22 Pretty Pergola Ideas to Update Your Outdoor Space

Pergola ideas are an easy and quick way to add a designated space to your backyard for dining, relaxing, and entertaining. Place a pergola in your yard to cover an outdoor kitchen or to create a cozy seating area shaded from the midday sun. You can decorate a pergola with hanging plants, outdoor curtains for privacy, or a dining table for evening meals, with string lights overhead to add a festive atmosphere. Add beauty and function inspired by one of our pergola ideas.

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Get Decked Out

beige patio with rustic dinner table and modern black chairs — Edmund Barr

A pergola can transform a basic wooden deck into a stunning outdoor space. To add additional shade and a natural element to the design, dress up the structure's supports and slats with climbing vines. Hang outdoor string lights from the pergola to make al fresco dinners even more enjoyable. Use colored glassware and napkins that echo the sky and greenery for a seamless look.

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Connect the Pergola to the House

This pergola idea is attached to the house to create a convenient shaded oasis for patio areas just outside the back door. It extends the roof outward to stretch the shade under the eaves. Integrate the structure into your home's exterior using similar materials and colors found elsewhere. These unique rocking chairs add an updated look to the outdoor space creating a comfortable area to sit and enjoy the greenery.

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Introduce Climbing Greenery

home exterior patio area wooden dining table — Eric Roth

Accessorize with these pergola ideas to make an already charming spot even more inviting. Line the pergola's perimeter with containers planted with bright blooms. For extra interest, choose flowering vines such as morning glory that will scramble up and around the pergola. Hang a pendant light above your dining or seating area so you can continue enjoying the space after dark.

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Combine a Pergola and Trellis

Rooftop Garden Green Black Outdoor Furniture — Werner Straube Photography

Combine a pergola with trellis screens to transform your deck into a private retreat. A pergola provides shade overhead to make seating areas more comfortable, while a trellis can block views and sounds from the neighbors. Choose trellis and pergola ideas with narrow openings and train vines through them to further increase privacy and shade. The white trellis brightens up the brick facade, and the green and white pillows mimic the trellis design, both contributing to this pretty space's roomlike feel.

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Incorporate Existing Landscaping

Arbor over wicker chairs — Emily Followill

If you have a spot in mind for your pergola, consider existing landscape elements before you start building. Luckily, pergola ideas can be flexible and tweaked to best suit your space and needs. In this yard, a tree supplies ample shade above a basketweave brick patio, so the pergola's roof was built around it. A paneled back wall painted a soothing sage green with a small oval window offers privacy.

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Emphasize Decorative Details

Two story beach house with grey shingle siding — Joseph Keller

Some pergola ideas are both decorative and functional. This seaside home, which mixes Cape Cod and Shaker styles, offers a pretty lesson in how to use a pergola to accent a home. Textural materials on the exterior repeat in the pergola design, and the structure provides a welcoming, softening transition between home and deck areas. The pergola frames the second-story balcony, which makes it feel more pronounced and adds a bit of drama to the exterior facade.

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Designate Zones for Activities

A pergola can stand independently or work well with another outdoor structure, such as a patio or deck. Its placement can help delineate various zones, such as a seating area. For example, this pergola idea helps distinguish a lounge area and incorporates a built-in bench shaded by climbing vines overhead.

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Continue Design Choices Elsewhere

patio with pergola and fireplace — Ed Gohlich

Pergolas add additional structure and scale amid other outdoor living amenities. Here, the massive beams on this pergola fit in with the solid design of the stucco fireplace. A casual bench is a defining edge for the pergola and an extra seating spot. The dark-stained pergola is the same color as the wood of the bar-style planter, where reeded glass takes on a hue found in the flagstone patio to further connect the two separate spaces.

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Build a Private Oasis

Although many pergolas have four open sides, adding privacy screens can increase seclusion on one or multiple sides. In this pergola idea, three trellises line one side, creating a more intimate setting. The screens' open detailing maintains the pergola's connection and openness to the landscape. The stately look of the pergola's columns is relaxed by using Adirondack chairs painted in an earthy green color that keeps the deck and seating feeling cool even on the warmest days.

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Transition from Indoors to Outdoors

Outdoor patio covered in arbor — Edmund Barr

Pergolas are an excellent way to ease the transition from house to other hardscape amenities. Here, the outdoor kitchen and pool have a shading structure that ties in with the home's architecture. Space the pergola's roof boards as needed to shield people against the sun; this one relies on close spacing to offer more shade.

