For those who love entertaining or stargazing on a cool winter night, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without a fire pit.
Also known as a brazier or fire bowl, it’s the accessory du jour for many contemporary gardens, available in a variety of styles and shapes. Fire pits can be positioned at ground level, hidden below ground to pop up when it’s cool outside, mounted on walls or plinths or even on a tabletop.
Fill them with pebbles and other decorative, fire-retardant fillers, and use solid fuel or gas as your heating source. It’s also important to place your fire pit in a spot far from plants, fences, trees or anything flammable. Consider the wind and the direction it will blow smoke from the fire, and ensure you can walk around your fire pit with ease.
Below, check out our advice for heating your fire pit, safety considerations, and answers to other frequently asked questions. To make al fresco entertaining a year-round thing, shop our selection of rustic fire pits and sleek braziers below.
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How do I maximise the heat distribution of my fire pit or outdoor brazier?
Layering sand or compacted dirt, topped with a generous layer of gravel, at the base of the fire pit helps evenly redistribute heat from the flame. This will protect your fire pit from wear, tear and burn spots.
What’s the best type of wood to burn in an outdoor fire pit?
For the best-quality burn, select a hardwood like oak, beech, maple, or hickory, which are slow-burning and produce less smoke than other varieties.
It’s also essential to ensure your wood is dry to achieve optimal smoke output.
Fire pit safety considerations:
You’ll first need to check whether there are any local council restrictions on outdoor fireplaces in your area.
Position all outdoor fireplaces on a flat, fireproof surface (e.g., gravel, concrete), keep them away from trees, and power lines, and make sure sparks and embers won’t reach garden structures or flammable materials.
Work out the prevailing wind direction, too. To maximise the benefits of your outdoor heating you may need to install windbreaks such as walls or screens to keep the warmth where you want it.
Lastly, always keep an eye on young children when in use. And keep a hose on hand.
How should I arrange seating around a fire pit?
Add a circle of low outdoor chairs around the pit to keep it social.
Read next:
- The best pizza ovens for home chefs
- A very meaty test of the Ninja Woodfire Electric BBQ Grill & Smoker
- Where to buy the best outdoor furniture, and how to style it in your space
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