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In today’s backyard design world, fire features have gone from optional accessories to essential architectural elements. Homeowners want atmosphere, identity, and a sense of place — and they want it all integrated into the poolscape itself. That appetite for elevated outdoor living is pushing builders and designers to think more holistically about how fire bowls, fire pits, and fire-and-water elements can define the tone of a space just as much as the pool shape or material palette.

The surge didn’t happen by accident. As Chuck Nitschke, National Director of Sales for The Outdoor Plus, explains, the pandemic fundamentally rewired homeowner behavior. “COVID actually launched the outdoor entertaining world into a whole new strata.

With that shift came a new expectation: homeowners wanted the same design sophistication outdoors that they were accustomed to indoors. That mindset, combined with the explosion of readily available fire-and-water elements, propelled manufacturers like The Outdoor Plus to the forefront of the category.

Fire Bowls: Matching Shape to Geometry

One of the clearest design conversations happening today is the relationship between pool shape and fire bowl form. Builders often know the mood they want to create, but they’re less certain about which product lines best complement a specific architectural direction. That’s where Frank Vitori, Co-Founder of AquaBlu Mosaics, says education matters.

“It’s actually a fairly simple and straightforward question,” Vitori explains. “People are amazed when they ask and we say, ‘What’s the shape of your pool?’” For geometric pools — modern rectangles, straight lines, clean edges — square or linear bowls become the natural choice. “Ninety percent of the time, if it’s a modern, geometric-shaped pool, they’re going to want either a rectangular or square fire bowl.”

TOP’s Maya, for instance, shines in these settings. With its tapered square profile, it brings a sculptural quality that feels custom even in its standard form. Nitschke says it is “probably the most versatile” bowl the company makes.

On freeform swimming pool shapes, selections typically steer towards round-shaped fire bowls. The Cazo — crisp, tapered, elegant — excels for contemporary freeform pools. The Sedona, meanwhile, offers a softer, more classic look.

“If they want something more modern, we usually go toward the Cazo,” Vitori says. “If they want something a little bit more traditional, we’re pushing them toward the Sedona.”

Each bowl is available in multiple sizes, materials, and functional configurations — ranging from simple fire to combinations with multiple water spillways — giving designers the control they need to match the bowl’s personality to the pool’s geometry.

Fire Pits: Where People Actually Gather

If fire bowls frame the water and deliver drama, fire pits create the emotional center of the backyard — the place where people gather, linger, and revisit long after the pool lights go off.

Vitori points to several standout lines that consistently perform with homeowners and builders. The Unity line is one of the most popular: a classic round metal fire table available in 48″, 60″, and 72″. “It’s perfect for residential application,” he says, appreciating how it delivers scale without overpowering the space. TOP also offers two height options — 18″ for hard-piped installs and 24″ for hidden propane tank setups — offering maximum flexibility in the backyard.

For larger or more commercial-scale designs, the Coronado shines, available in lengths up to 10 feet. The clean lines blend seamlessly with modern outdoor architectures and can be specified in a wide range of materials and burner options.

Those looking for something more visually unexpected often gravitate toward the Moonstone, a bold powder-coated linear table with a striking dual-tone profile.

And for designers who want the warmth of a natural look without the maintenance concerns, Nitschke highlights the Sequoia, which features a concrete body textured to resemble real wood. “It’s designed to look and feel like real wood,” he explains, available in black ebony, oak, or ivory.

These options offer definitive visual direction at a time when outdoor living spaces are expected to function like extensions of the home — not afterthoughts.,” he says. When people began spending more time at home — and hosting small gatherings outdoors — they suddenly wanted spaces where the night didn’t need to end when the sun went down. Fire became the anchor. “People started to want to hang out outside and hang out around that pool longer and go deeper into the evening,” Nitschke adds. Fire features weren’t just decorative anymore; they became tools for extending the livable square footage of the home.

Automation: Fire at the Tap of a Button

Today’s homeowners don’t just want beauty; they want control — and they want it from their phone or tablet. Fire features, once entirely manual, are now routinely tied into automation systems, giving builders the ability to specify everything from simple match-lit setups to fully app-controlled electronic ignition.

