Pergola ideas can help structure your garden, offering shade, colour, visual interest and a place for climbers to grow. Here's how to make the most of this feature
(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
After the somewhat unbearable heatwaves of recent years, you might be looking at pergola ideas now ahead of the warmer months in order to provide shelter in your garden.
These garden structures are ideal for creating a stylish but shady focal point and are suitable for patios, decked areas and on lawns so no matter what your garden design looks like, there will be a pergola idea that you can take inspiration from.
Find out how to build a pergola – should you DIY or buy? – where to put it, how to paint it and how to make this canopy suit your garden.
What is the point of having a pergola?
There are many reasons why homeowners invest in a pergola structure. The first, and most obvious, being that they provide shade, and also a degree of privacy as a garden screening idea.
A pergola usually consists of a slatted timber construction over a patio, walkway or garden door. The design means that while shade will be cast over the space below, light will still be able to infiltrate, making the outdoors more enjoyable for longer when the weather gets hot.
The variety of pergola roof ideas available also mean they are brilliant at creating a focal point or bringing visual structure to a garden. This is especially important in outdoor areas that otherwise lack interest. Be they painted a fun, contemporary colour or left to weather in their natural timber state, pergolas add a new dimension.
Finally, for the gardeners out there, pergolas can be used to support climbing plants — think sweet pea, wisteria and roses. This style signals a mature and established garden that has been well cared for.
1. Start by checking if it is cheaper to build a pergola or buy one
(Image credit: Forest)
The cost of timber is no joke is the current market, so garden structures have naturally increased in cost.
If your pergola designs are of an unusual size or especially large, building one yourself might be more cost effective, given you have the correct tools. You will need (at the very least) a hammer-action drill, wood chisel, mallet, hand saw, hammer.
However, if you're wanting to install a simple pergola that can be bought off the shelf, the time and effort required for DIY might outweigh the pinch of the wallet to buy one.
2. Extend a modern living space into the garden
(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
Extend your living space with a pergola attached the back of your house. This patio cover idea can also bring privacy to an overlooked home.
This self build mirrored the mid-century inspired interior of their home with a sunken outdoor seating area with pergola roof. The boundaries between inside and outside are beautifully blurred and the result is incredibly welcoming.
To achieve a modern structure like this garden, think clean lines and a minimalistic approach. Try to achieve a symmetry in the design and balance planed (not rough, rustic) timber with dark painted highlights.
3. Use a pergola to shade indoor spaces
(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
While we all want picture-perfect views to the garden and plenty of natural light in our interior spaces, large amounts of glazing are prone to causing overheating in homes. To combat this, lining bifold or sliding doors with a pergola to shade indoor spaces when the sun is at its highest.
This charming home features three banks of bifold doors in a L-shape along the kitchen, dining and living areas. As well as reducing glare from the sun, the pergola creates a bridge towards the outside patio area (left of shot) from the kitchen.
4. Light a pergola for the perfect outdoor vibe
(Image credit: Dan Duchars)
If a pergola can extend your garden enjoyment during the day, why not try to prolong your outdoor time at night with garden lighting ideas artfully hung on a pergola?
The structure is ideal for string lights (be they solar, battery or wired in), or if your pergola is attached to your house, wall lights with an even wash along the wall and up to the pergola roof is a good option.
This outdoor living room (complete with outdoor kitchen, out of shot), includes festoon-style outdoor lighting.
5. Go for a timber alternative pergola
(Image credit: Cuckooland)
For some, a downside of pergolas and other wooden structures in the garden is the maintenance as exposed timber needs painting or treating to protect it from the elements.
As a low maintenance garden idea, opt for a pergola in an alternative material such as a metal. They do tend to cost more money initially, but you might weigh this up against the time and budget needed for upkeep over the years.
This aluminium and steel frame pergola from Cuckooland also has an adjustable roof, so the slats can provide as much or as little shade as required.
6. Paint your pergola to match your garden style
(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
Staining or painting a timber pergola is a must. Not only will this improve the structure's longevity, but it will also embed it into the style of your garden.
For cottage style or formal gardens, opt for a warm, heritage colour like a sage green or blush pink using one of the best fence paints out there. For more modern schemes, use dark colours to make greener pop — black, dark grey and navy are perfect for this style.
This Japanese-inspired garden was lovingly remodelled with a new pond, seating area and long pergola. The unifying charcoal grey colour scheme brings the bright greens around the garden to life.
7. Hide away your hot tub with contemporary pergola ideas
This Renson Camargue Louvered Canopy is by Garden House Design. (Image credit: Garden House Design)
As hot tubs garner more and more popularity among homeowners looking to fully utilise their garden, deciding where and how to install these features is becoming a key consideration.
Pergolas are a good idea if you want to create a clearly defined hot tub area, as they add both height and structure to the space. The right pergola can also help partially screen off your hot tub, so you get the optimal amount of privacy. What's more, they also screen off this feature – which can be bulky and unsightly – from the rest of the garden!
Weighing up other garden structures in your re-design? Take a look at pergola vs gazebo to see if this may be more suited to your needs.
Get the Homebuilding & Renovating Newsletter
Bring your dream home to life with expert advice, how to guides and design inspiration. Sign up for our newsletter and get two free tickets to a Homebuilding & Renovating Show near you.
Amy is an interiors and renovation journalist. She is the former Assistant Editor of Homebuilding & Renovating, where she worked between 2018 and 2023. She has also been an editor for Independent Advisor, where she looked after homes content, including topics such as solar panels.
She has an interest in sustainable building methods and always has her eye on the latest design ideas. Amy has also interviewed countless self builders, renovators and extenders about their experiences.
She has renovated a mid-century home, together with her partner, on a DIY basis, undertaking tasks from fitting a kitchen to laying flooring. She is currently embarking on an energy-efficient overhaul of a 1800s cottage in Somerset.
