Outdoor Fireplace Ideas

A mortared stone outdoor fireplace at one end of this garden evokes a ruin from an old castle. Along with 30-inch-tall retaining walls, the fireplace serves as the architectural focal point for the patio, where twin settees and a pair of chairs welcome friends and family outdoors.

Although the fireplace can support simple cooking—toasting marshmallows or roasting hot dogs—its primary purpose is social, creating visual and physical warmth for the gathering spot.

A massive stone outdoor fireplace forms the hub for outdoor entertaining in this 3/4-acre garden. The homeowners built a model from cardboard and sticks to help them visualize the scale and realized it would be just right once the surrounding trees matured.

Huge potted maple trees and pea gravel surfacing enhance the seating area around the fireplace, which was built from local stone in Ojai, California.

You can add outdoor fireplaces without altering the structure of your home. This freestanding fireplace anchors one end of an alfresco gathering spot that was created by replacing a flat-topped arbor with a peaked ceiling featuring skylights.

Textural contrasts add interest to the space. The smooth stucco finish of the fireplace offsets the rough fieldstone of the house, while colored concrete, scored to imitate limestone tiles provides transition with a medium-coarse surface.

Crisp, clean, and geometric, this stone outdoor fireplace evokes the classic lines of 1940s modernism. It anchors a new pavilion designed for nearly year-round use in the mild Texas climate.

Built of Arizona pink ledgestone, the fireplace provided the starting point for taking the surrounding landscape back to its classic modern roots and bringing the backyard back into harmony with the style of the house.

For an outdoor room that's immediately adjacent to the house, the outdoor fireplace should relate to the architectural style and materials of the house. Here, the fireplace stone matches that used on the lintels capping the windows (not visible), and the same Pennsylvania bluestone that paves the patio also caps the hearth. The wood mantel's coved profile harmonizes with the traditional trimwork framing the windows and matches the color of the posts and arbor defining the outdoor room.

An outdoor wood-burning fireplace area that includes a grill, sink, and two niches for wood storage makes optimal use of limited patio space. Built from stone excavated from the property, the fireplace was carefully constructed to coordinate with the Craftsman bungalow style of the house.

The arched openings of this fireplace and the niche for the grill are built using masonry techniques that go back to medieval times. The arch receives the weight of the wall above and distributes the pressure to the vertical stacks of stones framing the firebox opening.

The stones for the fireplace and walls are cut to fit precisely so that little or no mortar is visible. The result is a smoother, more formal surface than you would get with rougher stones and wider mortar lines.

A wooden pergola shields this grand fireplace, which includes a rustic wooden mantel and an niche for storing wood. A collage of stones—large rectangles across the facade, narrow segments describing a flattened arch over the firebox, and mosaic tiles above the mantel—creates texture and visual interest.

To create a stone fireplace similar to this one, work with a stone and landscape supplier to choose quarried and cut stone in the best shapes and sizes for the project.

This kiva takes the form of a fireplace with stucco facing, an arched firebox, and a beehive shape. Instead of typical masonry construction, the kiva started as a prefabricated metal firebox and chimney. Concrete blocks covered with stucco achieve the finished look for a fraction of the cost of an all-stucco structure.

This freestanding patio fireplace, covered with slate and topped with a stucco-covered chimney, exudes a laid-back, contemporary style. Slate is extremely durable and an excellent choice for an outdoor fireplace.

The fireplace combines with an adjoining outdoor kitchen to form two walls of an outdoor space that includes a dining area, pool, and spa.

Taking a cue from the architecture of the house, this magnificent mantel creates an elegant focal point for a covered patio. Fire bricks laid in a herringbone pattern create a formal pattern inside the large firebox, giving it decorative appeal.

With a conversation-piece fireplace like this, a sheltered patio or terrace easily becomes a comfortable place for entertaining nearly year-round.

This spectacular fireplace and sunken outdoor living room were designed for the Chelsea Flower Show in England. The massive chimney wall, covered with panels of slate stone, defines the space.

To keep the fireplace from overwhelming the space, landscape designer Dean Herald pierced the structure with an aluminum-lined porthole that brings the garden behind into view.

Another aluminum-lined cutout holds firewood and offers an instant cue that this sculptural wall is in fact a fireplace.

Designed in accordance with Santa Fe's architectural restrictions, this stucco-covered patio fireplace defines one side of an outdoor living area. Acid-stained concrete floors divided by redwood inserts suggest a rug that pulls the conversation grouping together.

Located on the outside edge of a covered patio, this modest stone fireplace serves as a focal point for an intimate seating group.

Adding an outdoor fireplace to the edge of a porch or patio means minimal disruption of the house. If possible, site the fireplace so it's visible from inside the house as well.

This limestone gas fireplace extends outdoor living from early spring through fall. The massive 30x8-foot structure backs up to an indoor fireplace. Its slate-topped hearth, converted from a planter, offers fireside seating.

The fireplace is built in a traditional style from limestone found in Kentucky.

Stone set with wide mortar joints gives this freestanding outdoor fireplace the rusticated look of an old campground hearth. To create an outdoor room away from the house, locate the fireplace and patio where they will offer guests a destination or screen an undesirable view.

An ordinary patio of sandstone pavers becomes a magnet for family and guests thanks to a Southwestern-style fireplace tucked into a corner wall.

The outdoor fireplace is the focal point of this Arizona courtyard. Shaped from concrete blocks and artfully disguised by cool white stucco, it has a clean geometry that could also evoke the Greek Isles.

Built into the corner of a covered patio, this hand-painted beehive fireplace creates a charming focal point for a Mexican-inspired sala, or living room. When evenings turn chilly, the intimate sitting area offers a place to relax.

This handsome brick outdoor fireplace serves as a focal point and room divider for two spaces: a sitting area under the pergola and an open-air dining spot.

Custom glass-and-metal fireplace doors enclose the fireboxes on each side. A limestone mantel provides both support to the chimney column and aesthetic appeal.