A Fire to Gather Around: GlammFire Fire Pits Join the Range

Put a fire in a garden and watch what happens. Chairs turn towards it. Conversations slow down. People who said they were leaving at ten are still there at midnight. It is the oldest way there is of keeping a gathering going after dark, and nothing has improved on it.

We now offer a range of fire pits from GlammFire, a maker of designer fires. They are sculptural objects as much as they are heaters, and there are a few things worth understanding before you choose one.

Bioethanol or Wood?

This is the decision that matters most, because it determines where the fire can go.

A bioethanol fire burns a clean liquid fuel made from plant material. It gives a real, moving flame with no smoke, no ash and no need for a chimney. You light it, you enjoy it, you put it out, and there is nothing to clear up in the morning.

A wood fire gives you the crackle and the smell that many people would say are the whole point. The Cosmo 13 is a fine example. But it produces smoke and ash, and it asks for a little more attention.

Can It Go Under Cover?

We are asked this more than anything else. Because bioethanol produces no smoke, a bioethanol fire can be used under a veranda or pergola provided there is plenty of ventilation and the manufacturer's clearances to the roof and sides are respected. Check those figures for the specific model before you decide.

A wood-burning fire should not be placed directly beneath a roof. It belongs in the open, a few steps from the covered area, where the smoke can go straight up. In practice that is a pleasant arrangement anyway: the fire in the open air, the comfortable seats just under cover. A louvred pergola such as the Pinela a few steps away gives you both, with the roof open to the stars when the weather allows.

Fires You Can Cook On

Some models are built to do two jobs. The Stravaganza is a fire pit and a grill in one, so warmth and supper arrive together. If you want to cook, choose a model designed for it. An ordinary decorative fire pit is not made for cooking, and using it that way will damage the burner.

Shape and Scale

A fire pit sets the layout of everything around it. A round one draws a circle of chairs. A long, low one suits a sofa on either side. One model, the Circus, comes with seating built into it. For a small garden there are compact designs such as the Alba Small, and for a pond or pool there is even a burner that floats on the water.

Before choosing, decide how many people you want to seat around it and how close they should be. That will tell you the size.

Why We Added Them

A roof extends the season by keeping the rain off. A fire extends the evening by giving people a reason to stay. Together they turn a garden you look at from the kitchen window into one you actually spend time in after dark, in more months than you would expect.

These are considered pieces and they deserve a considered place. If you are planning a new space, tell us you would like a fire in it and we will help you work out where it should go.