Last Updated on February 19, 2024 by Kimberly Crawford
It might be difficult to create a pleasant and cool outdoor setting, particularly if there aren’t enough trees to shade you from the scorching summer sun.
A pergola that gives shade and elegance is, thankfully, simple to put up. Pergolas are also quite adaptable, allowing you to express yourself while still complementing the subject of your backyard design concepts.
There are several methods to personalize a pergola, including planting, painting, and lighting. Pergolas are a terrific way to add elegance and purpose to your yard by providing structure and shade. To quickly create an appealing backyard room, place it over a patio, deck, or nook of your backyard. Take a look at these pergola design concepts to get some inspiration.
Backyard Pergolas
Pergolas are often used in backyard spaces to define the sitting area or patio. They can be constructed over a cement or tile sitting area to provide some shade, depending on the plants grown on it.
They are also used farther out in the garden, drawing people out in the yard to sit on a bench under the leafy bower.
Entrance Pergolas
Pergolas are also used to invite people into a home or business. They may cover a sidewalk or arch over a front door. In the photos, a pergola is used to welcome people to the house and provide a front yard sitting area.
It also helps to beautify the empty space in front of the garage.
Walkway Pergolas
Sometimes the wooden arbor structures are used to direct traffic flow. They may be used between businesses at strip malls or to link public spaces in a subdivision.
Pergolas can draw someone up toward the building from the front sidewalk or out from the building toward a backyard feature such as a water garden or swimming pool.
Furniture for Pergolas
For wooden structures that are built over patios or as resting spots in gardens, durable outdoor furniture is best. Iron benches or cafe table and chairs provide function and can endure different seasons.
Pillows can be added in good weather. Besides seating, garden artwork, such as small metal sculptures or candle holders, may be added to a post of the pergola. New artwork being showcased at art fairs or garden centers is capable of weathering whatever the out-of-doors may bring.
Proper Plants for Enhancing Your Pergola
Pergolas are made for climbing plants. What type of plant you choose depends on the area in which you live. Clematis, climbing roses, climbing hydrangeas, snapdragons, vines, and morning glory are all possibilities.
You can plant multiple types of plants on one pergola or stick with one theme. Don’t forget to use hanging baskets on the pergola while to add interest higher up as the climbing plants are still growing. Potted plants also add color to a concrete or tile floor.
1. With a smart pergola, you can make your home more efficient and productive.
Try these spectacular pergola ideas for individuals on a tight budget. This construction is a step above the usual pergola, controlled by a remote roof system that can be spun to shield from the sun or promote airflow as needed.
It’s ideal for those hot summer days featuring equal quantities of sun and rain — use this clever design to avoid the uncertainty.
2. The perfect size
When it comes to incorporating a pergola into any garden design, it’s crucial to think on how to create a pergola properly. Make sure it’s not too big for the garden, and it’s also big enough to be useful.
This timber pergola, surrounded by climbing vines, forms a pleasant and shaded promenade around the perimeter of a circular patio space.
Making a pergola that is excessively low and narrow is a typical mistake. The uprights’ as well as overall frame’s height and measurements should be carefully studied, since they have a significant impact on the pergola’s appearance.
3. Combining warm tones
Consider creating a striking fence in a terracotta shade to move your patio area to sunny climates. As shown above, a timber paneled pergola will compliment the tone and offer a support for hanging lamps.
To prolong the motif, use soft materials in warm hues, while a variety of plant pots will provide texture. If you choose lighter colors for the patio pavement ideas below, you’ll maintain the room seeming well-balanced and avoid the deeper colors from overpowering it.
4. The ideal location
The optimum location for a pergola would be determined by the form of your garden and the factors you want to include pergola ideas into your landscape.
The clean, contemporary style of the yard for this townhouse nicely compliments the sharp lines of such contemporary architecture. It’s important to place a pergola in a way that doesn’t obstruct the garden’s flow.
