Pergola Shade Solution

Pergola slats have quite a bit of space between them - this isn’t ideal for the shade we wanted. I didn’t want it too dark, but we needed more than what was there. I wanted natural light, filtered and dappled, like light through old vines... though something like that will take some time long term.

The pergola ceiling before

Pergola ceiling after

Our short term solution is bamboo fencing. Inexpensive, natural, beautiful and easy to install. The spacing between the pieces provides just the right filtered light and shade. We bought two rolls at 5 feet tall and 13 feet long to cover the top of the pergola and cut them down to the right size. It’s low maintenance and we knew it would blend beautifully with the wood.

We did some research online to find out the best way to attach it and the best solution we found was black zip ties. It sounded really tacky at first but they are strong, the black disappears, and the ties can be easily cut for a fast easy removal - perfect for impending hurricanes or taking it down for winter. Leaving the fencing up all winter would significantly shorten its lifespan and it could potentially endanger the structure of the pergola during a heavy snow by holding up too much weight. So easy removal is a huge plus.

You probably noticed the globe lights in the pictures. They make such a romantic lighting solution at night, I love it. I might have gone a little overboard with 4 strands, but they are so pretty. I’m absolutely in love with how this turned out. I think it looks great and it’s so nice under the pergola now. I just want to spend all my time outside!