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Keep It Simply Pretty

pergola on deck with trellis and wood patio furniture — Kritsada Panichgul

Space constraints can limit the pergola ideas you can include in an outdoor space. But even a smaller pergola idea adds an attractive accent to a deck or patio, providing an interesting background to an otherwise plain exterior facade. Here, a trellis offers a pretty and secluded backdrop for the seating space, easily accessible through sliding doors. Choosing similarly-toned wood furnishings keeps the area simple and appealing.

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Hang Outdoor Curtains

Fabric can be a functional accessory in pergola designs, especially to shield the space from sunlight or unwanted views while adding a luxe feel to a seating area. Consider hanging curtains between the pergola's posts that can be pulled across the openings if needed. These curtains have tiebacks to keep them open, but other options include hooks or loops. Use fabric designed for outdoor use to prevent color fading or weather damage.

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Add a Pergola with a Roof

While most pergolas ideas include a partial opening to the sky, they can also be integrated into the house's roof structure. Here, shingles cover the top of the pergola, offering complete shade beneath the narrow porch structure. In addition, colors used on the pergola's supports pick up on details in the home's windows.

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Include an Arched Arbor

This charming structure mixes trellis, arbor, and pergola ideas into one. The resulting construction forms a lovely entrance to this cottage garden's side space where a potting shed and birdbath are found. Narrow seating nooks offer restful spots or can be used to add potted plants to the design. The pergola's overhead spacing offers room enough for a flowering vine, like bougainvillea or climbing roses, to further enhance the cottage feel of the landscaping.

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Install a Garden Focal Point

When tucked among other landscaping, a pergola can become both a destination and a focal point in a garden. Here, a wooden pergola with a peaked roof and arch details shades a charming garden bench. A few colorful planted containers help to soften and disguise the structure's base.

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Paint the Pergola

Materials in different hues can add visual impact to pergola ideas. Here, the white-painted vertical columns contrast with the wooden slats and establish a bright and light boundary for a seating area. Stained wood slats across the pergola's roof offer a more naturalistic complement to the landscape. The impressive brick fireplace makes this covered space a place to enjoy all year long.

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Try Something Different

Although space and budget might be constraints, pergola designs are generally open to interpretation. You can customize the structure with various materials, finishes, shapes, and other choices. Here, two layers of the pergola's ceiling create a more dynamic top, while columns lend formality that's in tune with the detailing on the rails of the patio space.

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Lean Towards Contemporary

The outlines of this modern pergola offer structure and a boundary between the paved exterior space and the rest of the landscape. Using a pergola in this way offers a simple way to break up large backyards. Additional elements, such as the fire pit and a variety of colorful patio furniture, help guests feel at home.

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Space Things Out

There's no set width for the ceiling elements in pergola designs. Landscaping can often help determine the final detailing. Here, full-grown shade trees offer shelter from the sun, so the pergola roof beams are spaced further apart. The extra-long overhang of the beams enhances the wide openings for a substantial statement.

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Sit and Stay a While

A pergola can offer shade to a large gathering space, even if it's not next to a house. Here, gently arched beams topped with 2x2s form the roof over this freestanding 8x8-foot deck. Lattice across the side railings offers a partial enclosure and increases the sense of intimacy. The curved backs of the chairs repeat the arch on the overhang, adding to the peaceful atmosphere.

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Enhance with a Pergola

wood garden pergola with winding brick path — Ed Gohlich

Although pergolas are often stopping points in a landscape, they can also be used in transition areas. Here, a tall structure offers a waypoint on a path between the front yard and the backyard. Vines that ramble up the pergola repeat in the trellis accents against the home's exterior wall. A pergola doesn't have to always be used for function—adding one for purely decorative reasons also works.

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Find a Small Spot

A pergola doesn't have to be large or ornate to function as an outdoor design element. This small pergola design adds a decorative element to a corner of the deck. Outdoor lights mounted near the top of the pergola illuminate hanging baskets, making the area even more attractive as the sun goes down.

Make Your Backyard a Comfortable Space

Indoor-outdoor living will never go out of style, so why not make your backyard or front porch as comfortable and inviting as possible? Add a hammock for Sunday afternoon naps or a firepit with seating for cozy evenings when there's a chill in the air (and don't forget the s'mores!). Find the most comfortable outdoor furniture in your budget for lounging, reading, and hanging with friends, and add some lighting to extend fun days into enjoyable nights. Roll out a rug to add vibrant color or feet-friendly texture to your soon-to-be favorite outdoor room and bring it all together.

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