You can build an outdoor pergola over one end of a dinner patio.  The open end of the patio can have a large dining table shielded by sun umbrellas.  The smaller dining table goes under the pergola, and it is shielded from the sun by the plant material growing on the lattice of the roof.  This smaller dining table looks more formal than its open-air companion, and it creates a sort of VIP experience for the most honored guests of the day. 

Along similar, but more intimate lines, you can have us build an outdoor pergola that shelters a private dinner table just for you and your spouse.  This structure will have rafters very close together that are connected by lattice work.  This will block most of the sunlight just like it is.  For even dimmer lighting, you can train vines up the sides of the column and let them overgrow the roof.  Trellises can be used to create partial side walls that block the majority of light coming in from the sides.  Even in the noonday sun, you could conceivably enjoy a candlelight dinner for two.

You can also have us build you an outdoor pergola that adds drama, interest, and elegant vertical impact to your formal garden.   This structure will feature classical columns with very large rafters spanning the top.  Here, you can experience a partly sunny, partly shady, gathering spot where you can bring visitors for daytime garden tours.   At night, the place is even more sublime under the wide rafters that let in light from entire groups of stars, and that let you see the moon fully visible at any phase of its journey.

Another place that you can have us construct your outdoor pergola is the area just opposite your back terrace.  This structure can be decorated with outdoor furniture and used as a coffee room.  Wiring and electrical outlets can be concealed in the pillar supports to power your coffee pot if you like. This coffee room can be as sunny or as shady as you like.  Leaving it open to the light is better for morning sunrises because you get hit by the full burst of rising light before the heat of the day sets in.  If you want an outdoor room for use all day, then invest in plant material that will give you just the right amount of shade. 

Adding an outdoor pergola directly onto the side of your house can be better than adding a new room.  It is certainly less expensive, and it is far more decorative.  You are sure to experience an increase in curb appeal when it comes to the value of your home.  Consider just how ornamented your house will look with masonry columns and arching overhead rafters that create the equivalent of an open-air outdoor vaulted ceiling.  This structure will give you room-like sense of enclosure, but it will leave your sense of outdoor freedom completely undisturbed when you sit beneath the arches on summer nights intent on enjoying the open air under the stars.