• Create a chimney design that enhances the exterior look of the home.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  A chimney design does not have to be an afterthought. Use creativity to design a chimney that stands out as much from the outside as your fireplace does from the inside. Work with a licensed professional chimney installation company to explore options and to ensure that construction complies with local zoning and safety requirements. Ask to see before and after photos of the company's work and references from homeowners to verify expertise.
  
  

Cultured Stone

• Cultured stone is manufactured stone that is made to look like natural stone. Concrete is poured into molds to construct cultured stones. Pigments are added to color the concrete as a veneer with natural-looking results. Stones are typically colored in beige, brown and gray to give the veneer a gradient quality. Cultured stone will give an outdoor chimney a distinctive, customized look. Cultured stones can also be used indoors to create the indoor fireplace, which will give the design of the fireplace and chimney continuity in look and character, both indoors and outdoors.
  
  

Brick

• Brick gives a chimney a traditional masonry look. Even if the interior fireplace is not made of brick, you can construct the outdoor chimney with brick. Brick chimneys are typically constructed of one color brick, such as red or gray. Alternatively, you can use assorted colors to give the brick chimney a custom look. You can also set the bricks in a diagonal pattern to give the chimney a more individual look.
  
  

Stucco

• A stucco chimney can be used for both a contemporary home or one that has a Mediterranean design. A stucco chimney will enhance a home built with stucco and give a uniform look to the architectural style of the home. Stucco can also enhance the look of a wood frame or brick home to give contrast to the home's chimney design.
  
  

Stone Shapes

• Natural stones and cultured stones can be used with varying shapes. Stones can be stacked instead of laid flat. Stones can be round instead of rectangular. You can use a combination of different shapes, stone colors and sizes to give the chimney a rustic look. This type of look can be quite effective to create a cabin or lodge-like look for a home that sits on a heavily wooded property.
  
  

Chimney Shapes

• The shape of the chimney does not have to be a traditional rectangle. The chimney can be bottle shaped with a wide base to the top of the smoke chamber, and then narrower for the area that surrounds the flue. The chimney can be spiral shaped, have a squared-off hourglass shape or squared-off pyramid shape. Whether the chimney is made of a stone or brick design, an uncommon shape will add creativity to the look of an outdoor chimney.