round, triangular, or square fire pit in a classically elegant black finish. Surrounding the fire pit, you could add black or gray chairs with metal frames, geometric patterns, and luxuriously comfy cushions. A few metallic, heavy-base lights can illuminate the pathway or serve as a reflective feature in the fire’s glow.
Add Rustic Charm
You can’t go wrong with a rustic design. Wooden outdoor tables with bench-style seating and an oversized, layered stone pit can show off the best of rustic fire pit ideas. Furniture should be large, sturdy, and simple, although a few intricate details could show off the maker’s unique style. This style is also full of cozy rugs and other textiles, so deck out your patio area with outdoor furnishings in warm, inviting tones.
Incorporate Natural Accents
If your yard has plenty of square footage, put that space to use as a gorgeous natural backdrop. You can install a landscape of native plants and leave a central area for cozy, casual seating and a stone fire pit. Surrounded by low-profile shrubs, grasses, and native flowers, you’ll enjoy the sights and sounds of wildlife settling in as your evening fire pit comes to life.
Pro tip: In such a natural setting, opt for a gas-powered fire pit to prevent any embers or sparks from traveling.
Create a Country Garden Oasis
If you’ve always loved secret garden escapes, create your own romantic spot with a country garden fire pit. Patio fire pit ideas work exceptionally well here since you can use one exterior wall of your home as part of the seclusion. You’ll want to find wrought-iron or black-finished metal chairs with plenty of scalloped details and a fire pit that can blend into the background details. Soft cushions on your patio furniture give plenty of comfort, while string lights hung off a pergola or around the seating area add a touch of magic.
Bring In the French Bistro
For continental charm, you could turn your backyard into a quaint outdoor French café. To complete this look for your outdoor living area, you’ll need bistro-style rattan chairs, natural or painted wood side tables, and a casual fire pit. Additional decor like planter boxes and serving trays can make your fire pit perfect for day or evening delights. For colors, you’ll mostly want to aim for muted tones such as beige or dusty blue to soften the ambiance. Materials can range from soft and cozy textiles to wood and rattan.
Build an Urban Oasis
Backyards don't have to be big to make an impact. If your yard is limited, you can create a city oasis decked out in tropical foliage and textiles. This look is best for a covered balcony or patio, where the extra coverage creates more of a rainforest effect. To build your urban oasis, start with outdoor furniture with a foliage pattern, or choose a white or light gray solid print and add a vibrant outdoor rug. A rounded fire pit can be a central focal piece. Surround the space with plenty of potted plants with big, tropical leaves.
Set Up a Poolside Escape
In-ground pools can make the perfect accompaniment to a fire pit escape and let you dream up plenty of fire pit seating ideas. Your lounge chairs and couches should be perfectly pool-worthy, with low-profile sides that give you a great view, while fire pits could be anything from casual stone to refined metal and match the pool's vibe. If your pool deck is more casual, opt for a fire pit with laid-back wood or rattan framing. For elegant pool areas with refined lighting and polished finishes, you'd be better off with a sleek-lined rectangular fire pit. A raised fire pit bar could also show off the poolside relaxation.
Pairing Seating With Your Fire Pit
The fire pit is the cornerstone of your new outdoor space, but there’s something that’s just as important to creating a cohesive atmosphere: the seating.
From rustic benches made from natural materials to elaborate sofas with plenty of cushioning, it all starts with considering which style you’re going for. Is it a more laid-back, cozy ambiance, or a minimalist, modern look?
For the former, try to go for benches, chairs, or stools with natural finishes and materials. Throw in some cushions and blankets to add that extra sense of comfort and pair everything with some boho decor.
For a more modern look, you can opt for minimalist seats, such as brutalist benches and rustic stone sofas. Although they may not be as comfortable, they are a fantastic choice for creating a cohesive look and feel.
Whatever you end up choosing, always make sure you consider the fact that everything will be outdoors.
Going for weatherproof fabrics and materials can help you keep your furniture for years on end. Similarly, fade-resistant textiles prevent you from having to change your cushions and blankets every year or so.
Where To Buy Fire Pits in Your Favorite Style
Fire pits can be found anywhere, from specialized outdoor stores to broad furniture vendors. But with so many options available, finding the perfect fire pit can be challenging and overwhelming. Stores such as Lowes, Woodland Direct, or B&Q all offer fantastic options at a wide range of prices. Even companies such as Amazon or Walmart can get you out of a pinch if you don’t mind not shopping at a specialized store. However, if you’re anything like us, you’ll want a specialized service tailored to your needs. And that’s exactly where furniture.com comes in, providing accessible online shopping and more fire pit styles than you can probably imagine.
Quick Fire Pit Tips
We all love decorating our outdoor spaces — but knowing a few of the best practices for having a fire pit can go a long way. The key goal is to keep things safe and enjoyable for everyone.
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How to start a fire in a fire pit
There are several ways to start a fire, and it all boils down to each person’s favorite technique. However, if it’s your first time around a fire pit, here are some quick guidelines on how to get things going. Begin by stacking some dry kindling in a sort of pyramid shape. In the center, place a few small logs to ensure you have a main source of fuel. Always leave enough space between the kindling to let air flow through. Once the pyramid is done, add a few larger logs around the kindling to keep the shape together. Then, light the kindling up with a long-reach lighter and enjoy! Alternatively, you could also make a pyramid just with the logs, placing a firelighter in the center for a more long-lasting fire.
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How to put out a fire pit
If you’re using a wood-burning fire pit, the first step is to stop adding fuel and let the flames naturally die down to embers. This shouldn’t take too long. Once there are no more flames, remove some of the ash and spread the embers to dissipate some heat. Then, slowly (and from a safe distance) pour some water until you don’t hear any more sizzling and don’t see any glowing embers. Stir the ashes with a metal poker for a bit and check your surroundings to ensure no debris has escaped the fire pit. Once everything has cooled down, you can clean the ashes.
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How far should your fire pit be from the house
The recommended distance between a fire pit and any structure is at least 10 feet, but you can go even farther just to be sure. Around 20 feet will probably be the sweet spot for most cases, but keep in mind that gas fire pits can be placed slightly closer to your home. Always check your local regulations before placing your fire pit! Your municipality may have strict requirements to ensure safety for your house as well as the neighborhood.
Fire Pits Bring Indoor Living to the Outdoor World
When you're ready to expand your living space, turn to the outdoors for the ultimate spring, summer, and autumn relaxation. Once you set up your fire pit area, you'll be able to settle back and enjoy the changing seasons surrounded by good friends, great scenery, and a roaring fire.
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