How To Make the Most of a Pergola in a Pandemic
Tired of the stuffy four walls of winter?
It's time to take the indoors outside...
Six months of pandemic restrictions and average weather have forced us to work, rest, study, play and, in general, hide indoors. Even the largest family home is likely to have started feeling crowded and claustrophobic.
Thankfully, with the chill of Melbourne's winter behind us, even if we still can't go too far beyond the garden gate; we can reclaim some space and sanity.
It's time to get out and make the most of the fresh air and sunshine with these innovative Stay at Home pergola ideas.
What is a pergola?
Of all the home 'outdoor living' features, the pergola may well be the most versatile. Unlike verandas and patios, which typically adjoin the primary residence, a pergola can be attached or completely freestanding anywhere in a front or backyard.
A pergola entry-way appears in the earliest known surviving garden plan, designed for an Egyptian high court official living in Thebes, around 1400 BC. Over the next 3420 years, pergola styles and materials have developed in tandem with changing landscaping fashions and structural technologies. Still, these aesthetically pleasing, garden defining forms have kept their intrinsic purpose: providing us with shade, shelter and outdoor enjoyment.
With no hard and fast rules, pergola design can run the gamut from stylish and modern through to rustic and romantic.
Modern Solutions’ Top 5 Indoor-out Pergola Ideas
1. Pergola Playgym
Gone a bit soft during lockdown? Have your kids spent too much time on devices? Fear not, our sturdy Stratco steel pergolas provide the ultimate frame to attach swings, rope ladders, monkey or chin-up bars, punching bags, suspension training and bodyweight resistance strap systems, for a fully customisable fun outdoor fitness space.
2. Open Office
Drag your desk outside and let the Vitamin D soak in as you work or study in the dappled sunlight. Aside from helping to shrug off the winter blahs, natural light is much more flattering on Zoom and you can make your colleagues green with envy at your delightful garden backdrop.
3. Romance Room
Has it been a while since you and your significant other had a decent date night? Create some much-needed privacy by hanging pergola curtains. Then arrange for Uber to deliver your favourite meal; light some candles and pop on some mood music. Occupy the kids in the house with a pizza, and enjoy some quality time together.
4. Garden Grocery
Panic-proof your pantry by creating a vertical veggie and herb garden. Whether DIY or pre-made, a garden wall, correctly positioned for maximum sun, roof rain irrigation and shelter from the wind, turns your pergola into a cocktail garnish and salad bar, all year round.
Training a deciduous grapevine (Vitis vinifera) over an uncovered pergola can also bump up your harvest. Early spring vine leaves are perfect for making delicious Greek dolmades. Then snack on juicy grapes in the cool summer shade before colourful autumn leaves, make way for maximum winter sun.
5. Secluded Sanctuary
Let's face it; it could be a while before we are lounging on a beach or in a tropical resort in a far off land; in the meantime, we must find our own 'home happy place' to escape from it all. So pull out the banana lounge, turn off the news, pour yourself a tall drink, grab a good book and head out to the pergola for some well-deserved 'you time'.
Need a pergola?
Despite current restrictions limiting face-to-face consultations, Modern Solutions are still taking enquiries and providing contactless quotations and virtual consultations in readiness for a return to installing pergolas.
As an authorised Stratco Outback dealer, we have an extensive range of high-quality pergola products and deliver a complete project service, from design to council permissions and construction.
We pride ourselves on being the best custom outdoor living space builders in Melbourne. Established in 2010, and led by a registered, accredited master builder, our experienced team deliver beautiful, functional pergolas on time and budget.
Contact us today for an obligation free quote.
