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Pergola next to swimming pool as a true outdoor space
Time off and time spent together: it may sound obvious, but this isn’t always the case. the owners Sara and her husband run a business together and know this all too well. ‘We want to make the most of the free time we have by fully enjoying our garden,’ Sara says. They savour this time under their freestanding pergola in the garden. ‘The pergola almost feels like an extension of our swimming pool.’
A place for the entire family
For their family, the pergola is the heart of outdoor living, and this applies to all five family members. ‘Aged 3, 4 and 8, our three children often sit at the table to colour or play games. We are avid barbecue fans and often host friends and family there.’
There’s a large table under the pergola that seats twelve people. ‘We have a large family, so a big table was a must.’ Ideal for relaxation, but also for everyday life. ‘Sometimes my husband takes his laptop outside and works under the pergola.’
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Black windows, black cover
When it came to the colour and finish, the owners drew inspiration from their newbuild’s architecture. ‘We went for a black cover that is a great match for our black windows. The black aluminium also creates a nice contrast with the wooden back wall we installed ourselves, and the wooden bar where our barbecue is.’
The barbecue is also under the pergola so we can use it all year round – regardless of the weather. ‘We decided on a louvred roof to allow the smoke to escape. On hot summer days, we lower the screens, and opening the louvres creates enough ventilation.’
‘Our youngest and oldest can easily operate the screens using the switch or the remote control. In the beginning, we even used the screens as a safety precaution: our youngest can be quite wild, and by lowering the screens all the way, he could sit with us without the risk of ending up in the swimming pool.’
‘Thanks to all the extra options like lighting, heaters, screens, electrical outlets and sliding walls, we have really created an extra outdoor space.’
Screens to keep out hot sun and cold draughts
Details can really set the mood, and the owner's pergola is no exception. ‘We decided to add a lot of options: lighting, heating elements, screens to keep out sun and wind, electrical outlets and sliding glass walls. The idea was to actually create an extra outdoor space.
‘We are true outdoor people, but during our limited free time, we want to make the most of this time by fully enjoying the garden. All these options on our pergola make it easier. We actually start sitting outside in February, and sometimes even in January, once the worst of the cold is gone. The heaters are really necessary.’
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Enjoying every moment, especially in summer
‘Our favourite times under the pergola are summer evenings. We even set up a TV under there so we can watch football or the Tour de France; we can just sit outside and watch together. This is also where we hold the children’s birthday parties: one of the them has a birthday at the end of the year, but that’s not a problem. We just put them all outside. This keeps the living room tidy and clean, which is a bonus. Other than that, we enjoy every moment, no matter how small.’
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They found the sunny side of life!
Home is where you leap onto the kitchen table when your team scores. Where you shuffle to the mailbox in your pink robe and wave at the neighbour, who knows your karaoke setlist by heart. It’s where you do whatever you like, because it’s yours.
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