From fancy and elegant to rustic and quaint, an outdoor fireplace design can breathe life into your backyard (or your rooftop!).

Adding an outdoor fireplace is a great way to compliment your home’s architecture and to showcase a feature that suits your living style. Whether you are planning a new home build and looking to include a unique outdoor trait, or you’re trying to spruce up your current backyard, an outdoor fireplace or chimney can do the trick. Here are 14 outdoor fireplace design ideas that will get the whole neighborhood talking-and hoping to be invited to your next gathering.

Scene Setter

An outdoor fireplace that’s done right can be the premiere attraction for your backyard guests. Set the scene for your ideal backyard experience with an outdoor fireplace design that catches eyes from anywhere in the yard. If you’re going for a fireplace that is a scene setter, bigger is better.

Make this outdoor fireplace design the centerpiece of your whole outdoor space by enhancing the look with muted furniture and limited nearby decorations that compliment the fireplace without drawing too much attention away from the main event. This design option also gives you the opportunity to add some flair with a decorative-perhaps even over the top-outdoor chimney on top of your scene setting outdoor fireplace design.

Rooftop Fireplace

It’s not surprising to see a chimney on a rooftop. But, a fireplace on a rooftop? That’s something that you don’t come across every day.

For homes that feature a rooftop garden, a rooftop fireplace can be an excellent addition to a seating area with a view. This option is perfect for homeowners who want their outdoor fireplace design to match their home’s architecture. Bring that family room feeling outdoors with a rooftop fireplace..

Balancing Styles

Outdoor spaces differ from indoor spaces in the sense that they allow you to bend the rules of style and decor. For this ‘balancing styles’ outdoor fireplace design try out two styles that you might not normally put together.

For instance, you might combine a rustic outdoor fireplace design that heavily features stonework and weathered woods with furniture choices that are of a more modern style. Or, keep your fireplace design simple and elegant-maybe you choose a small tabletop fireplace-but, incorporate flashy furniture with extra character. The contrast between the styles will make your fireplace design stand out from the rest of your outdoor area.

Warm Spaces

An outdoor fireplace space can be warm and inviting even when the homeowners chimney isn’t smoking. Stock your space with big pillows and fluffy blankets so that you and your guests can cuddle up even before someone starts the fire.

Encourage your guests to spend time around your outdoor fireplace design by incorporating benches near your fireplace or walkways that lead toward your yard’s new prominent feature. Outdoor fireplaces should be gathering areas where you and your guests can feel comfortable sitting around the fire. So, pay equal attention to the space around your outdoor fireplace design to make it warm and inviting.

Seamless Flow

Fireplaces are typically found inside of homes, so you might think it’s strange that in this article we are talking about outdoor fireplace designs. However, an outdoor fireplace doesn’t necessarily have to feel like it’s outside. There are ways to create a seamless flow from the inside of your house to the outside, and the right outdoor fireplace design can help.

An outdoor fireplace can be built into an open-air living space with a roof to provide the feeling of being in a cozy indoor living room, just without the walls. If the fresh air that your seamless flow outdoor fireplace design lets in gets too cold, then you may need to add a portable heater or two to the space so that you can keep your outdoor chimney cooking all year long.

Bold Statement

An outdoor fireplace is a somewhat rare home feature. So, why not make a bold statement with your outdoor fireplace design? In this case you may not want to match your home’s architectural style. Think of your outdoor fireplace design like it’s a piece of art and make it stand in opposition of the rest of your home’s style.

If your home or landscaping incorporates a lot of red brick, then design an outdoor fireplace that sets itself apart by utilizing gray poured concrete. An outdoor fireplace is already a bold choice, so there’s no harm in doubling down with a bold design.

Simply Stunning

Maybe that last suggestion about bold statements just isn’t your style. Well, that’s OK because there are outdoor fireplace designs suitable for you too! Even a simple standing fire pit or a small tabletop fire pit can be a stunning addition to your backyard.

If you do choose an unassuming fire pit, then designing the seating area around the simple centerpiece is your chance to be remarkable. Colorful plants, stylistic furniture, and extravagant landscaping can turn an unadorned fireplace into a simply stunning outdoor fireplace design.

Big And Bold

This fireplace should be larger than life. Choose a style that incorporates multiple types of building materials (metal, stone, bricks) to ensure that it makes a statement in any season.

With this outdoor fireplace style the chimney can truly be a stand out. For example, a large copper chimney can be crafted to give your big and bold fireplace an elegant touch.

Two Sided

Most fireplaces are designed to showcase the fire and direct the heat in one direction. With this style though, both the front and back of the fireplace are open. There is no “back” to this fireplace, so you have twice the design opportunities to make your outdoor fireplace design suit your home’s architecture and suit your living style.

For a holistic approach, keep similar colors and patterns on both sides. For a complimentary approach, try different wood stains on furniture, or keep the same color palette, but feature geometric pattern on one side and a floral pattern on the other.

Cottage Style

With this simple and rustic outdoor fireplace design, intentional (or accidental!) mismatches are all part of the charm. Accent with items local to your area-seashells if you are near a beach or woodland animal pillows if you live in the mountains. You can turn that cozy corner of your backyard into a prime place to be on those cool summer nights.

Brick Works

A brick fireplace can add a touch of strength and comfort to your outdoor living space. Brick work can be simple and elegant, so consider wooden or wicker furniture with complimentary colored cloth cushions to make the brick pop.

Maximize the effects of this outdoor fireplace design by forgoing other stone types in your outdoor space. Brick fireplaces look best with a wooden deck or even a brick patio.

Fire Pit

Bring it back to basics with an open fire pit. This outdoor fireplace design is great if you want the experience of camping without leaving your outdoor space. The kids will love it, so be sure to grab a bag of marshmallows for the weekend! You can even set up a cooking grate on your fire pit to turn your decorative outdoor fireplace design into a functional piece as well.

Spanish Style

Spanish style houses, with their roofs made of red clay tiles and their white stucco walls, are distinct and unmistakable. This is one case where an outdoor fireplace design definitely has to match your home’s architecture and style.

Stick to the red and white color palette with brick or more stucco around your fireplace so that it conforms with the rest of your home. For a bit of extra color you can add painted tiles above your fireplace that compliment the red and white theme. Incorporating colorful plants-reds, oranges, pinks, and yellows-around your seating area can bring out the best in this outdoor fireplace design.

Hearth

If you live in a wooded area or have an abundance of trees in your backyard, then a fireplace with a stone hearth will look outstanding in your outdoor living space. The large stones of a raised hearth will make you feel like you’re in a wooded wonderland and make you feel like you’ve left the beaten path for a home in the hillsides. Cozy up to your outdoor fireplace with a stone hearth and connect to nature right in your own backyard.