A simple change could be just what you need to get more functionality out of your landscape. This can be true when adding a pergola to your Port Jefferson, NY, backyard—a space that was once empty becomes a delightful, shady spot to relax. One of these backyard designs that include a pergola might be just what your landscape needs.
Pergola Benefits
Aside from the beauty they add to an outdoor space, pergolas bring definition to your backyard. A pergola can be the focal point of your landscape so that when you look out onto your backyard, your eye is drawn to the pretty wooden structure with stone at the base of the columns. It also provides either complete shade if the roof is solid, or dappled shade if you prefer beams. This is the spot to try growing blooming vines as they love to climb up columns and intertwine over the top of structures. A pergola also helps to establish the kind of space you will look forward to going at the end of a long day—under the pergola could be your own backyard retreat.
Patio Pergola
The most logical place to add a pergola could be over an existing patio or deck. This option for a new pergola could help you set the tone of an outdoor room or help to create the sense of a continuing living space from the interior of your home to the outdoors. It can tie into your existing roofline or the columns can stand alone. While the design could match the exterior of your home, you might also like to do something that is more unique but still complementary to your architecture. It can be a spot for dining al fresco, reading a great book, or just relaxing with friends, all while your house is just a step away.
Related: Create the Experience of an Outdoor Room with a Pergola in Syosset
Focal Point Pergola
While a well-designed pergola will always bring beauty to your property, a pergola designed specifically to be a focal pergola becomes a destination. Visitors are enticed to wander out into the yard to get to this gorgeous shady spot where they can chat while the breeze blows. Many times a portion of the landscape that has previously gone unused could be the exact right place for a pergola, with perhaps even a bed swing or a comfortable couch. Think of the many naps you could take under the shade of an attention-seeking, vine-covered pergola.
Urban Pergola
A pergola doesn’t have to be constructed of wood column supports; instead it can be supported by steel beams with galvanized wire over the top to provide a place for colorful vines. The flooring could be made of large stone such as bluestone or flagstone to complete the modern aesthetic. If wire does not appeal to you, then consider thin slats to let filtered light through.
Related: Tips for Matching a Pergola with Your Outdoor Dining Space in Huntington, NY
Pergola Lights for Nighttime Use
Having the ability to relax under the pergola after dark extends the usable time of your landscape considerably. You could extend your landscape lighting scheme to the pergola or give its own type of lights. Consider having twinkle lights woven into the vines overhead, a chandelier that makes a dramatic statement, or hanging lanterns to illuminate this special space.
