There is nothing better than sitting next to a fireplace on a chilly summer night. (Except maybe sitting next to a fireplace on a chilly summer night with a slice of cake, but po-tay-toh, po-tah-to.) Outdoor fireplaces are a great way to add atmosphere and warmth to any outdoor gathering, and they couldn’t be easier to install than they are today.
Ever since I was a kid, fire pits have always been my favourite part about backyards. I’m not much of an outdoorsy person, and around the fireplace was the only place that you could see the spiders before they could get you. And even if they did, the trade-off of camp songs and s’mores was more than worth the risk of running into a stray arachnid or four.
Nowadays, backyard fires don’t have to be in fire pits, and they don’t require any construction or extra landscaping. They don’t even require any wood! Fireplaces like the Napoleon PatioFlame Propane Patio Fireplace simply sit on the patio, encased safely in stainless steel and equipped with a crystalline ember bed for hours of wood-free, gas and propane-fuelled flames. You get all of the spider-sighting bonuses without any of the spider-harbouring wood piles.
For the traditionalists out there, though, there are also wood-burning fireplaces like the Shinerich Wood Burning Fire Pit. It makes tending to a wood-burning fire easy, with a heavy grate that elevates the wood to maintain air flow and a pronged metal poker to reposition embers, charcoal, and wood blocks easily. It’s safer than a traditional fire pit, too, with a deep, fully above-ground design and a dome-shaped screen protector to guard against sparks. (And hey, there’s nothing like the pops and crackles from a wood fire!)
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Paramount Concrete Square Fire Burner. It does away with the need for stacks of firewood altogether, and burns with the clean, odourless Paramount Ecogel fuel. (The Ecogel actually pops and crackles just like a wood fire, too!) Made of hand crafted concrete and double-walled tempered glass, the Concrete Square Fire Burner is ultra-modern and ultra-safe, producing up to 3000 BTUs of heat and measuring only 30″ in height.
Options for small spaces
It can be tough to fit a fireplace into a downtown backyard, but trust me: it’s not impossible! The tiny, tabletop Paramount Hand Made Terrazzo Garden Burner is the obvious first choice for small spaces, but I love the Paramount Rectangular Cast Aluminum Propane Fire Table, too. It doubles a coffee table and even has a metal plate to cover up the fire pit when not in use, which basically means that it doesn’t take up any space at all. (That’s how space works, right? If table #2 eliminates the need for table #1, you’re practically creating space for yourself!)
No matter what outdoor fireplace you add to your backyard, your new addition will be sure to add a cozy atmosphere to any dinner or patio party that you throw this summer. And on your days off from hosting, they’ll keep you company with a great book and a warm blanket, too!
Check out the rest of the outdoor fireplaces carried at Best Buy here.
