From warm weather climates to properties built on permafrost, homeowners everywhere are discovering anew the allure of fire outdoors. With zoning laws, resources, and proximity often limiting the open bonfire enjoyed by our ancestors, fire is being tamed in a variety of attractive ways by creative landscape architects, designers, builders, and manufacturers. Today's outdoor fires radiate warmth for chilly evenings, add an attractive glow to gathered faces, form focal centers for outdoor gatherings, and provide a means of food preparation al fresco. This book presents a wide variety of ideas of outdoor fireplaces, fire pits, and cook centers. Manufactured outdoor hearth products and custom handmade masterpieces address a huge array of styles to satisfy a broad range of tastes and budgets. A selection of outdoor cook centers is also included, complete with wood burning pizza ovens. Over 200 images of designs by professional landscape architects, contractors, custom homebuilders, kitchen designers, and hearth product manufacturers were compiled to provide inspiration and present the most complete book on the subject ever published.
