The Best Fire Pits for Outdoor Entertaining This Summer

“Everybody wants a fire pit now,” says California-based landscape architect Patricia Benner, who says that 80% project briefs this year have included one, up from 50% or so before the pandemic. Interest in outdoor living had been surging for some time, she adds, but the past year turbocharged the shift. “People want to meet friends and family more safely, or work in outdoor spaces at home.”

Three key questions to consider when planning a fire pit are fuel, location, and style. Wood-burning pits burn hotter and are more evocative, Benner continues, but gas is cleaner; note that …