5 Patios With Fire Features That Are Smoke-Free
These gas-burning fire pits and outdoor hearths add light, warmth and evening ambiance to landscapes
Fire features are cozy, meditative outdoor accessories and provide the perfect excuse for making s’mores a weekly tradition. Instead of opting for classic wood-burning models, choose from the wide range of more environmentally friendly smoke-free versions that run on gas.
The following yards show how the addition of a fire feature can enhance the look and enjoyment of an outdoor space. Have a look and tell us: Do any of the following examples inspire you to make room for a fire feature in your backyard?
The following yards show how the addition of a fire feature can enhance the look and enjoyment of an outdoor space. Have a look and tell us: Do any of the following examples inspire you to make room for a fire feature in your backyard?
The fire feature is hooked up to a gas line that runs from the house. Landscape designer Ashley Stevens of Evoke positioned the fire feature as the focal point of the largest of multiple outdoor patios and decks in the backyard, in a position that offers stunning panoramic views of the surrounding foothills. The patio features L-shaped seating and portable Adirondack-style chairs around the fire pit, with twinkling cafe lights overhead.
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See more of this outdoor project
2. Bluestone Fire Pit in New England
Location: Fairfield County, Connecticut
Designer: Rosalia Sanni Design
For this new fire pit patio, which sits on a historic 2-acre property of what was once a working farm, landscape designer Rosalia Sanni turned to the traditional building materials of the region. She had the gas-burning fire pit custom-made of bluestone and set it on a bed of native Connecticut gravel.
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Location: Fairfield County, Connecticut
Designer: Rosalia Sanni Design
For this new fire pit patio, which sits on a historic 2-acre property of what was once a working farm, landscape designer Rosalia Sanni turned to the traditional building materials of the region. She had the gas-burning fire pit custom-made of bluestone and set it on a bed of native Connecticut gravel.
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Although the materials Sanni used are traditional, the shape of the fire feature is sleek and modern, with no cap or ornamentation. This juxtaposition of traditional and modern was used throughout the larger garden.
The fire pit patio sits adjacent to an outdoor dining patio — also made of bluestone — and provides a cozy invitation for lingering outdoors after dinner.
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The fire pit patio sits adjacent to an outdoor dining patio — also made of bluestone — and provides a cozy invitation for lingering outdoors after dinner.
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3. Spanish Colonial Revival in California
Location: Sacramento, California
Designers: Homeowners Christina Valencia and Kele Dobrinski, who co-own the creative studio Colossus, with the help of Dobrinski’s father, who is a retired general contractor
A fire feature and a tile-clad fountain anchor this outdoor lounge in Northern California. The homeowners, who are co-owners of a creative studio, took on the design and remodel of the home and backyard, including the fire feature, themselves — with the help of a few professionals, including one of the homeowner’s dads, a retired contractor. Rooms of the home look straight out onto the fire pit lounge area, which features a statement wall of black-and-white porcelain tiles and a simple stucco-and-concrete fire pit.
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Location: Sacramento, California
Designers: Homeowners Christina Valencia and Kele Dobrinski, who co-own the creative studio Colossus, with the help of Dobrinski’s father, who is a retired general contractor
A fire feature and a tile-clad fountain anchor this outdoor lounge in Northern California. The homeowners, who are co-owners of a creative studio, took on the design and remodel of the home and backyard, including the fire feature, themselves — with the help of a few professionals, including one of the homeowner’s dads, a retired contractor. Rooms of the home look straight out onto the fire pit lounge area, which features a statement wall of black-and-white porcelain tiles and a simple stucco-and-concrete fire pit.
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The lounge area complements the modern-meets-Spanish Colonial Revival style that the couple embraced for their home renovation, tying indoor and outdoor spaces together. The fire pit runs on gas and was built of concrete blocks covered in stucco to match the home’s exterior. (You can see that the built-in bench seats and fountain surround were made from the same materials for a consistent look.) A generous rim of poured concrete on the fire feature acts as a handy spot for resting one’s feet or a glass when the fire feature is not in use.
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See more of this outdoor project
4. Decorative Fire Bowl in the Midwest
Location: Milwaukee
Designer: Ginkgo Leaf Studio
Having a fire feature for relaxing around and roasting marshmallows on summer evenings was on the backyard wish list of Milwaukee homeowners Bob Gruendyke and Chrissy Kruger-Gruendyke from the start. The couple worked with Jim Drzewiecki of Gingko Leaf Studio, whom they discovered on Houzz, to help make the dream a reality.
Now a stylish fire bowl sits on a poured-concrete patio, with views of the newly landscaped backyard able to be enjoyed from contemporary Loll lounge chairs. The fire feature is gas-burning, with decorative fire balls filling the bowl, which look attractive whether or not the fire is in use.
Location: Milwaukee
Designer: Ginkgo Leaf Studio
Having a fire feature for relaxing around and roasting marshmallows on summer evenings was on the backyard wish list of Milwaukee homeowners Bob Gruendyke and Chrissy Kruger-Gruendyke from the start. The couple worked with Jim Drzewiecki of Gingko Leaf Studio, whom they discovered on Houzz, to help make the dream a reality.
