The outdoor living space of your dreams can be built from a thoughtful design based on your family’s favorite outdoor activities. You may find that a pergola could set the tone for one of these activity areas. As both a visually striking and practical structure, this classic landscape feature can accent your outdoor living and make your backyard even more special. Here are five reasons a pergola would belong in your outdoor living space in Port Washington, NY.
Extending the Home
The back porch or patio is intended to make your backyard more comfortable. A pergola can have many uses for this space that’s immediately next to the home. Placing a pergola close to the home—effectively creating a shady porch—can create a functional and beautiful transition from inside to outside.
Placing a pergola farther away from the home can create the sense of an outdoor “room” as well—but this time, it’s more of a destination and focal point, and it’s an opportunity to integrate the pergola into the natural surroundings. Several potted plants around the pergola can create a much more natural feel than a pergola that’s simply surrounded by the patio.
Increasing Privacy
A pergola can greatly enhance the level of privacy of the outdoor living space. A pergola is not a completely solid structure, of course, but adding privacy features such as outdoor curtains, a lattice screen, or some climbing vines could help preserve privacy while keeping the outdoors feel.
A pergola will add privacy even from above—such as blocking the view from the next door neighbor’s upstairs windows. Even though the roof isn’t solid, the relatively close proximity of the roof beams will block sight lines.
Enabling Relaxation
Pergolas are incredibly versatile in outdoor living design. They can be used as the main structure of your outdoor living space or they can be set in a secluded corner of your backyard. Consider letting the pergola become the center of your solitude. A few simple amenities such as a hammock or porch swing could helpfully lull you and others into relaxation. Some potted plants that flower throughout the year would infuse the space with wonderful aromas.
Adding a fire feature will keep the space cozy no matter how chilly the temperatures. A gas-fueled fire feature such as a fire table can be placed within the structure of the pergola itself, creating a cozy gathering spot. Or, to create more space within the pergola but still enjoy fireside lounging, an outdoor fireplace could be located along one side of the pergola.
Hosting Gatherings
A pergola could designate where most of your gatherings should occur. In the center of your pergola, there’s a great opportunity for outdoor dining where you can enjoy a quiet breakfast under the morning sun with your significant other, or a lavish dinner feast that lasts into the night. The naturalistic setting will enhance all of your summer outdoor dining experiences.
A larger pergola could be an ideal solution for shading an outdoor kitchen with bar seating as well as a cozy lounge area.
Providing Shelter
Since a pergola has an open roof, it may not seem like it can provide great shelter. However, pergolas have been used for centuries in Mediterranean countries to provide relief from the blazing sun thanks to the beams that block most of the sunlight as the sun moves across the sky. And they do it in style.
Related: MAKE IT YOURS: 3 IDEAS FOR INCLUDING A PERGOLA IN PATIO DESIGNS ON LONG ISLAND, NY
