What do people think about when the subject of a pergola comes up? The answer usually depends on the last time someone saw a pergola in person. For a long time they were a simple, almost utilitarian, adornment. If one were to compare it to a meal than the outdoors would be the main course and the pergola a simple garnish. However, that trend has changed in recent years.
Not too long ago some brilliant designers saw the wasted opportunity there. There’s few things in the world as beautiful as the great outdoors. So why squander that resource by adoring or framing it in a utilitarian way. After all, a home can look beautiful and add to the natural splendor. So why not use a custom arbor or pergola in the same way? Instead of going for more artificial designs why not try to make a structure fit into nature as a whole?
A pergola has traditionally been used as little more than a roof over outdoor spaces. The overall purpose came down to protecting people from the elements. However, it’s important to keep in mind that even this was a somewhat flawed idea. Indoor areas are designed as they are for good reason. How often does rain actually fall in a direct line? Wind and other elements tend to complicate this. The end result is that a semi-enclosed environment is seldom going to be able to cover every possible eventuality. As such, why put so much emphasis on a utilitarian design when it’ll never be able to fully achieve that goal?
Instead people are starting to evaluate what they actually want from something like a pergola. It needs to essentially focus on what it does perfectly and adapt to meet other needs as well as possible. This does mean going in a utilitarian angle for some things. For example, one might want to have a arbor carport. This would work well for utilitarian purposes. In large part because an arbor carport will be able to match one’s needs for a more enclosed area.
But this frees up a lot of resources for the other aspects of a pergola. Again, it’s important to recognize the fact that a pergola isn’t going to fully protect from the elements. But what it can do is enhance one’s overall sense of relaxation when outdoors. Relaxation and beauty really should be the key concern. Back in the day people tended to go with long, boring, linear designs. Long boring lines were the norm.
But today those lines tend to be smaller and accentuate a more curved design. There’s a few reasons for this. But the most self evident can be found by simply looking out at the natural world. Nature often seems to have a lot of straight lines. But that’s only an illusion created by quickly glancing around oneself. When people look closer they begin to see something amazing. The seemingly straight lines of trunks, branches and fronds are actually curved and dynamic.
Straight lines don’t appear all that often in nature. Instead life tends to come with a propensity for curved growth. Life explores and a pergola needs to emulate that. Curved designs have become a big trend for a good reason. They’re able to simulate the same type of curves that one sees when looking out at nature. This keeps the pergola as a part of nature rather than something apart from it. This essentially provides people with the thing that a pergola excels at. It means that they can help one relax in nature rather than feeling isolated from it.
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