Patio Umbrellas: Straight Or Tilting - A Break From The Sun

I love to sit under an umbrella on the back porch with my husband either in the mid-morning, having a cup of hot tea, or late afternoon with a glass of iced tea. Guess you think that I like tea. . .

But it is the Umbrellas that I want to talk about, the pole umbrellas and the off-set ones. The ones that can become a part of the environment of your outdoor living area, sometimes even without you realizing it.

These are the swans of the umbrella world – gracefully lifting overhead a shape of fabric that is designed to shade you and your friends. With the supporting pole being fashioned so that the support is not front and center of the conversation, the offset umbrella provides shade without interfering with eye-to-eye contact.

The sizes can be amazing – from a 9 foot circle to 13 feet multi-sided umbrellas that provides an uncluttered exchange space that can be open to a lively discussion or a quiet glass of refreshment.

These are the gentle giants of the patio umbrella world. Inviting you into a space that is free from mayhem filled with peaceful ambiance.

Pole umbrellas are the work horse of the patio umbrella world. They sit in the middle of your table, providing shade from the sun in the daytime and giving shelter from the rain any time of the day or night. There is no need to curtail your dinner conversation due to a scattering of rain – just pull your chair a little closer to the table and pour a little more wine.

The pole umbrellas became popular at the resorts’ swimming pools. After people soaked up enough sun, they wanted something to shade them from the sun’s rays. The umbrellas were made of bright and beautiful colors and the fabric lasted one whole season before needing to be changed for the following year. Now you can have any number of umbrellas by your pool or patio and enjoy the break from the burning rays of the overhead sun.

The colors that are available for umbrellas are truly amazing – sometimes there are more than thirty colors in the option box – how great! And the fabrics are now made to withstand years of direct sunlight. No more fading or sun rot at the end of the first year of use.

The thing about any patio umbrella is how you anchor it. Umbrella stands can be plain or fancy – my preference is a stand that will hold in a strong wind. We normally use a stand that we fill with water or sand.

The heads tilt – or not; the poles are straight or bent; the fabrics are solid or patterned, bright or soft in hue and best of all, you can shop online.