10 Inspiring Pergola Ideas to Enhance Your Outdoor Living Space

10 Inspiring Pergola Ideas to Enhance Your Outdoor Living Space

 

What is a Pergola and Its Benefits

A pergola is an outdoor structure that comes in a variety of styles and can be built with various different materials as well! This is a structure that helps provide partial or full shade and shelter from different types of weather. Rain, hail, snow, wind, etc.

Pergolas can be freestanding or attached to a house. Some are even able to be customized to fit your specific needs and design preferences. Check out our custom pergola page!

The benefits of having a pergola included in your outdoor area are increased functionality, stylish addition, and increased value to your home. Pergolas can be self-installed from scratch with products like The Luxury Pergola Kit making them a versatile and accessible option for homeowners looking to save money on installation costs.

Pergola Design Ideas

When you consider a traditional wooden pergola with a flat roof and fixed beams overhead, you can imagine that throughout the day, sunlight will not be blocked by the fixed louvers meaning you will have to move around or find a shaded area many times while enjoying the space.

Now, add a modern twist with a metal louvered pergola. Now you have control over the directions of the louvers. If that sun is radiant and hot, but you're nice and cozy. With a simple click of a button, you can now be nice and cool in the shade without having to get up!

You will have the ability to use a pergola to create a sense of enclosure and intimacy in your outdoor living space with additional shades or walls which you can directly install to the pergola!

Add in accessories or decorations that incorporate an "in-the-home" feel. Giving you that extra level of comfort while enjoying the outdoors.

Pergola Placement and Integration

Deciding on the placement of your pergola can be either an easy task or difficult depending on the level of planning you have done thus far.

Consider the purpose of what you are looking to achieve. If you are looking to create an outdoor living area, this could be something you want right off the house, or maybe near an accessible walkway in the yard. An outdoor living area is a great way to enhance your backyard.

Outdoor Kitchens and Dining Areas

If you are interested in an outdoor kitchen or outdoor dining area, you may consider giving yourself some space from the house.

Consider the heat from the grill or fireplace. While the pergola is fine being near, sometimes house siding is not highly heat resistant and can lead to issues.

Use a pergola to connect different areas of your yard. Manage the space with different walkways or access points to help give a more open feel and less congestion to the area. Having a tight area to cook and entertain can be problematic.

A wooden pergola will have more restrictions with outdoor kitchens, considering that a wooden pergola is flammable. When considering pergola ideas, think about this factor as well with fire pit pergolas and similar open flame pergola ideas.

Pool Side Pergola

Consider installing a pergola near a pool deck or hot tub to provide shade and shelter from the elements while enjoying the water.

A wood pergola may have issues with water treatment if nearby a pool. A wooden pergola taking in water by the pool deck can lead to warping, or cracking in the wood grain.

Poolside pergolas are a great way to be able to get in and out of the water and on those incredibly hot days, not roast in the sun. Giving you some extra nearby shade or even shade in the pool/hot tub itself.

Pergola Materials and Features

Again there are a variety of materials that can be used to build a pergola kit. Searching the web you will a variety of designs with materials like wood, metal, and vinyl.

Consider the purpose again when considering these options. If you are looking for something to last years and years to come with little to no maintenance needed, I would consider aluminum.

Aluminum is a very durable, heat and cold-resistant material that you won't have to crack, warp, or degrade over time and through the seasons.

The cold and wet seasons can have a drastic effect on the life span of a wood structure. And to avoid this issue, it can get quite expensive having to seal, and water treats every year or so. Let's not forget to paint. Painting and repainting your project every year doesn't sound cheap or fun.

Vinyl is another popular choice. With Vinyl, you are not going to have a very durable or wind-resistant design that you would get with aluminum or wood, Large in part these pergolas can be very lightweight and are mostly used for short-term events such as weddings or birthdays.

Enhancing Outdoor Spaces with Pergolas

People all over the country are using pergolas to enhance their outdoor areas not just on an aesthetic point but with practical use.

Imagine walking out your back door and the sun is instantly hitting you with its heat, blinding you with its rays. This is what many people are using their pergolas for. To enhance the experience that they have when wanting to walk out and enjoy their patio!

But the sun isn't all that practically is built around. With the water-tight louvers, and integrated drainage system. The Luxury Pergola gives you freedom from weather-restricting events.

If it's raining, but you were hoping to spend the evening after work enjoying a nice movie while listening to the storm pass through, you now can dry, warm, and peacefully underneath your closed louvered pergola.

Pergola Decor and Accessories

Adding decorative elements, such as hand railings, outdoor curtains, or shades to enhance comfort and safety in your outdoor space is absolutely possible and encouraged!

Many customers will resort to adding a fixed privacy wall or sun shade that gives them that break from the sun when it's at a low point.

Incorporate outdoor furniture of your choosing! Such investments into furniture can be space-changing. Choosing comfortable lounging outdoor furniture can add a sense of comfort in the outdoors that normally you only find inside the home.

Consider adding overhead lighting or other decorative accent lighting pieces to add ambiance and visual interest to your outdoor space giving a WOW factor to your guests!

Building and Installing a Pergola

When considering if this is a project you want to save some extra money on by installing yourself, the good news, this is a DIY kit that The Luxury Pergola is offering for you!

Many customers across the country have saved thousands by getting some friends or family together for a day or two to install and build a pergola kit. One that is going to last generations to come!

Consider DIYing your pergola project, if you are even a little hands-on and familiar with tools, TLP has made it incredibly easy to install! See for yourself here.

Install Guide Page

If a DIY is not for you no worries, because we have made this once-complicated process, much simpler. Meaning when you put this in the hands of a professional team this is done quickly and effortlessly, Saving you on the billable hours.

Choosing a prefab kit for a pergola project not only saves money on the product but also on time. All while getting you a made specifically for your space product!

Ensure that your pergola is properly installed per the install guides and secured to withstand wind and weather conditions that you receive in your area. Talk to the team at The Luxury Pergola for assistance on this.

Always remember to refer to local building codes if applicable. This is always important to ensure you don't deal with permit nightmares later if required.

Tips for Choosing the Right Pergola

Consider your budget and design preferences when choosing a pergola. Discuss your project with a pergola project professional over at The Luxury Pergola. They will help you from start to finish with designing and preparing.

Think about the functionality and comfort that you are attempting to achieve with the space. And what you need from your pergola and accessories to make that happen.

Ensure that your pergola is properly sized and proportioned for the purpose you are going for. Remember give plenty of moving space for comfort.