fire pit Archives - Creekstone Outdoors

13 Dec

Install a Fire Pit and 6 Other Ideas for Outdoor Kitchen Decor

Your outdoor space is a place you and your family entertain guests and enjoy time together. It’s where you can step outside your back door, enjoy a cup of coffee, watch the big sports game, or celebrate a birthday. Above all, your outdoor kitchen decor should match your unique style and be an extension of your home.

Cook in style with these 7 Creekstone-approved decorating ideas for your outdoor kitchen! Click To Tweet

Upgrade Your Houston Cooking Space

Whether you’re just now designing an outdoor kitchen or are looking for ways to spruce up your entertaining space, the options can be overwhelming. Consider these 7 ideas in preparation for your design consultation:

Fire Pit
Outdoor Furniture
Pergola
Light Fixture with a Fan
Fully-Customized Grilling Station
Designer Backsplash
Outdoor TV

1) Fire Pit

There’s nothing like grabbing a camp chair and gathering around a fire pit to roast marshmallows. Install a fire pit or custom fireplace in your backyard to provide warmth and functionality for your guests.

2) Outdoor Furniture

What’s an outdoor living space without ample seating? Whether you have a sofa and chair set near the dining area or a lawn chair by the pool, outdoor furniture is a must for any outdoor kitchen. With a number of colors and durable materials, you can create a space to enjoy year-round.

3) Pergola

There’s nothing more annoying than sitting outside and having the sun glare into your eyes. With a pergola or patio cover, you can save on electricity and escape from the sun by shading your outdoor cooking space.

Pro Tip: One pergola is unlike the other. From double-stacked beams to arbor columns, our design experts can design a shaded structure with any kind of solid wood or metal you desire.

4) Light Fixture with a Fan

Every outdoor dining area needs a good light and a ceiling fan. Whether the sun is blazing hot or going down, your kitchen would greatly benefit from a light fixture with a fan. It’s functional, and in most cases, a stylish way to welcome guests to spend time in your outdoor space no matter what time of day.

5) Fully-Customized Grilling Station

Without a grill or a way to cook food, could it really be called an outdoor kitchen? As you’re designing your kitchen, choose features that your family is going to use. From a pizza oven to a rotisserie smoker, there are a number of built-in grills to make food prep a fun activity right in the backyard.

6) Designer Backsplash

Often overlooked, the backsplash that you choose for your outdoor kitchen is a great way to add personalization to your space. From different materials and colors, you can choose a pattern that will coordinate beautifully with your counter surface and outdoor appliances.

7) Outdoor TV

Make your backyard the best place for the big game or national event with an outdoor TV installed in your kitchen. While waiting for the food to cook or visiting at the dining table, an outdoor TV can provide entertainment for all of your guests.

Stylish Outdoor Entertaining

Your outdoor kitchen doesn’t have to be drab and boring. With stylish design choices and personalized features, your outdoor kitchen can become your family’s favorite hangout spot.

Connect with us on social media to learn more about how our expert designers can make your dream outdoor kitchen a reality.

16 Aug

Using Your Outdoor Fire Pit Safely Near Your Houston Pool

What custom backyard is complete without a fire pit? An open flame adds an exotic feel to your backyard parties and chases away mosquitoes with a light cloud of smoke. However, it’s always important to remember that at the end of the day, an open flame is still an open flame and must be handled with care. As you design your backyard features, keep fire pit safety at the forefront of your mind.

As cool as a fire pit is, if not handled correctly, it has the potential to be a dangerous addition to your backyard. Make sure that you and anyone else who will be using the firepit knows how to safely light, manage, and extinguish a fire. Use this guide to keep yourself and your partygoers safe while the fire pit is in use.

Your backyard fire pit can either be the coolest addition to your outdoor paradise, or the most dangerous. Here’s how to stay safe while using your fire pit. Click To Tweet

Remove Flammable Materials

Before lighting your fire pit, take a look at the area surrounding it. Is there anything that could potentially catch fire if sparks blew in that direction? Sweep twigs or other flammable debris out of the way to prevent the fire from spreading. A five-foot radius is a good rule of thumb. Additionally, double-check what you and others near the fire pit are wearing. Don’t wear clothing with long, loose parts (such as ties or scarves) that can hang into the fire pit if you lean too close.

