The focal point of an outdoor room determines its function and atmosphere. By choosing a fireplace as the focal point of a particular corner of your Oyster Bay, NY, landscape, you can transform it into an inviting, cozy getaway perfect for sundowners and conversation. Fireplaces are just as compatible with more formal outdoor rooms, and can ultimately be customized to suit any aesthetic and achieve a range of decorative themes. Here are a few ways in which you can transform your fireplace into the focal point of your landscape.
Adding decor to personalize your fireplace
While a fireplace brings ambience to an outdoor room, scattering candles along the mantle can enhance the intimate atmosphere created, and draw further attention to the structure. Similar unique touches, like small potted plants, can soften the visual effect of the stone or concrete structure, making it appear warmer and more inviting. Selecting natural stone in slightly different shades and shapes can further personalize the structure of your fireplace. A fieldstone veneer is an excellent way to achieve this look and bears a pleasant, welcoming texture.
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Incorporating your fireplace into your outdoor kitchen
Outdoor fire features can do more than simply keep you warm. They can also serve as pizza ovens or serve similar purposes within an outdoor kitchen. These creative additions to an outdoor kitchen are both functional and great contributors to making it fashionable. Pairing a rugged stone fireplace with the modern appliances and sleek polished surfaces in your outdoor kitchen can create some stunning contrasts between shades and textures of the past and present. Pizza ovens can be created in a variety of shapes, a simple dome remaining the classic favorite. They can also be built with majestic chimneys that draw plenty of attention and transform them into clear focal points.
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Making your fireplace the tallest point in the room
A tall fireplace that towers over your outdoor furniture is guaranteed to draw attention and seem like the ‘center’ or ‘heart’ of your hardscape. These tall fireplaces are impossible to overlook, so your selection of materials and design will greatly influence the aesthetic of that particular outdoor room. A slim fireplace created using geometric stone, or sleek concrete units, can instantly attach a modern look to your hardscape. Alternatively, a fireplace featuring tumbled units, or a varying selection of unrefined rocks, will have a more rustic appeal and can serve to add a timeworn charm to the space.
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Arranging your furniture around the fireplace
A fireplace can be made into a focal point by having chairs and sofas enclose it so that everyone is able to enjoy its warmth. A casual campfire-like atmosphere can be achieved by arranging chairs around a low circular fire pit in a spacious and well-vegetated area of the landscape. Creating a low wall on either side of your fireplace can anchor it and ensure that it doesn’t appear to be out of place. These walls can also serve as additional seating space and are, in fact, excellent multi-purpose additions to any part of your hardscape.
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