How Big Do You Go? Your Chiminea Size Guide

There’s a huge choice of stunning, stylish chimineas to choose from, every one of which has what it takes to grace your garden and delight your senses. There’s something about that typical chunky, smooth, fat belly and slim chimney that balances beautifully, whatever the design, whatever it’s made of, from clay to cast iron or steel.

Whatever you buy, it’ll change the way you entertain outdoors. But there’s one important question to ask yourself, and that’s ‘how big do I go?’ As it turns out, size matters… here’s our chiminea size guide.

Chiminea size guide – What size chiminea do I buy?

It’s a budget thing, of course. But it’s also a space thing. Your first consideration is the size of the space you want to warm. Bearing in mind chimineas chuck out a whole lot of heat, probably more than you’d imagine, there’s not a lot of point in buying the biggest chim you can find to heat a mouse-sized patio on which you can only fit four small people. One, you’ll drive people away with the sheer force of the heat, and two you won’t have much space left over to relax in, three it might even prove a bit dangerous, with people crowding around the chim in a tiny, weeny space.

The opposite also applies. A tiny chim in a big space won’t look right, with an uncomfortable aesthetic balance as well as not enough heat to go around. Actually, you have more choices with a big space – instead of buying one big chim, you could grab two or more smaller ones to create several handy pools of warmth for people to enjoy.

Time for an artistic tip – it’s much harder to create a pleasing display with groups of even numbers of things, easier to achieve a good look with odd numbers. Three or five always looks better than two or four, unless you want to go strictly symmetrical.

Do you need a small chiminea?

Small chimineas come in all sorts of shapes and designs, as well as available in clay, cast iron and our unique long-lasting CHIMALIN AFC clay. If you buy a model designed for cooking as well as heating, you can expect to be able to cook for as many as six people on a small chim, and it should prove perfect for a small patio or courtyard. As far as heating goes, it should warm a space of about 1m diameter around the chiminea.

Will a medium chiminea fit the bill best?

A medium sized chiminea designed for cooking should let you cook for as many as ten people on a medium-sized grill and it’ll warm an area of about 1.5m around the chim itself.

How does a large chiminea stack up?

Perfect for medium to large outdoor areas and capable of warming as much as 2m diameter around the chim, large chimineas are true statement pieces, as much about design and aesthetics as they are about practical considerations like food preparation and heat provision.

Go XL with a dedicated pizza oven

If food is your main focus and you want an outdoor fire with cooking at its heart, you might want to think about a pizza oven, designed with deliciousness in mind. Take the Pizzaro Maxi, a huge pizza oven that easily bakes two big pizzas at once. It’s made from CHIMALIN-AFC clay, which we’ve specially developed over eight years to last and last, and you can also buy a stable, sturdy bespoke stand complete with log storage and shelves to stash your crockery. And pizza ovens and firebowls throw out lots of glorious heat as well as cooking food to perfection.

Once you’ve nailed down the perfect size for your budget, space and circumstances, the rest is easy, a matter of taste. Do you want a traditional-shape chiminea in clay or cast iron, plain or fancy? We stock plenty of every type. Would you prefer something sleek and contemporary, colourful and vivid rather than natural clay or metal colour? We sell some absolutely amazing modern glazed and metal chims in contemporary shades like purple, scarlet and deep turquoise… our world is your oyster!

Need more help? then download our free Chiminea and Firebowl Buyer’s Guide