Pairing furniture with the right umbrella, as well as deciding how to place it near furniture, can feel challenging, but it doesn’t need to be. We offer some tips on what to consider when choosing the best Shade7 umbrella for your furniture.
At its simplest function, an outdoor umbrella is a practical, affordable and versatile means of getting something between you and the sun for comfort and protection. Making sure the umbrella’s style, shape and colour will suit your space will ensure you feel fantastic while enjoying the shade. And to make sure you will enjoy the shade for a long time, choosing an umbrella that is suited to the purpose, being durable, weather resistant and fade resistant is the next consideration. Choosing well will give you comfort and protection, enhance your outdoor living space, and save you money in the long run by having an umbrella that will last for many years.
Size:
When choosing the right sized umbrella, your intended use and location will be your guide. Just as the size and use of the space determines what outdoor furniture you get, the size and use of the furniture is your best guide to size, shape, style and number of umbrellas you will need.
To get an idea of what size umbrella you need, measure the space where shade will be essential and choose your umbrella size based on the area size you need to cover, making sure the umbrella will be a little bigger than the furniture if possible. You can always move or close an umbrella, but you can’t make it bigger later on.
There is one important proviso around size – umbrellas need to be closed when not in use, so ensuring the umbrella can close around your furniture is important. For furniture such as lounge chairs which are easily moved, this isn’t so important. If the closing umbrella might catch a lounge chair as it comes down, you can easily move the chair a little. With large lounge suites backed up to the umbrella mast, for example, or a heavy table that can’t easily be moved, choose an umbrella with a high enough ground-clearance to have a stress-free experience closing the umbrella.
Riviera Premium 3,5 octagonal dark Grey rotated from dining table to poolside sun loungers
The smaller the umbrella, the higher the ground clearance, so getting a smaller umbrella that can rotate over the day such as Shade7’s 3.5m octagonal Riviera cantilever which has a ground clearance of 1.05m, means a trouble-free experience with a generous shadow. This high clearance height also makes it the best option for shading spa pools that are 1m high or lower. The Riviera 3.5 octagonal has the highest cantilever wind-rating of 60kph when open and level.
A cantilever umbrella ‘s mast (or pole) stands outside the socialising space, extending the canopy like a roof over the seating or dining area, effectively creating a ‘room’ without walls. With the Riviera cantilever umbrella’s ability to tilt and rotate, it is possible for one large Riviera umbrella to shade you all day long, even as the sun moves.
Riviera 4.5 positioned between furniture settings
Shade7’s Riviera 4.0 is a 4m octagonal cantilever with a fantastic amount of shade and good ground clearance of 800mm. Tables have a standard height of 750mm, so this big umbrella is perfect for 8-10 seater tables. If you are considering a centre pole/market umbrella that will go through the table, a 4m centre pole umbrella has a much lower ground clearance and will hit the table top as it closes. In this instance, Shade7’s Milan 3.5 octagonal is the perfect size for a large table using a market umbrella. And the rotation feature means it can shade more than one furniture grouping.
An octagonal (round) canopy works well in a corner of a lounge suite or patio, or off-set to any house or boundary line. Whether a lounge suite is an ‘L’ shape, or scattered in individual pieces, or a table is rectangular or round, a ‘round’ canopy can be positioned anywhere around the furniture providing fantastic coverage and will always look symmetrical. The shorter arms of an octagonal umbrella mean there is no issue with closing either the 3.5m or 4m octagonal Riviera umbrella over outdoor furniture, including tables, or risk of corner arms hitting walls as it is rotated across the space.
Lounge suite back rests are often 900mm high. If the back cushion makes up part of that height, pushing the cushion forward when closing the umbrella could make enough difference to close the umbrella. Otherwise, placing the lounge suite half a metre forward of the mast, or installing the umbrella opposite to the lounge suite so the mast is far away while the canopy is still overhead, are options for a large 4m cantilever working with a lounge suit.
Other ways to manage the issue of closing umbrellas around furniture are:
- Install the umbrella on a wheeled base that raises the umbrella height a little, and can be moved away to a clear space.
- Install the cantilever umbrella with a clear space behind it so the umbrella can be rotated away from furniture to close.
Riviera Premium 4.0 matte black, Off White with wheeled base
Another approach to shading furniture is to pair smaller umbrellas with individual areas, for example, a market umbrella through a dining table, or between two sun loungers. Two smaller umbrellas spread across a space can be just as effective as one large umbrella and can create a gorgeous effect.
Multiple 2.5m Square Milan umbrellas for generous shade
Again, the essentials are to measure the space where a shadow is most needed, and choose an umbrella a little beyond that size if possible, to avoid having to move the market umbrella too often over the day.
When shading a table, a good rule of thumb is to allow half a metre per person at each side or end of the table. For example, a 1.8m table with half a metre added per person becomes a 2.8m area to shade. Shade7’s 3.1 Venice or 3.5 Milan will offer generous shade. The Venice 2.6 might be on the small side for a 1.8m table. For a 1.6 table or smaller, the 2.6 Venice can be ideal, but as always, Shade7 recommends going as big as possible, so the 3.1 Venice could be worth considering for smaller tables as well. While a square umbrella might offer more shade than an equivalent octagonal shape
Shade7 is committed to ensuring peace of mind with umbrellas that are beautiful and enduring, engineered for NZ coastal conditions, attractive and strong enough to be used in premium commercial resorts and hotels. If you are looking for the best combination of furniture and umbrellas, the friendly and experienced Shade7 team will be happy to help advise on your specific furniture and shade needs.
