Updated on January 3, 2022
Arbor designs are a great way to elevate the appearance of your yard or patio. A backyard arbor is an outdoor vertical structure that provides shade, shelter, or privacy. They also tend to have a tunnel-like passageway that makes them look picturesque and lovely.
The great thing about arbors is that they can be rustic, simple, and beautiful. They do not need a lot of ornamentation to look stunning in any yard. In fact, you can even build an arbor yourself! Check out these 17 yard arbor designs that are sure to enhance the appearance of your landscape.
Arbor Designs and Ideas
Here are our top arbor designs that are sure to make your landscape look unique and stunning:
This arbor design is fun, unique, and beautiful. It is placed in the midst of a green and luscious garden, which makes this arbor look like an entryway to paradise. Its white coating makes it stand out against the green background.
Additionally, this arbor design is very functional. It comes with a bench on the left side. This bench will allow you or anyone else to take in the beauty from a comfortable seated position.
Another great part of this arbor design is the curtain backing behind the bench. These curtains alternate between the colors of pink, lime green, and purple, which gives the arbor a bright pop of color. They also give the illusion of a bench back.
If you want a classic arbor, you will like this design idea. This arbor is made from wire and thin metal rods. These rods form a dome shape that provides a structured and delicate space for vined plants to grow.
The arbor is decorated with vined plants that grow around the entirety of the arbor. The plant, in this case, has beautiful purple flowers. These flowers are simple, but they complement the blue water and contrast the orange flowers at the bottom of the arbor.
This sort of arbor design would look beautiful in any yard with scenic plants and wildlife. In this design, the background is beautiful water, but it would look just as beautiful in an overgrown garden full of green, yellow, and pink plants.
This arbor design is absolutely beautiful and would look wonderful in your flower garden. It creates a subtle structure for you to walk under while not distracting from the beautiful flowers surrounding the arbor. If you like the subtle look, this is the arbor design for you.
The arbor itself is made from unfinished wood. This wood makes the arbor unassuming and rustic looking. The overlapping design creates a more dramatic look, which makes this arbor noticeable despite its unassuming material.
The unassuming material is a smart choice because it allows the beautiful flowers to stand out. The white, pink, red, and purple flowers completely steal the show of this design. They even creep up the side of the arbor, further emphasizing their importance in this scene.
If you love a yard that is overrun with foliage, you will love this arbor design. The arbor is built simply, allowing the vines to take over the entire garden. This design also includes wood touches and a stone pathway to the bench.
The arbor is made from dark wood material. The darkness of the wood looks beautiful against the green foliage. Additionally, the structure is very simple, with as little extra slacks as possible. Because of the minimalistic design, the foliage overtakes the design.
This arbor design also includes a cute and distressed bench. The bench slacks are a beautiful brown that adds warmth to the design. The armrests and bench legs are made from charcoal metal. These are the only metallic features in this design, which makes them stand out against the natural background.
For a more upscale look, this arbor design includes a statement-making arbor, large plants, and swing doors. These features work together to add class and luxury to this design. It will look beautiful in luxury landscapes.
The arbor in this backyard looks very expensive and upscale. It is made from chunky, sturdy wood that catches your eyes. There are slats that cover the curved portion of the arbor. In fact, this curved design is what makes this arbor so upscale and statement-making.
Additionally, this arbor comes with swing doors. These swing doors show the arbor as being a functional entryway to a tropical paradise. This tropical paradise is reaffirmed through the luscious palm leaves and other plants. The plants help to frame the arbor and walkway.
Here’s an arbor design that is simple and quaint. It includes a small vine that grows up the side, matching color accents, and plenty of plants in the garden. These features make this arbor design ideal for backyard gardens.
The arbor is made from light brown wood. The wood looks warm and inviting against the green hedge, vine, and grass. It also matches other items around the garden, such as the two pots, bench, and tree trunks, making the garden look more cohesive.
This arbor also has a simple design. The sides of the arbor are paneled so that vines and other plants can grow up them, but the rest of the arbor looks simple and natural. This simple design is a smart one because it matches this classic, personable garden.
If you are looking for a fairytale-looking arbor, you have officially found one. This arbor design looks like it could be found beside Cinderella’s castle in Disneyworld. It is white with intricate details and has a pavilion awning.
The color and features of this arbor make it look like something out of a storybook. The white is clean and crisp and stands out against all the colors. There are intricate metal details all along the top of this arbor, making it look whimsical and classic.
What makes this arbor stand out is the sea of flowers and trees surrounding it. The fluffy and colorful flowers make it look almost as though the arbor is the only manmade structure in the entire garden. These flowers make the arbor stand out.
Here is another very simple arbor design. This garden and arbor are minimalistic, which makes the scene look natural and calming. This arbor design would look great in any backyard and would take very little maintenance.
The arbor is made from a natural-finished wood. There are no slacks along the side of the arbor, but the roof is comprised of slacks. This is a very minimal construction for an arbor, and it makes it look at place amongst the many bushes and foliage.
This garden includes a few touches of colors. The color can be seen from the red flowers in the center and purple flowers in the lower righthand corner. These flowers stand out against the green and brown background, but they do not overpower the scene, either.
