Creating an Intimate Pavilion in Lemoyne and Camp Hill PA Areas

As the summer entertaining season winds down, your experiences are still fresh in your mind. Now is the ideal time to plan for next season, with upgrades that will make next summer’s entertaining season wonderfully memorable. Here are our tips for creating an intimate pavilion in Lemoyne and Camp Hill, PA, areas.

A pavilion is a permanent outdoor structure with a solid roof and open walls. A pavilion offers shelter from sun, rain, and snow to extend your outdoor living season well into the cold months.  A pavilion can be large enough to accommodate a large entertaining area (an outdoor kitchen, dining area, and seating area) or smaller, to shelter a part of the patio that you use the most.

Whether your pavilion needs to be spacious or small, there are ways to make it more intimate. 

Related: Plan a Pavilion Perfect for Summer Outdoor Living in Mechanicsburg and Hershey PA

Enclosure

A fully open pavilion can feel a bit like being in a fishbowl, especially if it is located in an open area such as an exposed patio surrounded by a lawn. One way to make the enclosure feel more intimate is to attach a trellis to one or two sides. This trellis can be left as is, or you can allow climbing vines to cover it over time. 

This solution also adds a wind break, which will make your pavilion a more pleasant place to be on windy days.

Outdoor curtains likewise offer privacy. To avoid a fully enclosed feeling - the point of a pavilion is to have open sides - use curtains only on the side(s) you need them most. Different colored curtains will change the atmosphere.

Planting trees in the vicinity will also make the pavilion feel more intimate and less exposed.

Lighting

A softer lighting theme will contribute to an intimate atmosphere. If you’re using the pavilion to shelter an outdoor kitchen, consider using lights with a dimming feature. Or, instead of bright overhead lighting, consider lights mounted on the backsplash to light the workspace and use softer lights overhead for ambient light.

String lights are a fun way to add a festive atmosphere to your pavilion. These can take the place of other lighting when it comes to ambience, but they do not offer enough illumination for work surfaces.

Fire

Nothing beats sitting by the fire having conversation with friends, wrapped up in cozy blankets and sipping hot cocoa on a chilly night. A large masonry fireplace will make your pavilion cozy even on the coldest days. If your pavilion is just big enough to shelter an outdoor kitchen, you could consider making it a bit larger to also accommodate a small seating area around a fireplace. 

Adding a fireplace to your pavilion will significantly extend the amount of time you can spend outdoors - and the investment will more than pay for itself in how much more you actually use your outdoor spaces.

Music

Add intimate ambience with a weather-resistant stereo system or even just MP3-friendly speakers.

Masonry Pillars

Pavilions can be installed right on an existing patio. There is no need for masonry pillars from a structural standpoint. However, pillars with a generous capstone will offer a ledge where you can place candles or small decorative items. Sitting by the warm glow of candlelight is a magical experience you won’t want to miss out on.

Related: Customize Your Pergola and Pavilion With Ceiling Fans and Entertainment Systems in Harrisburg, PA