How to Match an Outdoor Fireplace with Your Patio in Lisle, IL
Bringing in a new outdoor fireplace to a preexisting patio takes some forethought. You probably want both hardscape features to look as if they have always belonged together. Here’s how to create a cohesive design for your evolving Lisle, IL, landscape.
Finding the Design Aesthetic of Your Patio
When considering the design style that will be emphasized, take a look at what you already have as you look into pairing your new outdoor fireplace with your patio. Notice any features in your patio that stand out such as textures, lines, shapes, and finishes. These prominent design characteristics can be incorporated into your outdoor fireplace. For instance, a rustic or old world design contains beautiful textures that can be mimicked on your outdoor fireplace design.
Once you have picked your favorite aspect of your patio, it's time to incorporate it into your new fireplace design. For example, to stay with a contemporary look, inquire about mixing a geometric design with soft edges and rounded corners. For a modern design, larger, sleeker materials with straight lines could be used such as a zero-bevel paver. You can add even more depth to the design by opting for accents that use the same design aesthetic. For example, for a patio made of soft tan pavers, try using that same color for the accents of the fireplace. The key is to not overdo it. Too much of one color or design concept could overpower the overall landscape design.
Mixing and Matching Materials
If you aren’t particularly in favor of one style over the other, then using certain materials can make the new outdoor fireplace look like it was built with the patio. Natural stone is a great example as it can be incorporated into many stunning design applications. Thanks to its neutral colors and textures, natural stone can create a perfect match of fireplace and patio without pertaining to a certain style criteria. Natural stone or concrete material that resembles natural stone is also an excellent choice because of the expanse of color of options that can blend well with pre-existing features. The texture of these materials can also blend well with the landscape around it. This addresses the concern of new landscape additions looking out of place or too new. Because natural stone has already been naturally aged by the earth, it looks like it has been a part of your landscape since the beginning.
Picking the Perfect Paver
Another way to seamlessly integrate a new outdoor fireplace into your current patio is by picking a paver that can act as a blending material for the design. You may be able to use the same paver in your patio area for creating accents on your outdoor fireplace. An example of this would be if you have brick-style pavers already in use throughout your patio, then you could try using the same style of concrete coping on your fireplace. Cobblestone or flagstone, for example, can be seamlessly incorporated into your outdoor fireplace design. A helpful tip to remember is that the materials do not have to be the same color. Expand your design’s color palette by bringing two colors of the same style paver into your patio space to create the cohesiveness and contrast you desire.