Now a stylish fire bowl sits on a poured-concrete patio, with views of the newly landscaped backyard able to be enjoyed from contemporary Loll lounge chairs. The fire feature is gas-burning, with decorative fire balls filling the bowl, which look attractive whether or not the fire is in use.
Before: This “before” shot from the same angle shows what a dramatic transformation was achieved with the landscape renovation, which included adding the patio and fire feature.
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5. Fire Feature Inspired by Branches
Location: Toronto
Designer: Acre
This contemporary fire feature doubles as a backyard sculpture in a Toronto landscape designed by Sylvie De Brabandere of Acre, a landscape architecture and design studio. The flames can be lit from a switch inside the house, allowing the homeowners to turn the feature on and appreciate the view from the home without stepping foot outside — a useful feature on snowy winter evenings.
Location: Toronto
Designer: Acre
This contemporary fire feature doubles as a backyard sculpture in a Toronto landscape designed by Sylvie De Brabandere of Acre, a landscape architecture and design studio. The flames can be lit from a switch inside the house, allowing the homeowners to turn the feature on and appreciate the view from the home without stepping foot outside — a useful feature on snowy winter evenings.
The fire feature is made of two parts: a steel sculpture above and a tinted concrete table with a hollowed-out fire bed below. The sculpture, created by Hogtown Sheet Metal + Custom Fabrication, is made of stainless steel rods in a design inspired by branches. The base, designed by De Brabandere, was made to complement and show off the structure as well as to conceal a gas line that runs under the feature to power the fire bed.
A view of the larger garden, including a newly planted grove of birch trees, shows just how well the elegant fire feature complements the modern woodland-style garden.
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Considerations for Gas-Burning Fire Pits
1. Styles. There are plenty of models of gas-burning fire features on the market to suit a range of budgets and tastes. Choose from copper bowls to fire pit tables, from portable models to permanent built-in hearths.
2. Permitting. On the whole, wood-burning fire pits are out and gas-burning ones are in from a permitting perspective. (Gas is smoke-free and considered less dangerous in backyards, given the very low risk of sparks.) Before purchasing a fire pit of any type, check your local building and fire safety codes. They may dictate the type and also the location of your fire pit.
1. Styles. There are plenty of models of gas-burning fire features on the market to suit a range of budgets and tastes. Choose from copper bowls to fire pit tables, from portable models to permanent built-in hearths.
2. Permitting. On the whole, wood-burning fire pits are out and gas-burning ones are in from a permitting perspective. (Gas is smoke-free and considered less dangerous in backyards, given the very low risk of sparks.) Before purchasing a fire pit of any type, check your local building and fire safety codes. They may dictate the type and also the location of your fire pit.
3. Fuel types. Gas-burning fire pits run on either natural gas or liquid propane.
- Natural gas: Natural gas is piped from the main gas line in the home and hooked up to the fire feature. It can be switched on and off easily, and you never have to worry about not having a propane tank on hand when you want to light up the fire. Natural gas burns “cleaner” than propane and produces a more bluish flame with very little soot.
- Liquid propane: Liquid propane is usually contained in a tank below a fire feature, which gives you more freedom to move the unit around the yard than if it were connected to a gas line. Propane flames burn brighter and yellower than natural gas and can leave a bit more soot behind.
4. Safety. The chance of a spark’s flying from a gas fireplace is much less likely than with wood-burning ones. However, you should still install a fire pit only on an inflammable surface that is surrounded by inflammable surfaces, such as stone, concrete, gravel or sand. Keep a fire feature at least 6 feet away from materials such as wood, bark mulch and dry plantings. Always operate a fire feature with the supervision of an adult, and never leave it unattended.
5. Running a gas line. The cost of running a natural gas line across a backyard is often the biggest expense in installing a natural gas-burning fire feature. To save on the budget, have the gas line trenched before any hardscape goes in and site the fire feature closer to the house, rather than across the yard. Or choose a liquid propane-burning model that does not require a gas line.
More on Houzz
10 Things to Know About Buying a Fire Pit for Your Yard
Find more landscape inspiration
Work with a landscape designer
Shop for your outdoor space
5. Running a gas line. The cost of running a natural gas line across a backyard is often the biggest expense in installing a natural gas-burning fire feature. To save on the budget, have the gas line trenched before any hardscape goes in and site the fire feature closer to the house, rather than across the yard. Or choose a liquid propane-burning model that does not require a gas line.
More on Houzz
10 Things to Know About Buying a Fire Pit for Your Yard
Find more landscape inspiration
Work with a landscape designer
Shop for your outdoor space
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Designer and builder: Evoke
Whether or not this fire pit is switched on, it always lights up this Colorado backyard with a flash of yellow. The team at Evoke, who handled both the design and build of the landscape, had the fire pit custom-fabricated of powder-coated steel to complement the clients’ contemporary home and nail the playful, inviting atmosphere they wished to create in their backyard.