Transform Your Backyard into an Idyllic Oasis with These 25 Enchanting Pergola Ideas (2024)

At this family weekend escape designed by Dan Fink in Napa, California, a steel pergola creates a shady spot on the gravel patio for a dining table. Striped cushions (fabric by Perennials) outfit the seating around a custom iron-and-teak dining table.

Along with an outdoor fireplace and teak dining table (Summit Furniture), the vine-covered pergola off the pool house at this Connecticut home designed by David Netto turn this shaded patio into the de facto summer dining room. Lounge and Adirondack chairs, Loll Designs.

At the Kips Bay Palm Beach Decorator Show House 2020, Toronto-based designer Colette van den Thillart channeled the everlasting design lessons of Oliver Messel to a create a laidback dining lounge under a pergola that works in tandem with its blooming bougainvillea and stand-out roots. Palm tree-inspired plaster columns (Classic Mouldings) adds a touch of coastal Florida whimsy to the garden space.

Turkish ottomans and a McKinnon and Harris sofa in a striped fabric from Christopher Farr Cloth are paired with coffee tables to create a picnic style setting. The playful monkey side table, a Circa Who find, channels the breezy feel.

This lush patio belongs to Elda and Nicola Fabrizo, founders of Dedar Fabrics, based in Como, Italy. Their hilltop home away from home in nearby Lipari utilizes native plants and white-washed stucco columns for a natural yet luxurious outdoor living space.

This pergola lets in just the right amount of light to set a dreamy mood. Plus, Sicilian tiles make an excellent substitution for an outdoor rug and add a welcome burst of color.

Building your pergola in the most trafficked area of your outdoor space is the best way to maximize its use.

Landscape architect Janice Parker smartly designed this pergola next to the home's pool, where the owners can get away from the hot summer sun after a quick dip or day of lounging and still get to revel in the beauty of these stunning Hudson Valley views. This design also makes a phenomenal outdoor entertaining venue!

We simply can't get enough of Palm Beach-based designer Phoebe Howard's ingenious use of this stunning pergola to connect a guest bedroom to the outdoor living space in a second home for a pair of Midwestern snowbirds.

This pergola is a gardener's dream, with plenty of trellises to grow your favorite blooms. And we adore this tiled fireplace for staying toasty during the mild South Florida winters. Who needs the beach when you have this elegant outdoor oasis?

Leave it to John Saladino, pioneer of harmonizing modernism and classicism, to dream up this stunning backyard in his Montecito, California, home.

This pergola maximizes shade by extending into Saladino's pool without hiding the property's best views of Santa Ynez mountains. This Greco-Roman style pergola offers Mediterranean flair while still remaining as timeless as ancient Greek and Roman architecture itself.

L.A.-based Windsor Smith couldn't wait to get to designing for this sprawling ranch that sits smack-dab in the middle of the city while residing mere blocks from the beach. Talk about location, location.

This outdoor living space allows for entertaining year-round — and not just because it's in Southern California. This beautiful pergola is topped with terra-cotta tiles so it never has to rain on your parade (literally) at your next happy hour, and the beautiful pendant lighting lets the party last long after the sun has set.

This oversize pergola is ideal for outdoor entertainers. Guests can gather round the fireplace or split up into intimate conversation with the ample space this patio provides.

This patio is attached to designer Philip Mitchell's Nova Scotian seaside cottage, where the outdoor living space is aptly accessorized with a fireplace featuring beach stone by Shaw Brick to allow guests to linger even in chiller weather.

L.A.-based designer Windsor Smith revived this midcentury home for director/producer Shawn Levy (ever head of Stranger Things?), his wife, and four daughters in 2013.

Adding this custom, vine-draped pergola from Morrow & Morrow instantly creates a dreamy, alfresco dining space that adds charm and chicness to the outdoor space without much effort. It also helps establish a designated gathering spot in an otherwise bare backyard.

This waterfront vacation home in Mustique was in dire straits until London designer Veere Greeney gave it a much-needed refresh.

This tiny pergola offers Greeney the shade needed to keep his transitional indoor/outdoor living space breezy and cool, even during a scorching summer afternoon. Plus, there's just enough room underneath this pergola to set a comfy chair and indulge in some light reading and the ocean breeze.