Pergola Ideas: Styling Wishlist

Now that the pergola is shaded and lit up, there are still more things I’d love to do in the future to turn it into an outdoor room.

White Breezy curtains will not only look great, if we put them up on a curtain rod in front they'll provide some morning shade. I like white because white can be bleached in the wash in case of outdoor stains and mildew. This pair of Lill curtains from Ikea are $5. Hang them up on a $5 Racka curtain rod (sprayed with clear spray paint to prevent rust) and we're in business.

We would also like to get some more comfortable seating - something like the Applaro sectional in the back left corner against the house and deck. This wooden one from Ikea comes in pieces that makes them easy to store. And I like wood because we can refinish and maintain it as needed. A coordinating Applaro low table would be handy for food and drinks. Right now we can't fit both a sectional and our large dining set (that seats 8 comfortably) under the pergola. So if we were to do this in the future, we'd have to consider a different set or maybe keeping the chairs and getting a smaller table.

Behind the sectional under the deck, I'd like to put up some lattice to block off the open space and better enclose the "outdoor room." I also want to build a trellis on the other side of the pergola by the driveway for the vines to grow up. We might use lattice for additional privacy, or we'll build one out of wood.

Last but not least, I'd like to add some color and bug control with the Morkt lanterns from Ikea. All we have to do is add citronella tea lights. I think the aqua color would look great with the umbrella (now on the deck) and other pieces we have. We could put them out on tables or hang them from the hooks on the pergola ceiling.