Add Ultimate Cooking and Grill Space to Your Backyard With an Outdoor Fireplace

by Grace Motley

If you want to add the ultimate outdoor cooking space to your home, you want something more than just a box store gas grill. What you need is a custom-built outdoor fireplace that has everything you need to cook and entertain. The following outdoor fireplace design ideas will get you started with your project:

Designing the Fireplace Hearth Area

The design of the fireplace hearth may be one of the first options that you want to consider. Some of the hearth designs to consider for your outdoor fireplace include:

  • Natural stone finishes with a stone shelf
  • Custom brickwork with decorative features
  • Brick with a heat-resistant stucco finish

The hearth is the most visible and important feature of your fireplace. With outdoor designs, you will want to make sure the materials that are used are more durable than those you would use in your home.

Options for Cooking, Grilling, and Smoking Features

The cooking and grilling features you have added to an outdoor fireplace can also vary. These features can be iron inserts or custom-built grill and smoker combinations. Some of the different combinations of cooking areas for your fireplace can include:

  • Built-in masonry grill areas and smokers
  • Cast iron cooktop surface area
  • Iron oven inserts
  • Built-in gas equipment (designed for outdoor fireplaces)

The cooking areas can be specially designed for grilling and smoking or for a complete outdoor kitchen. You can even add gas inserts to the design for more functional cooking features.

Seating and Finished Surfaces

There are also options for seating and surfaces that you want to consider for your outdoor spaces. Options that you will want to consider for the areas around your fireplace include:

  • Built-in seating with matching masonry materials
  • Custom built-in planters for the fireplace areas
  • Ceramic tile or durable acid stained concrete surfaces (the floor around the fireplace)

The installation of seating can be a built-in extension to the fireplace and other features like planters. These features are practical and attractive solutions to have added to the design of your outdoor fireplace.

Finishes and Decorative Feature

The finishes around your fireplace are another option that you want to plan for. There are options for brick and natural stone designs that can match finishes on the exterior of your home. If you use inserts for features like ovens and cooktops, natural stone is great to enhance their appearance.

There are also options for decorative features that can be added to your outdoor spaces. Therefore, you want to take into account a few factors when choosing the decoration around an outdoor fireplace. For example, you don't want to use flammable materials or plants near the firebox.

These are some things that will help you get started creating an outdoor cooking space for your home. If you are ready to create the ultimate outdoor space, contact an outdoor fireplace installation service to start designing your project.

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