A pergola’s main purposes are to provide cooling shade, support climbing plants, add architectural style, define outdoor spaces, and extend interior living areas outside.
With their open-air wood slatted roofs supported by stately columns, pergolas serve many purposes in landscaping design. Let’s explore why you may want to add one of these versatile structures to your backyard.
Cooling Shade
One main purpose of pergolas is furnishing shade. Their slatted roof allows fresh breezes to flow through while blocking harsh direct sun. This provides a comfortable balance of light and shade.
Strategic pergola placement over patios, decks, or pools will shelter those spaces from hot sunshine. The shade allows you to enjoy the outdoors without overheating.
Support for Vines and Plants
Pergolas also give climbing vines and plants like roses, grapes, or jasmine a sturdy overhead structure to grab onto and grow across. As the vines extend overhead, they form a lovely green canopy that filters the sunlight.
Blooming vines intertwined along the pergola add pops of color and soften the look with natural textures.
Striking Architectural Style
Beyond function, pergolas enhance yards with eye-catching architectural style. Their vertical support posts and horizontal rafters have an almost mathematical allure.
Pergolas become garden focal points, adding height and drawing the eye upward within the landscape. Options like wood, metal, or mixed media allow for design personalization.
Defining Outdoor Rooms
Pergolas help carve out dedicated spaces for different functions like lounging, dining, or play areas. Their overhead coverage signals the transition from one defined zone to another.
Varying pergola sizes, shapes and placement creates cozy spaces for different activities or traffic flow.
Expanding Interior Living Space
Pergolas are popular for extending interior living areas outside under shelter and beauty. Outfitting a pergola adjoining your home with seating, rugs, lighting creates a lush outdoor living room.
Ideal Additions
With versatile functionality and style, pergolas are ideal additions to amplify and enrich outdoor living space. They provide shelter, support plants, add architectural flair, define spaces, and connect indoors with outside seamlessly.
Todd is a co-owner of Patio Productions and has worked extensively in the furniture industry since 2002, when he started a company that designed and manufactured bathroom vanities. He now has a hand in all online business operations, including keeping tabs on industry trends and making sure Patio Productions remains an innovative leader in the outdoor furniture space. He lives just outside of Denver, Colorado with his wife, two boys, and two dogs. They live on a lake where they can make the most of the outdoor lifestyle. His favorite patio furniture sets are his Harmonia Living sectionals.
