An outdoor fireplace takes the edge off even the chilliest days.  Outdoor fireplaces provides an elegant focal point to your outdoor space  – and raises your home value – all year long.  Two big benefits of an outdoor fireplace in the winter are that you can decorate them for the holidays and use their heat for outdoor activities.

Decorating Your Fireplace

Outdoor fireplaces are a permanent decoration for your patio:  You can customize them with stone or brick finishes and an extended hearth.  And during the holidays, you can add more decorative elements for a festive atmosphere in your backyard.  Here are a few of our favorite seasonal decorating ideas:

• Play up the mantle with holly, red berries, candles, tree ornaments, and snow globes.
• If you are celebrating a religious holiday, create a space on the mantle to display a nativity scene, menorah, or another related item.
• Hang stockings
• Make the hearth a comfortable seating area by piling on cushions in festive colors

And of course, an outdoor fireplace is the ideal place to hang holiday lights – our favorite winter decoration.

Holiday Activities Around the Hearth

Campfire-style meals are a great use of an outdoor fireplace, and fun for the whole family.  Keep it simple with hotdogs, or cut up veggies and meat for kebabs.  S’mores, of course, are the perfect fireplace dessert.

If you have kids and celebrate Christmas, an outdoor fireplace is the perfect place to play Santa.  You can hang their stockings on the mantle, and put their gifts by the hearth on Christmas morning.  And if you don’t have space for it indoors, the patio is a great place for the Christmas tree.

Outdoor Fireplace Safety

We build both wood-burning fireplaces with a chimney and gas-log fireplaces with a direct vent.  Safety is important in either case, especially during the holidays when the outdoor fireplace gets more use.  Keep the following in mind when enjoying your fireplace:

• Make sure your mantle ornaments don’t hang down in front of the flames.  A flying spark can catch them on fire.
• Never leave a fire unattended.
• Keep a fire extinguisher on your patio, or just inside the back door.
• Don’t overstock the fireplace with wood – it might cause a log to roll out onto the hearth.

Our fireplaces are constructed to be safe, but caution is always necessary when dealing with fire.

Ready for December?  While the holidays might seem like a long way off, creating a custom-designed outdoor fireplace takes some time.  So if you’re interested in amping up the coziness of your patio, give us a call today and we’ll get the ball rolling.