Caxton magazines staffIntegrating a well-designed firepit into your garden allows you to spend time outdoors all year round. Here are four ideas for bomas we love:
1. LIGHT MY FIRE
YOU’LL ALSO LOVE: Make your fireplace a focal point
With a magnificent backdrop of KZN’s Valley of a Thousand Hills, this outdoor space offers a choice of seating options to enjoy the warmth of a crackling fire. These being a pair of mod hanging pod chairs and a floating timber bench. “Combining a variety of hard landscaping materials such as gravel, stone, timber and smooth plastered walls will lend the pit interest and texture,” explains Jan Blok of Blok Designs. He recommends raising the pit about 150mm above floor level. This contains the fire and adds a fall connected to a drainage outlet to prevent the pit filling up with rainwater. It will also allow the remaining ash to be easily washed away with a hosepipe.
2. BOLDLY GLOW
Craig de Necker of The Friendly Plant came up with the concept of this stylish sunken firepit. He was challenged by the Jo’burg owners to create a contemporary entertaining area within a small strip of back garden. He gave careful consideration to accommodate drainage points in both the hearth and the seating pit, which is an oversight that often proves the downfall of such designs. There’s a functional storage space for wood that also serves as a clever decorative element.
READ MORE: Outdoor inspiration: A practical covered patio
3. WARM WELCOME
This circular-shaped boma in the PheZulu eco-estate in KwaZulu-Natal, illustrates how the enclosure of space can create a sense of intimacy as well as attention on the fire. “The walls can be given the added benefit of built-in benches, or for a softer look, consider floating timber seating,” says Jan Blok of Blok Designs. The three-step level change establishes subtle visual interest that defines the area as well as separating it from the rest of the garden.
READ MORE: Outdoor area inspiration
4. HOTSPOT
When you have a view like this one of Llandudno, you need to exploit it every month of the year. They incorporated a firepit into the wide timber deck extension, on the top floor of this Cape home. The hexagonal pit was built by Stoneworx Construction from sturdy fire bricks sunk into the decking.
READ MORE ABOUT DESIGNING A STYLISH BOMA HERE
