Forget the fire pit - now every middle-class home needs an alfresco fireplace By Nicky Rampley-clarke For The Daily Mail Published: 01:54, 24 October 2024 | Updated: 02:05, 24 October 2024 e-mail View comments Winter will soon be upon us, and with it, time to close the door on our outdoor spaces until next spring. But Lindsay and Jonnie O'Mahony will keep entertaining in their garden all year round, without ever feeling the chill. How? Forget the tacky fire pit or dated chiminea – enter the outdoor fireplace.

'We use it for everything,' says Lindsay, a musician. 'Parties, family dinners, we even take laptops out and use it as a workspace. 'We had a party last Christmas , and at the end of the evening when there were about 20 of us left, we lit the fire and chilled in the seating area for hours, beside the crackling flames.

'Everyone thought it was a great idea to create a warm space outside in a country where the climate forces us to spend a lot of time inside.' Lindsay and Jonnie, who owns a property company, were inspired by a trip to Soho Farmhouse – a boutique Oxfordshire hotel. 'We sat on a sofa around an outdoor fireplace and decided to have a go at building our own,' Lindsay says.

Lindsay and Jonnie O'Mahony built a fireplace in their garden after being inspired by a trip to Soho Farmhouse, a boutique Oxfordshire hotel And they're not alone, with eager home improvers looking for ways to maximise their space and make use of their gardens year-round. Searches for 'ou.