Home & Design

Fine Earth Landscape's outdoor fire pit. © Hilary Schwab

Live Green Landscape Associates' outdoor fireplace. © Roger Foley

State of the Art Landscape's low-profile fire feature. © George E. Brown

A fire pit and pergola by Wheat's Landscape. © George E. Brown

A gas fire feature designed by Zen Associates, Inc. © Nat Rea

Cutting Edge

Creative fire features bring drama—and warmth—to any landscape

FOCAL POINT
A gas fire feature designed by Zen Associates, Inc., for a Brookline, Massachusetts, residence occupies a prominent location—further enhanced by LED strips that highlight the structure and steps leading up to it. The fire pit, made of Ashlar slate and ledgestone capped with bluestone, features multiple seating options and surfaces, including a powder-coated, stainless-steel floating bench.

SPA TIME
Clients in Bethesda requested a cozy spot where they could gather after time spent in the pool and spa. Fine Earth Landscape designed a fire pit to match the walls and caps of the pool area and suit the home’s exterior. Its natural-stone walls are capped with specially cut limestone. The interior of the wood-burning fire pit is lined with firebrick.

LOCAL STONE
Live Green Landscape Associates created an outdoor fireplace in Baltimore County that fits the style and scale of the home. Constructed of Butler stone—quarried just a few miles north in Butler, Maryland—the structure sits low to the ground with a wide footprint, and complements the quartzite-flagstone patio. The fireplace is operated via a remote-control gas burner.

MODERN MAGIC
Homeowners asked State of the Art Landscape for a low-profile fire feature that wouldn’t detract from the sweeping views they enjoyed from their Great Falls property. They opted for a modern, minimalist look, which was achieved with Sterling Rustic fieldstone walls, thermal bluestone capping and a firebrick interior. The surrounding terrace is made of silver travertine. The wood-burning fire pit has a gas starter.

GATHERING SPOT
To create a focal point on a McLean property, Joshua Dean of Wheat’s Landscape installed a pergola over a fire pit where people can gather. The West Virginia stone fire-pit veneer is accented by a radial-cut, thermal bluestone cap; attractive, light-gray, kiln-dried river stone covers the burner. The pergola structure, fashioned with custom, curved-wood beams in a mahogany finish, imparts the feel of an outdoor room.

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