Bring Out
the Fire Within
It’s the middle of winter. The bitter cold sweeps down the streets, through your yard and your three layers of clothing. You’d love to sit outside with a meal, surrounded by friends, the stars above you and the moon brightly looking down. How nice it would be to have an open flame that all can gather around to escape the chill. You need something special, a centrepiece – something unique. In this issue of Sydney Pool + Outdoor Design, Thomas Henry speaks with Ricardo Fioravanti, founder of Unique Fire Pits, about the range available, how they work, their installation and how these fire pits can add flair and atmosphere to outdoor living spaces.
Fioravanti, a builder by trade since 2004, has been the founder and sole operator of Unique Fire Pits since 2011. Every phone call, every email and every sale goes directly through him. This means that his customers get a highly personalised experience. “Sometimes,” says Fioravanti, “if my customers live within 10 – 20km of my address, then I even personally deliver the fire pits to them.” The concept for a combined barbecue and fire pit came to him in 2011. Experiments in designs with cast iron coincided with an increase in the popularity of fire pits, a desire that exploded with the onset of COVID restrictions. His original design remains one of his most popular and adaptable products to date.
LIGHTING UP YOUR LIFE
A fire pit gives friends and family a great way to get together. With many similar designs on the market, Fioravanti wanted to make his fire pits a little different. “I think people appreciate this as they can then say they have a Unique Fire Pit, literally,” muses Fioravanti. “I also try to incorporate functionality into the fire pits, such as the ability to cook on them”. Not just for sentimental reasons, his personal favourite is his tried-and-true original combination of fire pit and barbecue – the very first design he made. He’s had many clients from the past come up to him at trade shows, complimenting him on fire pits they’d bought from him years ago, still in regular use. It’s pleasing for Fioravanti to know that his product has created such an impression.
A fire pit has an immensely positive impact on the home, drawing in your loved ones and bringing warmth and comfort to your slice of outdoor living. The sight of a fire pit in someone’s backyard immediately gives guests a sense of comfort and ease. Cooking in one, too, is a fantastic novelty. “A lot of people have never cooked over charcoal and are sometimes nervous, but I just tell them to give it a go and they will surprise themselves,” recommends Fioravanti. The humble chicken wing is Fioravanti’s own favourite meal to cook, for a few reasons. “They are cheap to buy, they are easy to prepare, they cook relatively fast and taste great, but more importantly my kids love them!”
BRIGHTENING YOUR WORLD
When choosing the right kind of fire pit for your property, it’s a good idea to consider the size and landscaping of your home. For larger rural properties, Fioravanti recommends a large fire pit to match, such as the 1800mm Crucible or the 1500mm Cauldron. Within the boundaries of modern suburbia, the onemeter Basin or Cauldron are popular options, and for smaller backyards or courtyards, the 800mm Cauldron is the way to go. Fioravanti adds, “the good thing with my fire pits is that all of them can have a grill adapted to it so they can all be used as a barbecue.”
Perhaps your home or yard is still a work-in-progress, in which case you can incorporate your fire pit area into It’s the middle of winter. The bitter cold sweeps down the streets, through your yard and your three layers of clothing. You’d love to sit outside with a meal, surrounded by friends, the stars above you and the moon brightly looking down. How nice it would be to have an open flame that all can gather around to escape the chill. You need something special, a centrepiece – something unique. In this issue of Sydney Pool + Outdoor Design, Thomas Henry speaks with Ricardo Fioravanti, founder of Unique Fire Pits, about the range available, how they work, their installation and how these fire pits can add flair and atmosphere to outdoor living spaces. the initial designs. Fioravanti himself has found that most people get their landscaping done with a dedicated space for their fire pit in mind. “They have become a very important part of most backyards and is generally the main feature,” he says. There’s normally no right or wrong place for it to go, but homeowners should think carefully about what they want to get out of their fire pit. If you’re living by the water, designs made from stainless steel are ideal, especially for coastal environments. This should not turn you away from cast iron designs, which is durable, high-quality material.
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Unique Fire Pits has a broad range on offer, with many styles to suit everyone’s tastes and needs. Fioravanti’s original design remains a popular staple, matching a fire pit with a swinging grill, giving users total control over cooking and temperature. Once the cooking’s done, the grill is easily removed, and wood can be thrown in for the perfect fire pit. There’s even the option to mount it with a spit rotisserie.
Cast iron is a great-looking, long-lasting choice that can sit out in all weather conditions without rusting like some steel options available elsewhere. Most designs are available in 800mm, 1000mm, 1200mm, 1500mm and 1800mm, with an optional barbecue grill or cooking plate to suit. Ember screens are available, and flat metal lids are great for snuffing out the flames at the end of the night or keeping out rainwater. The lids also turn the fire pit into a great outdoor coffee table.
Less common on the market is stainless steel, but it’s a popular option for contemporary homes. These shiny centrepieces don’t bleach or leave any residue, making for a clean display piece that can alternatively be used as a water feature, if fire is not your thing.
What’s important to keep in mind is the quality and longevity of your fire pit. “My fire pits are unique as some of them are handmade and are fabricated here in Sydney,” says Fioravanti. Unique Fire Pits’ reputation speaks for itself, with a broad range of heavy-duty products, more than a decade of experience as a manufacturer and retailer, and a long list of happy clients.
Images courtesy of Unique Fire Pits. Photography by Adriana Maria, shot at Heartwood Farm Byron Bay.