Beautiful Ideas for Stone Fire Pits to Match Any Style
Stone is a premium material. Builders prize stone for its strength, and homeowners prize it for its beauty. A natural space for using stone is a fire pit because of stone’s fire-resistant qualities. You might naturally think of rustic stone fire pits, but stone veneer pits can match many hardscaping styles.
While some building projects utilize full stone, many contractors start with a base of poured concrete. They then apply mortar to the exterior and press thin-cut stones, either natural or engineered, into the mortar. The result is a stone veneer that resembles a more costly stacked stone structure.
Learn how contractors can use stone veneer to match any hardscaping style.
Traditional Fire Pit
The traditional fire pit can fit into any outdoor setting. The traditional pit is round with an extended lip that doubles as seating. Many designers stick to traditional fire box design, meaning it appears to be wood-burning even if it’s electric or gas-fueled.
The exterior of these fire pits is almost always stone or stone veneer. They’re typically mortared, usually with a standard pattern. The big customization comes in the choice of stones. Usually homeowners choose stone that either matches their house’s façade or the hardscaping surrounding the fire pit. The extended lip can be the same stone or a complementary material.
Contemporary Fire Pits
Designers sometimes turn to materials other than stone for modern-style fire pits. However, certain aspects of the style do favor using natural materials. So if you value the beauty of stone but want a contemporary fire pit, you’ll want to modify other aspects of the design.
One hallmark of contemporary design is emphasizing form over function. Geometry plays a big role in making a structure look modern. To that end, you could choose an unusual shape for the fire pit, such as a rectangle or triangle.
Another characteristic of contemporary design is a sense of minimalism. To that end, look for a stone veneer with few variations in color. Likewise, the mortaring should be very tidy, not rustic. You might even consider a glossy finish.
Transitional Fire Pits
Transitional fire pits are what the name suggests — a transition between modern and traditional. Therefore, you see elements from both styles represented. Indeed, the way to make a transitional fire pit noteworthy is in your method of blending the two styles.
The basic elements of fire pit design are represented in the shape and material of the structure. The goal is to strike a balance of what elements you choose from the two basics.
For example, let’s say you fancy an unusually shaped fire pit such as a triangle, and you still want stone as your main material. You could still choose monochromatic stone but have it mortared with a rustic stacked pattern. You could also choose a more modern fire element. Conversely, you could start with a round pit finished with a polished, variegated veneer and a wood-burning fire element.
Rustic Fire Pits
Just because you can choose a style other than rustic for your fire pit doesn’t mean you have to. Inspiration for backyard fire pits comes from the bonfires you build when enjoying the outdoors late into the evening.
The goal of the rustic fire pit is to recreate that campfire feeling. So while you want a professional installation, look for ways to make the design look handmade. To that end, you don’t want mortaring in between the rocks. The contractors will still press the veneer stones into mortar, but they won’t apply any between the pieces.
Likewise, you want the stones to look uncut and unpolished on the exterior end. Additionally, look for stones that come in a range of seemingly random hues rather than those that obviously match. If you were choosing stones to line a campfire, you wouldn’t be focusing on color, and that’s the appearance you want your rustic pit to convey.
Choose a stone veneer fire pit design that best fits with the rest of your hardscaping. Contact Harristone for all your stone veneer needs.