Our New Backyard Firepit!

This post is sponsored by Walmart

Outside of the double dining room doors (those have existed from the beginning), we now have a gorgeous gas firepit area. It’s something we dreamed up and designed last year, sketched out and recently had installed by a local landscaping company, (Outback landscape for you locals).

This is on a very rarely seen side of our home and even we could barely remember what it looked like previously. Luckily, Chris had some photos from last summer on his phone. 

You can see there was a chicken coop (we moved this back to the garden area), a pile of logs and a large bush. We don’t have chickens right now so this whole side of our home felt a lot underused.  

During the construction of our dining room, this side of the house got pretty trashed so once the weather got warmer, we knew it was prime time to make our firepit dreams come true. A lot of you asked why we went with a firepit this time instead of an upright fireplace like we DIYed in our last house. And it just came down to what the land dictated. Our last house had a much smaller outdoor space so we lounged and ate and enjoyed a fire feature all in the same spot. Also, the upright fireplace backed up to the edge of our property. Here we can spread out a little more so a separate firepit area made more sense!

Our entire back patio is made of flagstone, so we carried the same (or as close as we could get!) flagstone over to this area and connected to the two spaces (which required transplanting a tree that was on the corner of our house back here to the other side). That alone made a world of difference in the flow of our exterior space. 

We had a 1” gas line run to the firepit, which is larger than is normally used, so that the flame could be nice and big and give off a lot of heat. To build the firepit we were able to use the rest of the stone we pulled off the back of the old addition on our house. We were originally going to do 3 rows of stone and a layer of flagstone to cap it off, but as soon as we saw two, we knew it would serve double duty as the perfect foot rest. It’s the perfect height! 

To finish it off, they sealed all the stone and I started ordering some furniture for the space!

We’ve never had Adirondack chairs before. But they kept popping up in all of my inspiration photos, especially around the firepit, and they look so classic. We looked, on Walmart.com, at a lot of different chairs — with scalloped edges, profiles that were straight across the top — and we chose ones that felt the most classic. 

Our firepit has a lower profile, so lower chairs made sense. And this might sound strange, but I loved that everyone has their own seat (rather than sharing an outdoor sofa).

I cannot believe how comfortable they are! The recline is so ergonomical that there’s really no need need for pillows or cushions. 

Finally, we wanted chairs that would continue looking good, from season to season, despite our tough Idaho winters. These are made from recycled high density polyethylene material, which will not rot, splinter, chip, peel or crack (whew!). But up close, they still have a lovely wood grain texture.

Adirondack chairs famously come in lots of colors, and I thought I might want a more moody tone. But the plan for the exterior of our home is dark and moody — so my vision is that these white chairs will “pop” against the backdrop of the house once we have one (ha!). On our patio, we have black furniture with white cushions, and our patio umbrella is off-white, so the clean/classic color is working right now.

When Chris and I talked out how many to get, we imagined friends and family coming over to sit around the firepit… We measured the firepit, which is 4 feet in diameter. We could fit six chairs comfortably around the fire and still leave room for moving about. But truthfully, I’m already thinking about adding another chair! (“If you build it…” right? I know I’m not the only one fantasizing about gathering again.)

Adirondack chairs have nice sturdy, level arms, wide enough to hold a drink or a small plate, but we added 3 of these incredible, fluted, concrete side tables as well. We knew we’d gather around the fire pit for charcuterie, hot dogs, picnic lunches, s’mores... There’s no room for a coffee table because the firepit is the centerpiece. So we plunked down three side tables, one for each pair of chairs. This way, no one will ever be too far from the snacks or refills. (Psst--these terrazzo melamine dishes are perfect for eating outside!)

And now, a life hack: I was looking on Walmart.com at these Turkish beach towels. The weight and size sounded like that of a throw blanket. We ordered them, and sure enough: They’re so lightweight and lovely. They definitely feel more like blankets. But! Since they’re “technically” towels, they dry super fast, can be easily washed and dried. In fact, if we happen to leave them out in the rain, they’re meant to get wet! (You’re welcome.)

I keep sneaking peeks out into the backyard, and it looks like a scene in another country. The white chairs in a cozy circle against our green lawn… it looks like a vacation. Last night, we broke them in. We brought a tray out to the firepit and sat around, making s’mores. We propped our feet up and talked and talked... The night was winding down, and we were, too. I don’t know how I feel about the word “staycation,” but I like this faraway feeling, so close to my own bed.

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