Hot Spot: 10 Ways to Heat Up Your Outdoors
From fires to cosy nooks, here's how you can bring a little sizzle to your outdoor spaces
An adequately heated outdoor space can mean the difference between your family members and dinner guests milling around enjoying themselves late into the evening or scurrying indoors to find relief from the cold and wind. Keep your outdoor space as cosy as possible in the cooler months with these ideas designed with comfort and ambiance in mind.
Have an idea of your own? Share with us how you are ramping up the heat in your backyard in the comments section below.
Have an idea of your own? Share with us how you are ramping up the heat in your backyard in the comments section below.
2. Wind breaks
Install a wind break or two in the form of a wall or a screen fronted by trees in order to retain as much heat as possible in an outdoor room.
Install a wind break or two in the form of a wall or a screen fronted by trees in order to retain as much heat as possible in an outdoor room.
3. Sauna
Those with a generous budget can pamper themselves and their guests with a home sauna. A mahogany one like this looks inviting with its warm rich tones, but will have to be refinished every couple of years to prevent it turning grey from exposure to the sun.
Those with a generous budget can pamper themselves and their guests with a home sauna. A mahogany one like this looks inviting with its warm rich tones, but will have to be refinished every couple of years to prevent it turning grey from exposure to the sun.
5. Tiki torches
Fabulous for evening soirees, affordable and portable tiki torches add light and patches of heat to a yard, also bringing with them a sense of the tropics.
Fabulous for evening soirees, affordable and portable tiki torches add light and patches of heat to a yard, also bringing with them a sense of the tropics.
6. Fire pit
For a low-maintenance heat source that establishes a relaxed atmosphere for entertaining, try an on-trend fire pit. There’s a fabulous array of materials and sizes available, but you can also make a DIY task out of it and build your own.
For a low-maintenance heat source that establishes a relaxed atmosphere for entertaining, try an on-trend fire pit. There’s a fabulous array of materials and sizes available, but you can also make a DIY task out of it and build your own.
7. Day bed
Nothing invites guests to snuggle up outdoors more than a day bed, and a covered weather-resistant model like this handsome Dedon design can be stuffed with cushions and warm throws.
Nothing invites guests to snuggle up outdoors more than a day bed, and a covered weather-resistant model like this handsome Dedon design can be stuffed with cushions and warm throws.
8. Candles
Sure, candles don’t add that much heat to the outdoors, but they make it seem warmer with their gentle glow. Scatter glass votives with tea lights along with lanterns around a seating area to make it feel cosy and inviting. Add a few throw cushions and rugs and your snug decor is complete.
Sure, candles don’t add that much heat to the outdoors, but they make it seem warmer with their gentle glow. Scatter glass votives with tea lights along with lanterns around a seating area to make it feel cosy and inviting. Add a few throw cushions and rugs and your snug decor is complete.
9. Heated spa
Soothe your body and soul after a long day with a nice hot outdoor spa. This thoughtful design offers easy access via steps for a more elegant entry than the usual process of awkwardly clambering in at ground level.
Soothe your body and soul after a long day with a nice hot outdoor spa. This thoughtful design offers easy access via steps for a more elegant entry than the usual process of awkwardly clambering in at ground level.
10. Portable outdoor gas heater
Unit dwellers without a lot of outdoor space or the ability to make permanent landscaping installations can still host fabulous outdoor brunches and dinner parties in the cooler months with the addition of a portable gas heater like this stylish white model from Kindle Living.
Unit dwellers without a lot of outdoor space or the ability to make permanent landscaping installations can still host fabulous outdoor brunches and dinner parties in the cooler months with the addition of a portable gas heater like this stylish white model from Kindle Living.
Think outside the box with your choice of exterior fireplace. This 1.8-metre-wide custom-built rugged sandstone stunner features gorgeous fireballs for a delightful twist on the typical set-up.