An outdoor fireplace table is a great place to sit around with your family and friends not just in summertime but even during the colder seasons. You can drink your coffee, or perhaps beer, as you chat and share a few laughs with each other. You can rest your beverages, along with a few cookies or chips, on the table while enjoying the warmth and glow of the fire.

This piece of furniture is a table that doubles as a fireplace. These come is several designs with plenty of variations. Often, the fire pit is embedded within the surface of the table. A hole is cut in the middle of the table and the fire pit is inserted into it. The mouth of the pit can be aligned with the table’s surface, below or above it. Other designs, however, have the fire pit resting atop the table.

The fire pit can be made of aluminum, brass, cast iron, or stainless steel. It may be shaped identically with the table, that is, if it is circular, the table can also be circular. It is not necessary, however, that the two have the same outline. Indeed, there are round fire pits within square tables.

Since you are usually quite close to the fire with these types of fireplaces, wood is rarely the fuel of choice. While there is indeed some romance involved with the crackling fire and floating embers of wood fire, these are accompanied by soot, smoke, and ashes, not to mention the fact that some localities may have restrictions on the use of wood for fueling fireplaces. Instead, gel fuel, liquid propane, or natural gas are used.

The table can be made of either wood, or any cut and polished stone such as granite or marble. Those made of wood are usually sealed with preservatives to protect them from the sun and rain as well as from the heat of the fire pit. Granite or marble table tops stand on decorative steel frames and legs, with elaborate or simple designs.

With a grill placed atop the fire pit, you can even cook on these tables, so you can cook and eat your barbeque without the need of getting up from your chair. With some models, you can pull out the fire pit from the table and place in its stead an ice bucket that can easily accommodate a six pack. Or, if you just want an ordinary table, you can set neither fire pit nor cooler, and just cover the hole with a plain insert made of your table’s material. With this kind of versatility, you can spend the whole year sitting around your fireplace and/or cooler table or just plain good old ordinary table. You can warm yourself in winter, have your cold drinks in summer, and just lounge around in spring or autumn.