Create Loving Memories Under the Stars in Your Very Own Pergola or Gazebo.
What better way to do this than to recreate a scene from your favourite movies, right in your backyard?
By their very nature backyard or garden scenes in the movies are usually intimate and romantic. The main characters come together, there’s music, soft lighting and you just know this is where the magic will happen. But romance isn’t limited to the silver screen and with a little bit of planning, you can transform your back garden into a romantic getaway this Valentine’s day.
Our favourite stories all contain a bit of magic. Think about the glass gazebo in The Sound of Music when Maria and Captain Von Trapp confess their love. The prom night gazebo scene with twinkling lights when Edward and Bella dance in Twilight. The magical pergola feast scene in Chocolat where old loves are rekindled and new loves are ignited by Vianne Rocher’s delicious food and the liberation of al fresco dining. The backyard dinner scene in Under the Tuscan Sun with tables laden full of food and bottles of wine. The dancing scenes under the gazebo in Dirty Dancing. The fountain scene in Atonement and not to mention the multiple garden and terrace scenes in Pride and Prejudice.
Pergolas vs Gazebo – let the deciding begin!
When you hear gazebo, don’t think about the collapsible blue plastic tents of your youth. Rather think about a permanent (usually wooden) structure with a floor and roof that offers full coverage from rain and sun and often has railings or glass panels around it. Gazebos are usually round or octagonal. A pergola, on the other hand, is a simple structure standing over paving or a patch of lawn, to be a base for a climbing vine, that is open to the sky, and letting in sun- or starlight. Pergolas only provide a limited shade cover. Pergolas are usually square or rectangular and are made by placing poles at intervals over an even number of pillars set into the ground. Both of these structures are lovely backyard additions and can be constructed in a short time and at a reasonable cost. (No need to dig foundations or get plans approved.)
Pergola Perfection? Gazebo Glitz?
A Gazebo can be a wonderful outdoor space all year round, as it is weatherproof and gives more shelter, especially if you enclose it with glass panels. A well-built gazebo can become an extension of your home. You can add a door that locks, creating a sort of conservatory with soft upholstered furniture, coffee tables and bookcases filled with your favourite titles.
A pergola can be a feature piece in landscaping, highlighted by a grapevine, or flowering creepers like Wisteria and jasmine and giving a more rustic, provincial vibe to your garden.
Before you decide on your newest backyard project, play around online, and decide on a style that works for you. While a gazebo lends itself to a cosy dinner for two, chatting and chilling away from the stresses of the world, a pergola is perfect for a sultry late-summer movie night, and you can easily use the open structure to set up a screen to watch your favourite romantic film. A gazebo is also more permanent, while a pergola can be set up for a weekend or a season, and simply dismantled when you no longer want it. If you’re not interested in planting climbing plants and waiting for them to grow, you can also decorate a pergola with swathes of lightweight fabric. Let your imagination run wild!
Both a pergola and a Gazebo look amazing if you add some twinkling fairy lights or even hanging lanterns or candles. Get in the mood for Valentine’s day by watching one (or all) of these movies and then use your imagination to create the perfect little backyard hideaway for you and the one you love.
For expert advice on additions to your home and garden, head to HOMEMAKERS.
