If you’ve noticed lately that guests in your outdoor living area are wearing fur-lined coats and carrying hot water bottles, it may be time for you to consider a fireplace. If you want to offer your guests (at least) the illusion of comfort during winter get-togethers, now’s the time to get it sorted before the temperatures drop any further.
Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on whether you’re an impulse buyer or a ditherer), there are many options. You’re in for a pleasant surprise if you haven’t checked out fireplaces recently – there are dozens of ready-made models available. You’ll find images and descriptions on the websites of the various manufacturers and retailers.
Impulse buyers, or those who want instant gratification, might find themselves best suited to a completely moveable, stainless steel fire which you can wheel all over the property depending on where you want to sit. Being able to say to guests, “Hey, it’s too windy out here, let’s take the fire round the back,” is seriously hospitable.
This type of fire is easy to assemble, disassemble, and move (with caster wheels and brakes). It comes with a stainless steel flue and a guarantee that it won’t set your deck on fire. If you live somewhere that has proper winters, you have the perfect excuse for a built-in, permanent outdoor fire. You can hire someone to build you one from scratch – this means you can have an input into the aesthetics, while taking advantage of someone else’s expertise when it comes to the elements of the design.
There will be somewhere for you, your friends, your dog and cat to sit, it’ll face the way you want it to face, heat will indeed come out of the front, it’ll warm as many or as few people you’re likely to be entertaining at once, and the smoke will go up the chimney – not into the faces of your guests. This option may turn out to be a larger, slower and more expensive choice, so if you’re on a mission to get a fire, there are many precast options. Check them out in the showroom and choose from a range of styles and sizes, already tried and true.
There’s a choice of colours and installation is quick and (they say) easy. I found a gorgeous iron model at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show which was, sadly, a bit too heavy to come home as hand luggage. If you’re a bit of a hippy, you might be attracted to those gorgeous handcrafted pizza ovens that double as outdoor fires. Garden centres are a good place to find these, as they’re often made by craftspeople.
Proper fires require kindling, matches, logs and boy scout skills – if you’re not up for that, go for gas. There are built-in, freestanding, stand-alone and table top units available, so no excuses for not being able to find exactly the right thing. If you haven’t come across a fire pit table yet, it’s essentially a fair-sized table with a fire pit inset into it. It works with a dining table or a coffee table, and has the advantage of allowing everyone to sit the same distance from the flames. These pits can be wood or gas fired, and are real works of art.
Presumably you can toast marshmallows in them or do other foodie tricks with bits of bread to toast over the flame. Add a couple of outdoor radiant heaters behind the table to keep people’s backs warm. But even the best outdoor fire isn’t going to provide a great level of comfort unless the outdoor living area in enclosed. Sitting with your face in the flames and your back to the wilderness does not produce a feeling of cosiness. If that’s what you’ve got to offer, see if you can find a way to enclose the space with a wall.
Paint it a warm colour, add lighting, and supply cushions and throws for nuisances like me who are still cold – whatever you do.
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