Pergola Design: Attached vs. Freestanding

When finalizing the specs of a new pergola design, one consideration should become rather prominent in your decision-making, whether to incorporate a freestanding or attached pergola into your outdoor space. Both types of pergola can bring interesting and dynamic notes to your pergola design and enhance the look, feel and style of your home.

The following are some questions to think about when deciding on either a freestanding or attached pergola for your home’s outdoor space.

What is your end goal in putting up your pergola?

Are you looking for a space in which you can get away once in a while and get a change of pace from your interior rooms? Or are you looking for a direct extension of your home, essentially, another room that works with the flow of your home? A freestanding pergola with a pergola curtain kit can create a perfect, secluded mini “home away from home”. An attached pergola can incorporate into the overall structure of your home, adding a new room which you can just step into at any time and creating a perfect overflow space for parties and large events.

What is your home itself like?

Is it an imposing structure or one that exudes a more laidback ethos? Attached pergolas can add to the grandeur of a large home, but overwhelm a less imposing structure. On the other hand, if your home has a more casual elegance to it, a freestanding pergola can go right along with this look and style, while an attached pergola might look stagnant and a bit off. Really internalize the look and feel of your home and its setting, when deciding on a freestanding or attached pergola design.

Does a garden form the heart of your outdoor space?

If so, what kind of garden is it, natural and rambunctious or formal and elegant? A freestanding pergola can add a nice, little “aha” moment in a large-natural-growth garden. A freestanding pergola can create a small, secluded space, an almost improvised moment. In a more formal garden, an attached pergola can complement the more structured elegance of a garden and home, and even create a formal entry point to a garden from the home.

Answering these questions will help you get a better idea of which type of pergola will best address your needs. Whether freestanding or attached, your final pergola design is sure to add yet another level of charm and beauty to your home.