15 Ideas for Firepits

Fire up your backyard for outdoor living with these stylish ideas for firepits.


Backyard campfire
Backyard campfire


Backyard campfire
A built-in firepit is the hub of gatherings in this garden. Sandstone cobbles edge the 5-foot-diameter lava rock-topped pit, which blazes with gas-fed flames. A sandstone wall, scattered with cushions for comfort, serves as seating. Thyme and other herbs grow around the firepit and between the seat wall's stones.
More on landscaping with stone


Modern art
Modern art


Modern art
'Elfin' thyme turns this patio into a giant checkerboard. Growing in 4-inch-wide strips dividing poured-in-place concrete squares, it's irrigated by a subsurface drip system and needs only the occasional light pruning. Sea thrift keeps the grid from looking too controlled. Puncutating the grid is a blue "gravel" firepit made of recycled glass.

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Asian-style elegance
Asian-style elegance


Asian-style elegance
A firepit underscores a moon window framing a view of giant timber bamboo.


Amphitheater style
Amphitheater style


Amphitheater style
Landscape architect Steve Martino used rugged rebar and concrete in the firepit to make it pop against the colorful amphitheater seating.


Geometric play
Geometric play


Geometric play
Rugged and natural-looking, this sunken firepit is hard edged and geometric on the patio side but gently curving on the beach part, where natural granite boulders pack its sides. Feathery grasses blend with the shoreline habitat beyond. A boulder-seat is just right for extra guests.


Firepit circle sitting area
Firepit circle sitting area


Firepit circle sitting area
For before-dinner drinks or after-dinner s'mores, this outdoor space offers two connected-but distinct-sitting areas. This lower one is centered on a firepit built of paving stones. Indoor-outdoor cushions soften the built-in curved benches, made of decking that was heat-molded on-site into the right shape.

More on creating outdoor rooms


Bowl of fire
Bowl of fire


Bowl of fire
Clean lines and artful illusion transform a compact backyard. A "floating" bench and a fire bowl, which landscape architect Russ Cletta created from a colored concrete planter, make up the new living space.


Portable firepit
Portable firepit


Portable firepit
A metal firepit glows softly in the center of a bluestone patio surrounded by colorful foliage and flowers. Strings of party lights overhead add to the ambience.


Homegrown campfire
Homegrown campfire


Homegrown campfire
A gas-fueled flagstone firepit warms homeowners in their Northern California backyard.


Lava firepit
Lava firepit


Lava firepit
For a tropical look in your own backyard, try this novel firepit design--lava stone mounded volcano-style around a central gas jet.


Low-key warmth
Low-key warmth


Low-key warmth
Warmth encourages a family to use a patio year-round. Because of this firepit's low profile--set into the seat wall and with only a discreet flame--it doesn't overwhelm the garden's peaceful mood.

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Convertible firepit
Convertible firepit


Convertible firepit
A raised concrete trough filled with recycled glass keeps the dining deck warm on cool nights. When not in use, the gas firepit can be covered with a slab of ipe wood, which converts it into a coffee table.


Found firepit
Found firepit


Found firepit
A 28-inch-diameter metal wok, turned into a wood-burning fire bowl, sits on a steel base made by one of the homeowners.

More alternative fireplaces


Backyard beach
Backyard beach


Backyard beach
Create a beach scene in your backyard! Driftwood, geraniums, and grasses dot the "dunes" around a sunken firepit. This miniature beach can be put together over a weekend for less than $200.

Take it to the next level: Build a beach in your backyard


Alfresco fireplace
Alfresco fireplace


Alfresco fireplace
This friendly-looking fireplace sits on a gravel patio, accompanied by a traditional arrangement of furniture. The structure was built from concrete blocks and covered with manmade, though convincing, river-rock veneer.