Popularity of outdoor entertaining blazing
With the mercury in the thermometer starting its annual retreat, fall evenings are soon to be downright nippy.
For those nights and the slew of colder ones to follow, local stores say the fire pit is this season’s must-have deck/patio accessory.
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"I think (fire pits) are growing in popularity all over the country and all over the world," said Tim Sooks, an interior designer for Home Depot. "Some countries have been using them for a while, especially at ski slopes. People want to be able to make their homes a retreat, and people just like being around a fire."
Tina Fox, a saleswoman and assistant buyer for the Rutherford County Farmer’s Co-op, agreed and said, "fire pits are a neat thing for entertaining in the cooler months."
This year, for the first time, the Co-op plans to carry an extensive selection of fire pits, and Fox predicts copper and stainless steel will be the must-have materials of the season.
"Years ago we carried chimineas," she said. "That style kind of died down, and then (fire pits) came back redesigned to look like they do. People just want something they can sit around, and chimineas were smaller."
Sooks said chimineas were originally meant to be decorative pieces. However, after customers realized the large clay enclosures would hold a small fire, the discovery ignited the popularity of today’s fire pits.
"Our society always wants bigger and better," he said. "They go from the chiminea to the fire pit to the outdoor fireplace. More people are entertaining outside, and they want to bring the indoors out."
And Sooks said there’s a fire pit to fit almost anyone’s needs, including those who may live in apartments and condominiums.
"People can get little ones that just use charcoal," he explained. "Some come with lamp-oil fuel and some use gas. You see a lot of gas ones that are just wonderful. And you see different sizes for different locations."
This season’s popular designs include large bowls and squares, and some pits are even fashioned to look like an old-time metal furnace.
"Some may be just a big ceramic bowl," Sooks said. "But they come in all different styles, and there isn’t a difference in functionality. Some people want to sit all the way around them, and on some of the ones that look like furnaces, you can’t do that. But that’s the design of it; it’s still more than functional. I love the idea of the barbecue pit/fire pit combination."
In addition to a wide selection of materials, shapes and sizes to choose from, when it comes to purchasing a pit, Fox said you’ll also want to consider an array of accessories. A log holder, a five-piece fire set and a fire pit pad are just a few of the available supplements. For deck owners, the fire pit pad may be essential.
"If you’re going to set your fire pit on your deck, the pad will protect your deck in case anything falls out of the fire pit," Fox said. "That way your deck won’t burn. It’s just for protection."
When it comes to the practical attributes of fire pits, Fox said most come with a grill top so they can be used to cook. And Sooks said they are a great bug repellent.
"The smoke from the fire pit will help keep the mosquitos away," he said. "It just smells good."
