Finding the right outdoor fireplace for your Highland Park, IL, outdoor living space can be challenging. If you don’t want to settle for a fireplace that looks just like everyone else’s, here are some style options for an impressive fireplace to consider.
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Traditional Outdoor Fireplace
Traditional outdoor fireplaces are defined by their shape and materials, although this doesn’t mean they all look alike! They are often constructed or faced with natural stone, manufactured stone, or brick, and this is where you have nearly endless choices in materials and colors for a unique aesthetic.
On a traditional fireplace, the firebox opening may be arched or square, the fireplace slopes inward at the chimney, and the design typically includes a mantel and a substantial hearth that is large enough to sit on comfortably. Traditional fireplaces can be wood-burning for ambience or natural gas- or propane-fueled for convenience.
Modern Outdoor Fireplace
Modern outdoor fireplaces are characterized by simplicity: clean lines, little or no embellishment, and industrial materials. Modern fireplaces are sculptural in nature, making them perfectly suited as stand-alone focal points.
Many modern fireplaces are simple rectangles or squares, with unadorned fireboxes and without an inward slope at the chimney. Gray concrete is a common material. For a less industrial look, you could choose a narrow stacked flagstone veneer for texture while maintaining a minimalist appearance. A modern outdoor fireplace may or may not have a mantel or a large hearth.
Creating an Impressive Presence
For an impressive presence of your new outdoor fireplace, you will want to choose its location first. An outdoor fireplace located on the outer edge of a patio will have a more imposing presence than if it were placed against a larger structure. If the fireplace is positioned against a wall—such as under a covered porch—or near an existing structure such as a pergola or pavilion, the fireplace will need to be larger than a stand-alone fireplace for a commanding presence.
Keep proportions in mind when choosing the size and shape of your outdoor fireplace. While you want the fireplace to be a focal point, you likely do not want it to compete with the home.
Choose your veneer materials so that the fireplace has its own character but still fits in with the home and your outdoor living spaces. This can mean using different veneer materials and tying the fireplace to the home using decorative accents that mirror the home’s siding materials and dominant colors.
Prefab or Custom?
Once you have chosen a style, it’s time to decide whether you want to go with a prefab fireplace kit or a custom design.
Custom-designed fireplaces are constructed on site of CMU block or poured concrete, and clad in a veneer of your choice. This gives you unlimited style, shape, and size options.
An outdoor fireplace created from a kit is a prefabricated unfinished unit. The pieces are assembled on site and veneered, often with a manufactured stone veneer that comes with the kit. Kit fireplaces can be customized to some extent with artistic inlays, or by adding a custom mantel or hearth. You can also enhance the look of a traditional outdoor fireplace by adding an attached pizza oven.
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