If your deck or patio is sunny and you don’t like to sweat then you need to create a shade on it. Here is an interesting way to do that. In combination with lights you can achieve some ambience as during the day as during the night.
Cheap paint tarps can become a great canvas to cover the pergola with. You can turn your pergola into an awesome canopy that definitely will look great. Such project would also be quite cheap. Of course this solution won’t survive many years but it can be easily replaced. Check out Anything Pretty for more details.