Pergolas are frequently used as a place to relax, so choose a location where you’ll be able to sit comfortably without obstructing the view of your neighbors.
When creating a bright garden, it’s crucial to think about shade, and a colonnade is a good way to make a semi-shaded space that blends in with the remainder of the landscape.
5. Create an environment that is highly colored.
One of the most effective ways to utilize a pergola would be to establish a zoned space in the garden, separating vital areas for different purposes – and one of those is, obviously, leisure.
Try framing an outdoor living space with outdoor lights and a coffee table utilizing your pergola concepts.
A pergola and angled decking divide the living area and give it the sense of a separate room in this concept. The place will have a breezy, laid-back atmosphere if you choose bright colors.
6. Create a sitting space that is shaded.
Based on the period of day you might use it more, pergola ideas may be used as either a patio cover or a shade patio cover. On a warm summer day, a slightly covered pergola in a south-facing yard may provide a peaceful hideaway and relaxation.
By combining stunning patio planting concepts, such as aromatic hanging baskets and climbers filled with colorful perennials, this Mediterranean-style outdoor space pictured above has been turned into a sun-baked, covered lounging area.
7. Combine a beautiful pattern with a natural roof
Climbing plants may be grown up and above your pergola in a similar fashion to the one seen above. It’ll create a natural roof that will shelter you from the sun and rain, making it ideal for your patio seating plans.
Train the vines up the structure of a pergola and then over the top, keeping the other sides open to prevent the space seeming too contained. For a warm glow, complete the setting with a string of twinkle lights and floating paper lanterns.
8. Create a cooking space for the outside
Although it’s tempting to cook outside on bright days, using pergola ideas to add additional garden cover to an alfresco kitchen area is far more functional and enjoyable.
You may construct a shaded pergola or plant vines and wisteria up your pergola and provide wonderful diffused light and reprieve from the warmth if your yard may not have a covered place that offers sun protection.
Sail-type panels can be connected to the bottom of the pergola top for more continuous shade.
9. Make a tiny pergola to decorate your fences.
Would you like to try something new with your pergola design? Consider putting a small version of the fence on it. It will give its closest surroundings a burst of shade while also adding height and architectural definition.
It’s also a great way to support ascending plants, that will lighten the appearance and provide a leafy and green screen as they develop when combined with a trellis. If you’re considering modernizing your garden fence designs, it’s absolutely one to think about.
10. You may divide your garden with pergolas.
Pergola ideas may be used in a variety of ways to divide off regions of the landscape. Pergolas are a great way to move from a terrace to a lawn.
A pergola may offer a sense of solitude and isolation when placed over an eating area. Pergolas, as constructions, may help to create a feeling of separation in a place without being too obvious.
They can be utilized in conjunction with plants to draw the eye down into the yard by obscuring anything beyond. They might also be used to surround a walkway by forming a succession of arches.
11. Choose a bright color palette.
If you’re looking for an industrial flair, charcoal, black, or deep gray can provide a dramatic touch to any outdoor setting.
Combining it with muted accents is a proven technique to generate a modest yet elegant impression if you choose this strategy.
In this image above, we love how the use of warm patterned fabrics in a sunny-like hue contrasts wonderfully with the black. Hanging baskets and festive lights are a lovely way to round off the design.
12. With a pergola, create a perfumed pathway.
To produce a covered and perfumed tunnel, garden designers suggest a pergola which arches above a passage through the garden. Depending on where you place the pergola concepts, you may create a romantic atmosphere.
A pergola there at the end of a very long garden may serve as a focal point at various times of the day which can also serve as a screen for a garden or garage shed.
13. Stunning Colors
By painting a pergola, you may make things happen for your decor. A garden with a pastel color, such as the one seen above, feels more summertime.
The outcome will feel modern and lively when combined with slick pavement and trendy furnishings.
14. Make a conventional wooden pergola out of it.
Pergolas are most typically made of wood, with western red cedar, oak, and iroko being the most preferred right now.
