Enjoying the summer is all about setting a relaxing mood in your backyard. One landscape feature combination has the real ability to make that happen: the pool and pergola. When you and your family enjoy the wonderful activities in and around your swimming pool, the comfort of a pergola brings a new dimension to the space and makes it infinitely more usable. Here’s why a swimming pool and pergola simply make sense together on Long Island, NY.
Related: 5 REASONS A PERGOLA BELONGS IN YOUR OUTDOOR LIVING SPACE IN PORT WASHINGTON, NY
The Benefits of a Pergola
Pergolas have been sheltering outdoor living spaces around the world for centuries. The classic open-walled pergola design has been well used in the Mediterranean region and is a fixture of many sunny gardens and backyards. The roof of the pergola is composed of a series of horizontal beams, creating a semi-open ceiling that blocks most sunlight while allowing air to circulate.
A pergola also increases vertical interest in your landscape. It’s a prominent feature that commands attention and brings elegance to the space. The vertical posts of your pergola can help climbing vines reach the roof where leaves can dance in the summer breeze and delicious berries can grow. Your pergola can also house light fixtures as well as ceiling fans, making it so much more than a poolside retreat—it will be the center of summer entertainment.
Since a pergola can be virtually any size—from sheltering a single outdoor couch to a grand structure that provides shade for an outdoor kitchen, dining space, and seating area—you can create an outdoor living room setting conveniently close to the pool. Or you could dedicate the structure to poolside activities, with a couple of lounge chairs, towel storage, and a beverage station.
Anchoring Your Pool Deck
Fun in the pool has to come to an end at some point, and you don’t want the young ones rushing back inside, tracking water onto the carpet. Your pool deck could not only be a safe and appealing surface, such as non-slip, beautiful pavers, but it can also be a comfortable place to dry off and relax. Your pergola can be the perfect place for extending time outside after a dip in the pool. Even for non-swimmers, a poolside pergola will offer an attractive spot to laze away the summer days with friends and family.
Staying Refreshed
Enjoying meals, drinks, and snacks underneath the comfort of your pergola makes it a perfect companion for a pool. It doesn’t matter if you’re enjoying a quiet breakfast in the sun, bringing midday snacks to the tired swimmers, enjoying a feast as the sun sets, drinks well after dark, or all of the above—a poolside pergola is a natural for sheltering a comfortable place to eat.
Lighting the Way
Every pool needs plenty of great outdoor lighting to keep everyone safe, both in and out of the pool. A pergola provides lots of opportunities for adequate lighting that makes your pool deck safer in the vicinity of the water. Use walkway lights within and around your pergola to make the ground surfaces more visible. You can also take this opportunity to make the feel of the pool deck festive and exciting by adding lighting fixtures such as string lights.
Complementary Beauty
The pool is a standalone feature in your landscape. However, both the pool and the pergola can follow the same design theme to create a unified space. Pergolas can be traditional, rustic, or ultramodern. They can be made of wood, vinyl, metal, or any combination that pairs well with your design aesthetic.
Related: MAKE IT YOURS: 3 IDEAS FOR INCLUDING A PERGOLA IN PATIO DESIGNS ON LONG ISLAND, NY
