If you have a house, you already know how great spending time alone or with friends and family can be while lounging on your deck. Having that access to the sweet outdoors while you’re still at home is one of the best perks of living in a house. Ideal for summertime, your outdoor space can be your oasis where you can cool off, unwind, and just breathe in the fresh air. However, lounging on your deck or patio doesn’t have to stop when the weather turns from warm to chilly.
In fact, it can continue, and quite comfortably so, if you just have the right heating solution in place. A deck is usually an open-plan space which means it’s subject to the elements. When it gets a bit colder, you need a heating element to make the experience more pleasant and enjoyable. The whole point of having a well-organized patio space is so that you can use it for different purposes. So, having a sense of unity and the proper heating solution that is complementary to your patio furniture is of utmost importance to achieve this.
Before you hit the stores or go online to buy the best outdoor heater for your patio, first let me help you figure out which one it actually is. We’ll take a look at which style your home and patio are designed in and determine the best patio heater solution from there!
Minimal & Scandi
It may seem that minimalism and scandi styles don’t really have too much in common when it comes to the intricacies of both of them, but when you think about it, pairing them up really makes sense. Both entail clean lines, both promote bright colours and fixed colour schemes. Even though scandi really loves lots of details, they’re still simple and clean, which makes it a great match with minimalism.
For minimal and scandi themed homes and patios, I’d recommend a heating solution in the form of a fire pit. Modern, sleek, with clean lines and design, it will fit perfectly with the rest of the patio nicely. Not to mention, the open fire will look great among all the other things on your patio and will provide that much-needed warmth.
Since you don’t actually need a pit for a fire pit, it can stand nicely on your patio on its own. When talking about positioning, you can either place it in the middle of your seating arrangement to create a focal point on the patio or have it on the side. If you decide to put it somewhere to the side, make sure it’s still close enough to be able to warm you up and it doesn’t look out of place.
As for the style, I’d recommend a nice, circular fire pit in either a pure metal colour or a subdued stone-like pattern to fit your patio design.
Vintage & Shabby Chic
Vintage, as well as shabby chic, are both styles that love loads of details, all things retro, and interesting shapes and colours. If your home and patio follow these styles or you have a combination that fits the description, a chiminea is probably the way to go when figuring out the best outdoor heater.
Chimineas have that retro, olden look about them, but when it comes to functionality, the past is long gone and the future is set right in there to take its place. Very Victorian-looking, chimineas will fit perfectly among your outdoor furniture and will really warm up your patio nicely. They’re a really powerful source of heat thanks to their design, and they will completely eliminate any smoke issues that might surface from other outdoor heating solutions.
When talking about placement, your chiminea will do well in a corner close to your seating arrangement as its design won’t really let it be set in the middle of it all. As the name suggests, they do resemble a chimney, so if you do place a chiminea in the middle, you won’t really be able to see the people on the other side and everything will just end up looking a bit awkward.
That’s why placing it in the corner is the best idea. It will give off the heat you need, but won’t get in the way both physically and visually. You can spice that corner up in multiple vintage-friendly ways to really make the chiminea fit and melt with the rest of the decor.
As for colours, chimineas usually come in dark, metal colours which are perfect for homes of these styles. They add to the whole experience and can make your space cozier.
Rustic
Finally, we have the rustic home. A nice little melt made of a lot of different styles and ideas, rustic homes can handle a lot more than any other home style can.
Rustic does dictate some rules that can’t be broken, but when it comes to detailing, a lot of things work. That’s why, if you have a rustic-themed home and patio, you can go for either a chiminea or a fire pit. Both will look great and will provide the needed level of heat.
The only thing you should really worry about is the colour you’re going to choose. Both of these outdoor heating solutions do a great job at just that, heating, but depending on the colours you’re using to form your rustic style you can either go for dark metal, copper, or a light stone-like look to tie everything together.
Take into consideration everything you have already placed on your patio and go from there. The positioning also depends on which option you choose and how your patio plan looks, but the general idea is still that a fire pit goes in the middle and a chiminea to the side.