You can lay a patio manually, but regardless of what you pick for the pergola designs, it’s critical that the pergola be designed and constructed by an expert.
It has to survive the elements as well as the load of the flora, so consider the expense of a skilled pergola installation when planning your patio.
15. Invest on a fashionable hanging chair
The slender pergola adds a nice finishing touch to this sitting arrangement. It’s a bold central focus in a black shade that goes well with the on-trend pavers as well as pared-back wall panels in the area. A dangling egg chair, which is this year’s must-have sitting option, is also supported by it.
For contemporary garden designs, vibrant color schemes and statement furnishings are always a fantastic choice, so this is an excellent illustration of that.
16. Something more up-to-date
If we’re striving for a more modern look, we’ll sometimes utilize metal or even burned oak. Modest structural systems, such as this modern pergola design may be quite effective.
By rounding up the edges and corners of a timber pergola, you may give it a more contemporary aspect. It might also be made from steel to offer it a sleek, modern look.
Metal that has been powder coated or painted will have a more smooth aspect if it is weathered to a gorgeous rich orange copper patina.
17. Shaded and unobstructed area
Choose fragrant climbing vines for a great atmosphere boost if you’re going to merge your pergola concepts with dangling plants. Take, for example, this gorgeous design.
It’s created up of recycled oak and rigging poles, with star jasmine blooms interwoven across a wall built of reused oak and rigging poles.
The room has an old-world, nearly untamed air to it, yet the cold gray hardscaping maintains the tone fresh. It’s also a good idea to separate the area from the remainder of your scheme to make it seem more secure and to clarify the limits.
18. Dining al fresco in a private setting
To emphasize the impression of flow, consider creating a pergola and a patio space for dining from an outer wall. This might be extended half way or even all the way along the edges of the pergola, and it could be placed against a fence or border at the back to keep the room feel more contained.
A pergola cantilevering across an open kitchen’s perfect, and with just one side of the supports, it enables for more circulation around and below it. Under your pergola, you’ll have additional room for a choice of patio furniture designs.
19. A place to relax and unwind
Pergola ideas might be the perfect accompaniment if you enjoy hosting friends and family and have a spacious patio spot to do so. The zone is defined by an attractive building like this, and while it’s certainly large, the light-toned timber and breezy height prevent it from appearing overwhelming.
Fern-filled hanging pots soften the image even further and provide some pleasant green to the top. Pergolas may also be used to hang a few pendant lights over the outdoor eating table to keep the area lit at night.
20. Wisteria can beautify a pergola.
Pergola designs with wisterias are a marriage made in heaven. Wisteria floribunda and Wisteria sinensis are two of the ten species in the wisteria family. They’re a deciduous plant with white, blue, purple, or pink blooms that are delightfully perfumed.
Wisterias require at least six hours of sunshine every day to bloom well, and they like to be grown in a west or south-facing location.
Wisterias are strong once established, although it might take several years for them to establish themselves. Wisteria is an excellent choice for pergola designs since it is sturdy, long-lived, and generates a lot of fragrant flowers.
21. Extend the outside of your home
A pergola could be constructed on its own or attached to the house’s facade. In this case, install a pergola onto your patio immediately from your rear entrance for fast shade if it needs one or if it gets too much direct sunlight. This may serve as a sort of expansion to your home, giving it a more open sense.
In addition, if you choose a type with a cover, you’ll be able to enjoy a portion of your yard whenever it rains. Another option is to look for awning ideas. However, we appreciate this traditional appearance, which is enhanced by the inclusion of climbing roses.
22. Relax by the poolside
To create the ideal spot for poolside sunbathing, include a pergola among your pool designs. For dappled sunshine and a genuinely tropical ambiance, clothe your pergola using grape vines.
As their fragrances are discharged, fragrant flowers such as lavender and jasmine will conjure up wonderful memories of sun-drenched vacations, so draw cues from Mediterranean landscape ideas and plant them.
It might, however, be a really modern place with a clean, minimalist feel to that too, with which case planting around it would not be the best idea.
