The Best Pergola Ideas to Kick-Start Some Outdoor Inspo (2024)

The beauty of pergolas is that they can serve as outdoor extensions of your home. In this historic Texas house, a refreshed modern addition courtesy Lake|Flato architects blurs the boundary between the kitchen and the poolside terrace, thanks to matching tiles on the kitchen island and the patio but also thanks to a vine-covered pergola.

Just because a pergola is meant to ensconce you in nature, doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun with the color palette. For the outdoor dining pavilion at his Uruguay retreat, architect Mario Connio doused his in the perfect tint of sky blue.

If this pergola doesn’t ooze vacation vibes, we don’t know what does. In this cheerful Portuguese getaway, interior designer Jacques Granges grouped chairs he found at a Paris flea market around a custom table embedded with (since this is Portugal after all ) ceramic tiles. We’d say just add water for the perfect afternoon, but you can find that at the pristine private pool around the corner.

Many pergolas feature an open structure of spindly posts and beams, but we also like this regal, classical look. Here, the verdant canopy is set atop Doric-style columns—a scheme that is sure to have you feeling like the gardening goddess you are.

In Northern Mexico, you need more than a few sombreros to shield you from the relentless sun (get a load of that hat rack at left!). Which is why Mexican interior designer Alejandra Redo also likes to host guests beneath the pergola on her family ranch. Here, fragrant climbing jasmine works its way up the pillars. But our favorite detail might just be those charming checkerboard floors!

Still waiting for your grow-y things to, well, grow? Treat your pergola like you would a lofty, exposed ceiling living room—en plein air, of course. Here, the homeowners accentuated the pergola’s height and provided some romantic dinner party lighting by festooning the roof portion with ethereal lanterns.

When mature, pergolas can take on the feeling of a green hallway. In this archetypal, pathway pergola, vines creep up and over the columns and beams while hostas and other shrubs spread out below.

In designing this Hamptons home, ELLE DECOR A-List Ashe Leandro firm looked to a variety of influences—more specifically “California case-study house meets Mexico City meets São Paulo,” according to the client. Though this breezy covered walkway is technically more of a brise soleil than a pergola, we think it’s a stylish reference for gardeners looking for contemporary inspo.

This poolside pergola in a Hamptons family compound designed by Melissa Lee is so idyllic, it may as well be at a luxury resort. Here , Lee created a dining area with chairs from Article and a dining table from RH, Restoration Hardware. And though this pergola is still bare, the abundance of flowers along the hedge creates that feeling of opulence. Skinny dip, anyone?

Outdoor living is the name of the game in this picture-perfect Greek Island summer home. Multiple pergolas jutting from the home shade areas for dining and lounging. Here, we particularly like the pops of pink amid all the natural materials.

Towering Redwoods surround this sweet family home designed by Noz Nozawa, but there was still need for some extra shade on the dining terrace. Here, Nozawa created a party-ready patio with teak chairs from RH, Restoration Hardware, a hanging lantern, and—of course—a cool pitcher of lemonade.

Whether you prefer the shade or would rather turn up the heat, this pergola idea is for you. Its designers framed a stone fireplace with an open trellis (we love the matching hues!) to allow creeping vines to create a chic outdoor room perfect for letting the good times roll well into chilly late-summer evenings.

In interior designer Cliff Fong’s midcentury ranch, a distressed pergola covers a lush dining area above his backyard’s nearly 400 orchids. Simple furniture ensures the surrounding nature is still the star of the show.

An extension of fabric designer Natasha Baradaran’s Los Angeles home, a narrow pergola blends in with the rest of the home’s exterior. Painted all white, the structure casts shade over the seating area without feeling too closed in.

To coordinate with the rest of this Southampton, New York, home’s rustic nature, a wooden pergola is covered with vines of white wisteria. Not only does the flowing plant provide more shade, but it also creates a natural transition to the rest of the outdoor space.

In model Eugenia Silva’s outdoor space, a sparse pergola offers a shady respite from the Portuguese sun. The stark white creates contrast against Silva’s colorful upholstery and cushions.

Featuring a fully thatched roof as opposed to wide, open beams, this pergola in Greece shades those underneath completely. Built out of laminated bamboo, the covering encompasses a poolside dining area and lounge chairs.

On Reese Witherspoon’s Los Angeles terrace, vintage dining furniture sits beneath an abundance of vining greenery. Not only does the covered pergola offer a romantic feel, but it also negates the need for constant maintenance.

Rather than a large pergola to cover an entire porch or terrace, chef Ina Garten’s version covers just a garden bench, carving out a shady spot in her otherwise sun-soaked yard.