Enjoying an evening out in the open with a fire to keep warm, roasting marshmallows with the kids, and providing an outdoor dining area with warmth and ambience—these are some of the things have made outdoor fireplaces such popular features in Southampton, NY, backyards.
If you’re a homeowner who loves the idea of an outdoor fireplace, and can’t wait to have a custom-built fireplace installed in your outdoor living space, you’ll love these outdoor fireplace design ideas.
Ornate Fireplace Keystones
A keystone is a wedge-shaped stone that is placed at the upper border of a fireplace’s opening. A keystone provides an architectural accent and can be customized with a unique engraving or family crest, or simply exhibit a unique texture, color, finish or material. With an ornate, customized keystone for your outdoor fireplace, the fireplace is secured as a detailed focal point of the landscape and can serve as a conversation piece for your backyard gatherings.
Fireplace Lintels and Uprights
Uprights are solid stone pieces placed vertically along the edges of a fireplace. Lintels are larger stone pieces placed on top of the uprights and horizontally span the top of a fireplace. Unlike keystones, which provide a semi-circular hearth opening, incorporating lintels and uprights makes for a square or rectangular shaped opening. Lintels and uprights can be used to add the complementary texture of natural stone, or contrast with the materials used in the rest of the fireplace.
A Custom Mantel
The mantel forms a horizontal shelf above the fireplace and can be used as an area to display sculpture and interest pieces, or simply as a shelf for fireside tools, or drinks and snacks for guests gathered at your outdoor fireplace. A mantel can be made from polished stone to provide a modern aesthetic, or from raw stone slabs for an old world appearance. Further customization can include ornate bevelling of the edges or the inclusion of more than one shelf for a strong design with repeating horizontal lines.
Stone Corbels
Stone corbels are architectural features of carved or shaped stone that serve as decorative brackets. These can be fitted to appear to support the weight of the mantel or soften the right angles of the chimney. Corbels can be ornately sculptured or provide a strong, simple design that complements the rest of your landscape or the architecture of your home. If a classical look is something you’re going for, corbels are definitely a feature worth considering.
Customized Outdoor Fireplace Southampton NY & modern Fire Pits Southampton NY
Wood Storage
Incorporating wood storage into your custom outdoor fireplace design not only provides the functional value of near-at-hand fuel for your fire, it also opens up the structure of your outdoor fireplace to include the possibility of additional work or serving surfaces.
Customized Shape
Have you ever wondered why fireplaces are so often rectangular or square? Why not try something different with a triangular or rounded design for the hearth opening? Alternatively, you can opt for something different with a fireplace that presents itself as a single rectangular unit, from base to chimney, or one that opens from both sides, providing warmth and ambience from front and back.