As Nitschke explains, the range of ignition types has expanded to fit different needs and comfort levels. The most basic option is match-lit • the least expensive and the most trouble-free because, as he puts it, “There’s not a lot that can go wrong.” From there, homeowners can move into battery-powered options such as the piezo spark ignition • the same tick-tick-tick igniter people know from their grills, which keeps the user’s hand safely away from the burner. A step up from that is flame-sense spark ignition • a battery-based system with a built-in thermocouple that automatically shuts off gas flow if wind blows out the flame. “The system will sense it and immediately cut the gas,” Nitschke says, emphasizing the safety advantage.

For those who want full automation, electronic ignition brings the highest level of control. Standard 110-volt systems are used for fire pits installed more than five feet from the water, while low-voltage 30-volt DC systems are required for fire bowls positioned close to the pool. Both tie seamlessly into pool automation platforms and smartphone interfaces. As Nitschke puts it, “You open your cell phone, click a button, and all your fire bowls will turn on.”

For builders who already integrate lighting, pumps, and automation into their projects, the ability to fold fire features into the same ecosystem has become a major selling point — and a natural evolution in the modern outdoor living experience.

Choosing the Right Material for the Environment

Not all materials behave the same in different climates, and understanding those differences can prevent costly callbacks down the road.

Nitschke recommends powder-coated metals for hot, dry regions: “It holds up to that heat really well. You don’t have to worry about the material expanding and contracting.” For cold climates, concrete shines: it tolerates freeze-thaw cycles better than many metals.

Vitori echoes these points from the perspective of coastal customers. “Living here in Florida where it’s hot, salty, humid, we’re typically recommending powder-coated materials for the fire bowls, fire-water combos, even the fire pits, especially the ones comprised of the 316 stainless marine-grade steel.”

Both experts emphasize one more step: covers. “Nothing lasts forever,” Vitori says, “but if we maintain it, we can protect the investment and extend the life expectancy of the product.”

The Custom Boom

Many high-end builders are moving beyond off-the-shelf fire features and designing their own pedestals, surrounds, and architectural structures — then turning to manufacturers for the internal systems that make those designs functional. According to Frank Vitori, the appetite for large-scale, fully bespoke installations has surged. “A lot of the higher-end builders these days are actually building their own surrounds,” he explains. “They’re building the base of the fire pit, finishing it in their own materials, and then coming to us for the internals — the burner, the pan, the ignition. That’s where The Outdoor Plus really shines.”

Vitori says these projects aren’t small undertakings. “Right now we’re doing a nine-foot custom burner for a contractor in the Carolinas,” he notes. “The table is going to be about fourteen feet long and around twelve feet wide, and they want to finish the exterior in one of our glass tiles so it ties back into the pool’s waterline. For that, they only need the internals — a nine-foot custom pan with a bullet burner and full electronic automation. You can turn it on with an app, a wall panel, whatever the homeowner wants.”

But nine feet isn’t even close to the upper limit. “We’ve done things as long as thirty-five feet,” Vitori adds. “When you get to thirty-five feet, that’s big. There aren’t too many manufacturers out there who can pull that off, and TOP has done it seamlessly. They manufacture everything in-house, so when you need something huge, oddly shaped, or engineered to fit a perfectly measured opening, they can do it.”

A New Era of Fire-Forward Backyard Design

Fire features are no longer finishing touches — they’ve become core architectural elements that influence how people move, gather, and experience a space. They frame sightlines, anchor social zones, and extend the usefulness of the backyard deep into the night. More importantly, they deliver something homeowners value above all else: a sense of atmosphere that feels intentional rather than incidental.

What’s driving the surge isn’t just aesthetics; it’s the shift toward lifestyle-centered outdoor living. Fire draws people outside, keeps them there longer, and transforms the pool area from a daytime-only amenity into an all-season destination. With today’s advancements in automation, climate-specific materials, and fully custom fabrication, builders now have extraordinary freedom to tailor fire amenities to the vision, the environment, and the way homeowners actually use their spaces.

As Vitori puts it, the potential for creativity is “relatively endless,” and the momentum suggests that fire-forward design isn’t a trend — it’s becoming a defining language of modern outdoor living.

Ready to take a deeper dive?

Listen to our entire conversation with Frank Vitori and Chuck Nitschke on the Pool Magazine Podcast.