Outdoor Fireplace Ideas for Cool Evenings: Brick, Stone and Modern Gas

Dark green makes white look sharp. A tall clipped hedge works like a backdrop wall here, and the pale fireplace stands out against it.

• Wood is stacked in open shelves on both sides, so the fuel is part of the design.
• Four chairs face the fire in a loose square, close enough to talk.
• A leafy branch reaching over the mantel softens all the straight lines.
• Grass pavers in front keep the ground green and the patio from feeling too hard.

If you already have a mature hedge, you may own the best backdrop before you build anything.

A long, low fire feature acts like a table made of flames. Chairs line up on both sides, so more people get a good view than they would around a round pit. The logs here could be real or part of a gas set. Either way, the long shape does the work.

Here is how to copy the layout in your own yard.

Potted shrubs by the door finish the courtyard without crowding the seating.

Not every yard has room for a chimney. Here, two round bowls sit side by side on a rug, one dark and one pale. The mismatched pair looks planned, not random.

The garden does a lot of the work too. Tree ferns frame the doors, and white flowers climb the dark wall behind. Strip lights under the sofa edge add glow at ankle height.

How do bowls compare with a built fireplace?

If your garden is small, start with the bowls. You can always add a wall later.

Autumn is when an outdoor fireplace earns its place. This one rises between tall evergreens, and the plain stone ledge turns into a small display shelf.

Keep the styling light. A few pumpkins in different sizes, one white pitcher of dried stems, and a big pot of pink mums near the chairs are enough. The dark wicker seats with tan cushions give the pale stone something to push against.

One warning. Dried stems burn fast, so move them away from the firebox before you light a fire.

Let the garden stay the star. This fireplace sits at one corner of a clean stone patio, and the lawn wraps around it like a big green rug.

The wide hearth ledge doubles as extra seating, so no one gets left standing. The herringbone paving adds pattern without adding color, which keeps the focus on the plants. Purple flower spikes in the front and white blooms in the distance bring in soft color at the edges.

The small patio shape means you can borrow the idea even without a big yard.

A circle tells people where to sit. The curved white bench holds the group around one bowl, and nobody has to drag chairs across the grass.

The black bowl is the only dark piece in the circle, so your eye goes straight to it. Round stepping stones lead across the lawn and repeat the same shape. Palms and big leaves behind a dark fence keep the white from feeling cold.

Keep the bowl well away from the bench backs, and follow the maker’s clearance notes.

Plain walls look better with something green growing up them. On this cream chimney, a thin vine spreads from the mantel to the roofline, and the wall becomes a garden feature.

The rest of the setup is easy to copy. The brick inside the firebox is laid in a herringbone pattern and glows orange when lit. Black iron chairs with cream cushions sit close together, and small pots of white flowers add fresh color on the table and the chair sides.

A clear roof keeps the rain off your cushions and still lets in the sky. This deck sits under one, with soft white curtains and a plain white wall that holds both the fireplace and a log niche.

The round wooden table pulls everyone in. Tall potted plants and ferns add height, and woven stools handle the extra trays and candles.

Before you copy it, read this short list. The look is airy and bright, but the safety checks come first.

Brick does not have to look red and rustic. Here the wall is painted white, and the fireplace is finished in a soft stone color with a pale brick lining inside.

Everything sits along one wall:

• A log shelf built right beside the firebox
• A timber bench running along the planter
• A small olive tree in a raised bed
• Two round black chairs that fill the open paving

The seating stays free because the fire, the logs, and the plants all share one side.

This fireplace is wide and low, like a picture frame for the fire. The flames run along one long opening, which looks like a gas burner. That usually means no ash to sweep and no sparks to chase.

Two tall lanterns stand on the ledge like bookends. A wooden trough planted with small greens sits on the table between the sofas, so the garden comes right to the center of the seating. Gravel strips between the concrete pavers let the ground breathe.

Symmetry is the whole trick here. Match the lanterns and everything else can stay relaxed.