furniture outdoor

6 Items Every Pergola Needs

~ Naomi Pederson

This warm weather is so enticing, and I love being outside.  In the summer I like to spend as much time as possible breathing fresh air and getting sunshine.  If you live in Calgary, breathing fresh air and sunshine have been a bit scarce due to massive forest fires all throughout BC.  I am going to hope that all these fires are quickly put out, and plan my perfect pergola to be enjoyed when the sun actually can show it’s face again.

A pergola is just another room to decorate and should be tackled in the same way you would decorate any room in your home.  Look at the space, add your big items, add the items that you want to showcase and then pull it all together with some great accessories.  Here are some great things to add to your pergola to make it truly another room to spend time in.

Curtains are such a fun thing to add to your pergola.  Pergola’s by design are lightweight and have no wall.  Curtains will make your pergola feel intimate and soften the hard wood or metal lines most pergola’s are made from.  Make sure your curtains are made with outdoor fabric for the longest lasting effect, but even sheer inexpensive curtains that last one season are worth spending money on.

At Showhome furniture we know that adding high-quality outdoor furniture is a must.  How can you enjoy a space without comfortable furniture to relax on.  Getting well-built outdoor furniture makes all the difference to your living space and will last for many, many years.

A great way to bring color into your pergola space is using outdoor beautiful cushions!!  Most stores will carry a variety of outdoor pillows to choose from, but if you can’t find what you are looking for, making your own cushion covers is very simple!

Proper lighting in a pergola is so important and can make it so you enjoy your space day and night.  You can string a few large strings of lights around your pergola, or a bunch of outdoor twinkle lights look gorgeous.  If you want to be fancy you can wire up a chandelier or hang a candle chandelier in the middle of your pergola.  Even battery operated candles will add romance, beauty and ambiance to your space.

Live plants are an awesome way of making your pergola feel enticing and delightful.  You can hang them in baskets, put them on the pole of your pergola, or have them in containers.

Plants, even fake plants, really can bring a whole space together in ways that nothing else can.

Now, the last tip Showhome furniture has for you, to help make your pergola one of the most ‘go to’ places in your yard is to add something to the floor!  You can add an outdoor rug, or interesting gravel if your pergola is not on a deck.  Real or fake grass is great or painting the floor is another way to liven up your space!

Creating Cozy Spaces On Large Decks

~ Naomi Pederson

I always dreamed of having a large deck to entertain on.  I thought of all the parties I could throw and all the people that would fit on my large deck.  Finally, I was able to get a home that had a large deck off the kitchen.  I was delighted but soon realized that sometimes decorating a large space can be harder than decorating a small space.

At Showhome furniture we know that it important to balance things out, pick good furniture and define spaces in order to create the maximum entertaining space for your time and money.

deck furniture layout ideas

When I designed my deck, I found it easier to break my space up into different zones.  I had the eating zone and the sit back and chill with friends zone.  Sticking to just two different zones allowed me to also have enough room to move around and look out at the view even when there were many guests over.

For my eating zone, I opted for a gazebo kit to frame in and shade my guests while we ate and conversed.  If you live in a very windy location like a few of my sisters, you might not be able to get away with a box kit and may have to hire someone to come and build you a permanent structure that is windproof.

I learned the hard way when I lived in Southern Alberta near the foothills, that you must build according to the needs of your location.

For the visiting area, I just got a good quality sectional, a rug and a coffee table.

No living space inside or out is complete without accessories, and since we were creating an outdoor living space, I made sure that my deck was loaded with plants or different shapes and colors.

One thing I did not do, but many have is to add a fireplace or fire bowl because even though my deck was large, I wanted to leave lots of space for mingling guests and running children (who are often in large numbers at our gatherings).

What I did do though was add a lot of different candles and lighting to my space.  The mixed lights let me enjoy our deck even when the evening grows long and dark.

Whatever your deck size, decorating it properly is a must in order to realize it full entertaining potential.