An inviting outdoor home experience has been an important component to AMEK home designs. The Modern Farm Home design utilizes an indoor/outdoor fireplace, which opened to the front porch and indoor entertaining space.
Those can include verandas, arbors, gazebos or outdoor kitchens, but a feature favored by many homeowners is a built-in fireplace or fire pit as an open fire is naturally inviting and makes fire pits and outdoor fireplaces an ideal outdoor amenity, particularly during cool Minnesota evenings.
A permanent spot for a fire — even possibly with built-in seating — also provides ease of use and an opportunity for a unique design element. And those designs are increasingly integrating fireplaces or pits with the entire exterior design rather than adding it as a standalone element on its own.
There are several considerations when designing a fire pit as part of your home’s outdoor experience, and safety tops the list. Fire spaces should be either elevated ab
ove patio level, or should include a barrier that clearly differentiates a sunken fire pit from the rest of the pati
o to keep children and distracted adults from harm.
There is also a decision about the fire itself. Built-in outdoor fireplaces can burn wood or, like some manufactured standalone above-ground fire pits, gas.
Among new design elements for adding fire to an outdoor experience include:
- A firetable, a gas fireplace in the center of a functional table. Ideal for entertaining, these new amenities bring warmth, comfort and functionality to a patio.
- A wood-burning pizza ovens as part of an outdoor kitchen. The ovens provide an open flame as well as a heat source for cooking pizzas or other items.