Trends in Outdoor Living

Despite rain, snow, sleet, hail – and even hurricanes, tornadoes, and heat waves – Americans still love the great outdoors. Throughout the country, people take pride in creating beautiful outdoor living spaces that add charm, functionality and comfort to their surroundings.

People create outdoor venues for a variety of reasons. Some are concerned about privacy or security. Others want to enhance or diversify their living areas. Some people seek to re-create the serenity of a wooded glen or a forest brook in a convenient location. Today, designers, architects and landscape architects excel at creative amenities and attractive features that not only enhance quality of life, but also boost a property's curb appeal and significantly increase its value.

Walpole Outdoors, headquartered in Walpole, MA, specializes in designing and installing pergolas, arbors, enclosures, gazebos, fences, gates and various types of exterior décor for commercial and residential clients. Lou Maglio, President of Walpole Outdoors, notes that whatever goals or intentions people have, they often turn to exotic woods to create outdoor amenities that are durable, low-maintenance, elegant and tasteful.

"Pergolas are a particularly popular outdoor enhancement now," according to Walpole Outdoors' Purchasing Manager Bob Coyne. "A pergola is essentially an indoor/outdoor room that allows for breeze and light sun, but offers protection from the harsh glare of direct sunlight," he says. A pergola may be a garden feature, a shaded walkway, a sitting area with vertical posts, pillars, an open lattice, or a retractable awning overhead.