Turn your Garden into a Living Space
If you’re looking for something new to place in your garden, then a pergola is a fantastic idea that adds a lot of style and functionality to your backyard. While pergolas may take up a lot of space, they can be customised to your exact preferences and they can serve the purpose that you want them to.
Want an outdoor dining space? You can put that under a pergola.
Want some shade for your hot tub? That’s a perfectly sound idea too!
Once you start looking for inspiration, you’ll realise that there are so many fantastic garden pergola ideas to choose from. So to help you out, here are a couple of our favourites to get you started with a new backyard project.
Where will you place your Pergola?
One of the first questions to answer is where you’ll put your pergola. Some people prefer to put them directly in the middle of their garden, but others might prefer to place them as far away from the house as possible. Here are some things to consider when deciding on your placement:
- How big do you plan to make your pergola? Is it going to be rather large, or just a small space to relax in?
- Do you plan to hook up electronics or plumbing? If so, then you’ll need to think about how you’ll extend utilities out to your pergola. If it’s rather close to your home, then you could rely on the use of an extension lead that is hidden within some garden features such as a flower bed or rocks.
- How will the sun affect your pergola? Perhaps your pergola will mostly be in the shade because of the large trees next to it, or maybe the positioning will expose it to sunlight at all times of the day. It may be important to consider the position of the sun and nearby garden elements when placing your pergola.
Once you’ve decided on a suitable location, it’s time to start looking at other important decisions.
Decide on the Purpose and Functions of your Pergola
Pergolas are essentially like outdoor living spaces. They can fulfil virtually any purpose and function that you want them to. Here are some ideas to give you inspiration:
- Create a relaxing outdoor space to help you unwind and embrace nature.
- Build a comfortable shaded area for a hot tub.
- Make your pergola a private space with large but breathable curtains.
- Design an outdoor dining space or even include cooking utilities to host the perfect outdoor party.
- Equip your pergola as an outdoor gym that is shaded by the sun.
- Place your pergola next to a swimming pool to create a cosy resting area.
- Move your work-at-home setup to an outdoor pergola office.
As you can see, there are many different garden pergola ideas for you to try out. With so many choices available, it’s important to choose something that offers plenty of functionality for you that fulfils a need or want.
Decorating your Garden Pergola
Garden pergolas are the perfect blank canvas for interesting and unique decorative elements. Whether it’s plants around the structure of your pergola or high-quality garden furniture to make relaxing more comfortable, there are plenty of fantastic options for equipping your garden pergola.
- Use natural tones to create a more tranquil design that is close to nature.
- Add plenty of potted plants in and around the pergola.
- Decide on flooring for your pergola. This could be as simple as extending your existing patio, or it could be more complicated such as building a raised wooden deck.
- Don’t forget about path ideas that lead to your pergola. This can be stone paths, gravel or even bricks.
- Choose your lighting wisely so that it complements the rest of your decorative elements.
Add curtains for instant privacy and create more shaded areas.