Pro Tip: Many homeowners enjoy having furniture around the firepit to facilitate conversation. Make sure all the furniture you use for this is either flame-retardant or made of entirely fireproof materials.

Pay Attention to What’s Fueling the Fire

In general, there are a few flammable items that you should never use as fuel for your fire pit:

Gasoline or other flammable liquids: These can splash out of the fire pit and present a serious hazard.
Paper or trash: Burning paper has a tendency to pop and throw sparks out of the fire pit.
Soft woods (cedar, pine, etc.): Like paper, these woods can pop and spark in a fire.

Extinguish the Fire Carefully

When you’re ready to put out the fire, douse the fire pit in water and stir the ashes with a shovel to make sure every coal is extinguished. As you clean the ashes out, be mindful of their temperature and how to properly dispose of them. Ashes can still retain enough heat to start a fire if exposed to flammable materials even after a couple of days. When you dispose of the ashes, avoid packing them in a cardboard box or paper bag to prevent spontaneous combustion.

Handling an Open Flame Safely

Fire pits are constructed with basic safety precautions in mind, so the chances of something going drastically wrong are low. However, managing the fire safely also depends on you to exercise caution and keep everything under control. With a little care and regards for fire pit safety, your fire feature is a perfectly safe and enjoyable addition to your backyard.

Join the conversation to learn more about safely handling fire features in your backyard.

26 Oct

5 Outdoor Fire Features to Transform Your Outdoor Space

People are spending a lot more time in their outdoor spaces and having a bland yard just won’t cut it anymore. These days, people want to transform their yards to make it a place to unwind, relax, and entertain with ponds, flower beds, vegetable gardens, outdoor kitchens, and more increasingly, fire features.

Transform Your Yard with Outdoor Fire Features

If you are hoping to transform your yard, but you’re unsure which fire feature will be a good fit in your outdoor space, get transfixed by one of these outdoor fire features and you’ll be sitting around the fire telling stories in no time.

Built-In Fireplace
Fire Pit
A Bowl of Fire
Fire Column
Chiminea

Looking to transform your yard with an outdoor fire feature? Here are 5 popular fire features to help you make your decision. Click To Tweet

1) Built-In Fireplace

A built-in fireplace is a perfect way to enjoy an outdoor fire all year. A built-in fireplace fits perfectly when designed to match your covered patio. Choose from a variety of materials, colors, styles, and finishes. Make sure to talk to an outdoor living design expert to help you create your perfect built-in fireplace.

2) Fire Pit

The most popular outside fire feature these days is the fire pit. They literally come in every shape and style and can, like the built-in fireplace, be made from a plethora of materials, and finishes. In addition to providing heat and a comforting place to sit and relax, your pit can also help you cook up some tasty food, too.

3) A Bowl of Fire

While they seem similar, the fire bowl is different than a fire pit, in that a bowl is not usually built into the ground, but is usually portable and much more lightweight. Fire bowls can be useful in areas that have regulations set by landlords or housing authorities.

4) Fire Column

A fire column is a newer fire feature that combines the best of a fire bowl, but into a sleek and stylish column that is typically fueled by gas. They take up less room and are, like bowls, usually portable. Fire columns, however, should only be used for heating, and not for cooking foods.

5) Chiminea

A chiminea is another fire feature that comes from the American Southwest and Mexico areas. The word chiminea is Spanish for chimney and that is exactly what it is–a portable chimney. It provides heat and comes made in terracotta or even metal. The shape of this fire feature sends the smoke upwards and also allows it to be used while it’s raining outside.

Outdoor Fire Features

ProTip: Fire features can instantly transform your yard, creating a natural gathering place you and your family can sit around relaxing, making smores, and creating memories.

Whether you choose to have a fireplace built into your covered patio or a fire pit with cozy chairs seated around it, an outdoor fire feature is one of the best ways to help boost your home value and also creates a great focal point in your yard.

Contact us to learn more ways to transform your backyard with an outdoor fire feature.

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