This arbor design is perfect for a suburban backyard. It is very cute and adds whimsy to the yard, but it also looks effortless and quaint. The color, use of flowers, and functional design all work to make this arbor design bring life to the garden.
The arbor is white and resembles a picket fence. This picket fence look is fitting for this scene because it is welcoming and familiar. It also has a curved top. This design is cozy since it does not have hard edges or ends.
Along the left side of the arbor are beautiful blooming roses. These roses make this arbor look as though it’s always been there. More so, the pink color of the roses adds a pop of color that just splashes next to the white arbor.
Here is another great arbor design. This design includes wood, stone, and trees. Together, these three features make this yard look ancient. The arbor itself is made from a blonde wood. This wood looks like it belongs in a forest.
The blonde color of the wood complements the foliage surrounding it. Together, the trees and blonde wood brighten the scene and add a lot of warmth to the yard.
Another cool feature of this arbor design is the wood stones leading up to the arbor. The stones look very worn so as not to take away from the ancient feel of the garden. They also look wonderful next to the wood arbor since they add a cool note to the scenery.
This arbor design proves that arbors can look stunning in any weather condition. Here, the white arbor stands out for its vertical structure, but it also blends in due to the white snow. This odd fact makes this arbor design visually interesting.
The arbor has a classic structure and design. The sides of the arbor are paneled, which would provide space for vines to grow in the spring or summer. Because it is the winter, though, the paneled designs are noticeable and extend into the air.
This arbor is white. The white color makes the arbor blend in with the snow. What makes the look so interesting is that the barren trees, the only other vertical objects in this scene, are black against the white arbor and snow.
If you like hanging out in your backyard at night, you will love this arbor. This design includes lights, warm colors, and matching flower beds. These features make this arbor design functional and aesthetically pleasing.
The most notable feature of this arbor is the lighting on the ceiling and sidewalls. This light is due to fixtures that are hung on the structure. These lights make enjoying the arbor much easier at night. This will be ideal for those who like to hang out on the patio after dark.
The arbor is made from red wood. This wood is smart for several reasons. Firstly, the flower beds are a similar shade, which creates a cohesive look. Secondly, the warmth of the red wood is a great color and material for reflecting the light, making the arbor brighter looking.
This arbor design is much more barren looking than many of the other designs. This design is brown, decorated with twigs, and nestled on a vibrantly green flower bed. As a result, this arbor design is much more subtle.
The arbor itself is made from a natural finished wood and decorated on top with twigs. The material of the arbor matches the material of the fence on both sides. This creates a cohesive and unified look for the yard.
Although the arbor and fence are brown, the plants below are not. At the base of the fence and arbor are beautifully green bushes and tulips. These plants provide a much needed pop of color. Adding these flowers transforms the arbor design from drab to fab.
If you have a cherry blossom in your yard, you may want to consider placing an arbor underneath it like in this design. The arbor itself is very simple, but its use of texture and the cherry blossom make this design beautifully enticing.
The arbor is made from all wood. The structure does not contain intricate paneling or slats. Instead, the structure is simply four posts with a roof. This simple look allows the cherry blossom and other trees to stand out beside the arbor.
Placing this simple arbor beneath a cherry blossom is very smart. The cherry blossom provides both color and structure for this arbor design. Even though the design itself is simple and brown, the whole look appears beautiful and colorful thanks to the trees.
Arbors can make your garden look beautifully rustic. Take this design, for example. This arbor design transforms this garden and makes it look whimsically rustic. Between the decorative grapes and chair, this arbor looks as if it has been here your entire life.
The arbor has a very simple structure made from wood. The structure of the arbor is covered by decorative grapes. These decorative grapes make the arbor look like it has been taken over by nature, which causes the garden to look much more rustic.
The rustic vibes are enhanced through the simple chair under the arbor. This chair matches the structure of the arbor perfectly. It, too, looks like it has weathered many storms, but it also appears warm and inviting.
Wood is the material of choice for many arbor designs, but this design proves that metal can be used just as beautifully. Because of the mix of delicate metal frames and a lusciously green wonderland, this arbor design is anything but cold or ugly.
The arbor is made from a delicate metal frame. The sides of the frames include intricate swirls and designs that grow upwards to a point at the top. These rods provide a structure for the arbor, but they are also dainty and don’t overpower the scenery.
Additionally, the open design of this arbor allows you to see all the beauty of the garden behind. This garden includes vibrant green trees and bushes, red hanging flowers, and benches. The metal frame complements the view of this backyard forest beautifully.
If you live on a lot of land, you will love this oversized arbor. Because of its cathartica flower roof and rustic structure, this arbor design is dramatic, rustic, and romantic all at the same time.
The arbor is made from unfinished wood and does not have any wood detailing. In fact, the structure is relatively simple and light.
The simple structure, though, is paired with the dramatic roof. The arbor’s roof is covered in yellow cathartica flowers. These flowers add a dramatic pop of color and even match the flowers at the base of the arbor.
Conclusion
Arbor designs can elevate your yard dramatically. Whether you want a rustic touch or luxury feature, you are sure to find an arbor in this list that will transform your vision to reality.
