This Stunning Ladder Window DIY Mimics A Mini Indoor Pergola

With all their whimsy and aesthetic appeal, pergolas are an affordable and stylish backyard upgrade. But what if you brought some of that whimsy inside? Building a DIY pergola in your living room or bedroom is a beautiful way to bring the outdoors into your home. And it's a lot easier to execute than you might think. With just a few tools, some faux flowers, and a small wooden ladder, you can create a mini indoor pergola to hang over your window.

While this method won't produce a pergola with leg posts, it does bring in the look of the real thing when you add faux vines and flowers to your ladder. For this project, an old bunk bed ladder works great as it's short and has straight (not angled) sides. If you can't source an old bunk bed ladder, it's relatively easy to DIY a budget-friendly blanket ladder or a basic ladder structure that will work just as well. In addition to the ladder and the faux flowers, you will also need eye hooks, rope, sandpaper, paint, primer, fishing line, and a drill. You might also need a saw if you need to cut your ladder to the right size.

Start your DIY pergola by sanding the wood ladder until it's smooth and splinter free. If you're using an old bunk bed ladder, remove any old hardware. If your ladder is uneven or not the right length for your window, use a saw to trim the edges. Prime your ladder, and then paint it in a color of your choosing. Painting it the color of the wall helps it blend in while a contrasting color makes it pop. If you like the look of your wood, you can skip priming and painting and opt for a nice wood stain instead.

Once your ladder is dry, locate the wall studs. Attach it to the wall just above your window using a drill. The ladder should run horizontally over the window, sticking out from the wall similar to an awning. Remember to leave at least a few inches of space between your ladder and the ceiling. 

Next, screw two eye hooks into the wall, close to the ceiling, above either end of your ladder. Screw two eye hooks into the ladder itself on the side furthest from the wall — these should line up perfectly with your wall hooks. Now tie a piece of rope between the two hooks on one end of the ladder to further secure the ladder to the wall. You could also use a length of chain. Repeat with another piece of rope with the hooks on the other end. Then, all that's left to do is decorate your ladder pergola with winding vines and faux flowers. Use the flower stems to create little hooks and slide them onto a clear fishing line — this will make it easier to attach your flowers at varying heights.

So far, this project only has the top horizontal piece of a pergola, but you can add the side pieces as well. To take this wall-mounted pergola to another level, find two additional ladders and mount them to the sides of your window. Use a similar method of screwing the sections to the wall with the ladder sticking out from the wall. This will give the illusion of pergola legs and offer more room for greenery and floral details. You can skip the rope step for the side pieces.

Another way to level up this DIY is by adding string lights to illuminate the structure at night. You can often find faux vines with lights integrated in them to make it easier. Or use hanging baskets or railing planters to attach real plants. Just be careful with how much weight you are adding. You can also play around with seasonal decor. For example, in the winter months, swap out your vines and flowers for pine garland and holly berries, or drape faux cobwebs and spiders over the structure for a spooky Halloween touch. 

If you don't have a suitable window, mounting this structure over a door would also look beautiful. Although the point of this project is to bring the outdoors in, you could also mount this ladder pergola above an exterior door or window, just to add a decorative touch. Using an exterior sealer on the wood helps it hold up well in the outdoor elements.