23. Lighten up and be brilliant.
Against a landscape of marble wall cladding, the clever pergola in this scenario blends a mix of clean warm and white wood accents, which looks amazing. We like how it’s light and airy, and the comfortable sitting beneath provides you a great perspective of the surroundings.
Choosing an extendable top adds to the adaptability by allowing you to change the amount of protection based on the weather. We were also drawn to the plot’s alfresco eating ideas, which are in keeping with the neutral color approach.
24. With a waterfall, you can make a statement.
Are you looking for water features and pergola design ideas? For a truly spectacular impact, this set-up illustrates how to mix the two. The waterfall layout complements the space’s tropical flora while also providing multi-sensory advantages.
It’s a terrific method to keep comfortable sitting in place, and it contrasts beautifully with the underfoot’s clean stone and steel.
Even though a personalized design like this isn’t for the faint of heart, the startling impression it creates is definitely worth spending the extra money for. If all the lush plants as well as other architectural greenery has piqued your curiosity, there are plenty more tropical garden ideas to choose from.
25. Match your furnishings with a slatted design.
The wooden iroko was used to create this remarkable pergola, which not only looks great but also adds a brilliantly natural and pleasant style to the spot. Furthermore, the slatted strategy will enable a cool summer breeze to pass through while still providing ample shade.
It adds a genuine feeling of balance to the zone when paired with hardwood dining furniture in a complementing shade. There’s also a contemporary kitchen area discreetly out of view, so you’ll have all you need for a stylish outdoor lifestyle.
26. Sheltering pergola
Pergola designs can shield you from the heat as well as the rain and wind, which is especially important if you reside in a region where the temperature is unpredictable.
There’s a lot of discussion about the yard as an “outside room,” but rooms include ceilings, so giving a room a more full perimeter adds a lot of weight to the feeling of the place. A pergola could also give protection from the wind by using plant covers, panels, or terracing.
27. Expand the Size of Your Porch
A pergola on your patio or deck adds not just shade but also architectural appeal to your space. This all-black variant looks great with the wooden veranda and provides the appearance of a huge outside space.
The appearance is completed with a modest seat and a suspended swing affixed to several of the beams.
28. Prefer something more personal and private
This pergola nearly seems like it belongs in its own room to us. While many pergolas use basic beams with a lattice or slat-like roof and open area between them, it’s not uncommon to add privacy barriers to the construction. You may also install a set of drapes which can be rolled up and down.
29. Create the Ultimate Garden Entrance with It
It’s simple to see the reason why pergolas are so popular in gardens. Lady Landscape’s lovely set features a strong building amidst lush flora and appears completely at home.
The pergola acts as a doorway to a basic wooden patio with a few comfy seats to sit on while taking in the views of the garden.
30. Personalize with Decorative Screens
Pergolas can benefit from the addition of coverings and screens, and they can even give them a unique look.
With white and pink pillows, banquette, and plants on each side, this pleasant spot already has a reputation for itself, but the leaf pattern screens truly stand out. The screens, on the other hand, may be hung on the wall.
31. In The Hamptons This Summer
For an eco-friendly flair, you may utilize locally produced fabrics for this relaxed, summery style. Gray pebbles are used to pave the double pergola-porch space.
The warm hue contrast of the stone steps is striking. The pergola’s features white roof stretches out from the home to two columns that blend wood as well as gray stone to create a cohesive aesthetic.
32. Slatted Pergola Blinds from Bali
During hot summer days, the pergola’s angled slats provide a more cool, calming cover. The pergola’s wood complements the wood utilized for the chairs and tables, and also the timber used surrounding the house’s façade. The grays utilized in the cushions, table top’s tiles, and pillows.
33. Invest in a Metal Pergola
As proven by this spectacular metal design, wood isn’t the only element which can be utilized to make a beautiful pergola. Other materials, such as vinyl, fiberglass, or even galvanized steel, such as the one pictured below, are more expensive than wood.
