As one year winds to a close, another one peeks its head round the corner, bringing with it some exciting prospects. 2016 is a blank canvas, ready for you to make the changes – and additions – that you would like to your property. So, will this be the year that you decide to invest in a pergola?

We’ve taken a look around the Better Homes and Gardens website to find our top 4 pergola ideas – which one would you choose?

The ‘Out-Door Living’ Pergola

With this structure, you can extend your living space into your garden by creating a covered area complete with seating, warmth, and cosy accessories. We can plan with architects and stone masons so that timber is combined with stone to make the most of both materials, and the natural beauty of plants are allowed to grow around the beams and columns.

The ‘Impressive Entrance’ Pergola

Pergolas can be used to add an incredible wow-factor to the front of your house – check out one we created here. Whether curved, arch-shaped, combined with other materials or purely oak, this is a definite way of making the entrance to your home stand out to incredible effect.

The ‘Secret Garden’ pergola

If your garden is your pride and joy, and you’ve cultivated different areas from lawn to flowerbeds, then why not incorporate a hidden area amongst the flora and fauna? Whether in a hidden corner, or at the bottom of the garden, a beautiful oak pergola is the perfect way to create a little sanctuary of escape.

The ‘Relaxed Beach Hut’ Pergola

In this stylish, relaxed and beautiful example, the timber has been painted white and given a boost of freshness from cooling blues and sunny yellows. The pergola and decking now have a real sea-side charm, and the natural materials look fabulous whether you’ve for a sea-view or not.

All images from Better Homes and Gardens here