*Improve your home with a retractable roof

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I wish I was more of a winter person, but I’m just not a big fan of rain, wind and grey skies. Why am I living in England? Good question. To be fair, I don’t mind rainy days if I’m spending them inside my house, snuggling up on the sofa with a cup of hot chocolate and watching Mean Girls or anything alike. I just wish I could be enjoying the outdoors whilst being inside in the warmth – I know, it seems impossible, right?

Actually, it might be possible! Scratch that, it is possible. I found the perfect way to live my Hannah Montana fantasy and have the best of both worlds with a retractable roof in my garden. “What even is that?” another good question, but this one I’ll answer. A retractable roof is usually a retractable awning that can be installed in your garden, alongside with other outdoor structures, if that’s what you are going for, to create a perfect outdoor space which you can use all-year-round.

I must say that I’m a big fan of pergolas with retractable roofs. Don’t get me wrong, traditional pergolas are gorgeous and add so much style to any garden, it comes as no surprise that they were listed as a top landscape trend in 2019 by the National Association of Landscape Professionals. However, pergolas with retractable roofs are the next level of traditional pergolas, and when equipped with side glass screens, these modern pergolas are the holy grail of outdoor structures.

This article on Better Homes deep dives into what a pergola is and highlights the pros and cons of traditional pergolas. The main downside of traditional pergolas is the fact that they only offer shade protection and can’t really be used when it’s raining or are not comfortable solutions when there are strong winds. This is where pergolas with retractable roofs, which are also known as louvred pergolas, come in handy.

You might have seen louvred pergolas in commercial spaces, such as restaurants or cafes, but there is no rule that says you can’t have one in your own garden. These innovative pergolas are, as Designer Shade Solutions puts it, “designed to protect outdoor areas in changing weather conditions.” If it’s warm and sunny outside, louvred pergolas offer you protection against UV rays but still allow you to enjoy the sunshine to its fullest and, if it starts to rain, their roof will close to offer you protection against the rain. Designer Shade Solutions create bespoke louvred pergolas for homes and commercial outdoor areas all around the globe, so if you are looking to improve your home with an outdoor structure with a retractable roof, visit their website at https://designershadesolutions.co.uk/.

What are your thoughts on traditional and modern pergolas? 

This article was written by Carolina Neves, lead copywriter at Ad Lab, a marketing-agency based in Bishop’s Stortford. She loves to write about anything lifestyle and travel related whilst daydreaming about all the things she could do to give her home an uplift.