34. Bring in the whites and wicker!
Due to the wicker chairs and lampshades mixed with the ivory pergola and drapes, this patio has a definite boho-chic feel about it.
The timber pergola, which can be used in both backyards and patios, stretches far enough to allow a lounge area and an alfresco rug.
35. Garage Pergola in the Estate Awning Style
Above your garage entrance, an awning-style pergola makes a bold statement. Which does not have structural supports that touch the earth like typical pergolas. This pergola, on the other hand, is attached to the garage’s structure.
The Garden Arbor
The 4-Step Pergola
The 7-Minute Pergola
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FAQs about pergola
Is it cheaper to build or buy a pergola?
If you have been doing any comparisons, you may have found that there is a substantial range in price when it comes to pergolas. You could go online and find a really cheaply built pergola for around $100 or so, or you could pay well over $1000 for one that looks like it should be adorning your very own royal garden.
When you compare the price of building your own pergola to buying one, it would be logical that if you were selling homemade items at craft fairs, for example, the lower price would attract more customers than a pricier item. But in this case, you are not selling anything – so why does it matter if you pay more for something that will last longer?
A pergola is a significant structure. It’s not something that you are going to want to be constantly rebuilding because it caves in, or rusts away over the winter, etc. So it is definitely worth investing in a better quality pergola right from the start. A better quality pergola is likely to last longer, so the overall price of keeping it standing – including parts and labour – will be less than if you had built it yourself at a lower cost.
How do you make a pergola look good?
Unless you are using it purely as an outdoor storage space, chances are that your pergola is there to enhance the look of your garden or patio. You want to be able to sit out and enjoy it – not just spend agonising hours trying to re-build it every other week! This means that your focus should always be on having something that looks good, not just on achieving the cheapest price.
A well-built pergola should enhance your garden, not detract from it. It is the design of the structure itself that will have an impact here – so there are no tricks to making a pergola look good other than ensuring it has been designed by someone with experience in the field.
Will pergola increase home value?
This is one of the most common misconceptions about pergolas. The general idea is that if you have a really nice pergola built, it will increase the value of your home – but this is not always the case.
It all depends on what kind of area you live in, and what type of property that you are looking to sell or buy. A huge wooden pergola is unlikely to add anything in a small apartment, but it might be the selling point for a large country house with a big garden. In most cases though, even if your pergola does add something noticeable to the value of your property, this will not happen overnight – and there are no guarantees that the added value will remain at the sale.
What is better, aluminium or timber?
Aluminium pergolas are extremely popular in New Zealand right now – but there are some pros and cons when it comes to this kind of material. First off, you can get pretty much any colour you want in an aluminium pergola – so if you are looking for something that really stands out in your garden, this is definitely the material for you. Of course, it may not be what you want at all – but you have to bear in mind that an aluminium pergola is going to cost a lot more than one made of wood. This is because wood is by far the most popular material when it comes to pergolas in New Zealand – and the natural colour works well with most settings.
Aluminium is more difficult and expensive than most kinds of wood to maintain, so you need to be prepared for that if you choose this material over timber. Metal is also much more likely to break or bend in strong winds than a wooden pergola, and this can be a problem if you live in an area that tends to get bad weather. So your decision will depend on what you need the pergola for, and where you are going to put it (in terms of prevailing wind conditions).
Is such and such material better than timber?
This really depends on the brand and the quality of the materials you are going to be using. All kinds of wood, metal, plastic etc have their own strengths and weaknesses, meaning that there is really no such thing as a ‘best’ material – only the best material for you. You should always consider your budget when choosing a pergola material – because if you don’t have enough money to do it properly, then you shouldn’t be doing it at all.
Conclusion
A pergola, also known as a patio roof, is a structure that protects your property from the rain, sun, and wind while also adding to its living area. Pergolas indeed serve a variety of purposes that’s essential to having a great home exterior. We hope these ideas inspired you to create one of your own!
