In this unprecedented year, the holidays are requiring new traditions, with many people staying close to home. You can spruce up your holiday home with these landscape design ideas in Northport and Stony Brook, NY, areas, and expand your entertaining opportunities to the great outdoors. That way, social distancing can happen in fresh air, and you can still enjoy time together with loved ones. View this time as an opportunity to make your patio less of a summer-only backyard feature, by making it usable and beautiful year-round.
Fire is a must for keeping everyone nice and toasty when the gathering has to stay outdoors. A beautiful masonry fire feature can be exactly the addition to your patio that can make all the difference in how you use your outdoor space during the holidays.
Related: HOW AN OUTDOOR FIREPLACE CAN BE INCLUDED IN AN ISLAND-STYLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN IN NORTHPORT, NY
Fire Table: Dining in Style
Why not serve up some hors d’oeuvres by the fire, on a trendy fire table? The height of a fire table is up to your preferences: It can be coffee table height for casual entertaining; dining table height for shared meals; or bar height for cocktail hour get-togethers. Fire tables have plenty of space for place settings, and the experience takes outdoor dining to a new level. Best of all, fire tables can be smoke-free when they are fueled by natural gas or propane.
Fire Pit: Campfire Memories
A fire pit offers an experience reminiscent of camping but more refined. Having a fire on a cold day will encourage people to gather around and share the warmth, and like a holiday bonfire, you can share the spirit of the season around this simple fire feature. You have your choice of wood, natural gas, or propane as your fuel. Surround your fire pit with high-backed stone seating that will hold the heat in and create an attractive, permanent seating solution that also keeps your patio clutter-free. Just add some festive cushions and blankets, and the fire pit becomes nearly as cozy as your indoor living room.
New Outdoor Fireplace: Elegant and Cozy
Outdoor fireplaces offer an elegance that transforms a patio into an outdoor living room. A few additions such as a wood-fired pizza oven can make it easy to feed everyone outdoors without endless trips to the kitchen. And of course, hanging holiday decorations from a mantel will give your backyard a festive feel.
Unlike fire pits that are designed to disperse heat in all directions, outdoor fireplaces should be carefully positioned so that everyone has a chance to warm up. High-backed seat walls on either side of the fireplace can help hold heat in the space.
With fireplaces, you have so many design options—anything from natural stone, to natural stone or manufactured stone veneers—to create exactly the look you want. Given these diverse design choices, fireplaces can tie the look of the home and patio together, with their grand presence.
Shelter and Shade
Shelter is a must if you’re going to entertain outdoors or even if you just want to sit outside and enjoy your backyard in winter. Despite having open walls on all sides, pavilions can trap a lot of heat. Placing a fireplace in the center or along one side of the pavilion creates a living room-like atmosphere that allows you to use more comfortable furniture. Even when the snow is falling, you’ll be cozy and warm by the fire and under the pavilion roof.
Related: LANDSCAPE LIGHTING IDEAS THAT ENHANCE AN OUTDOOR FIREPLACE OR FIREPIT ON LONG ISLAND, NY
