9 Shade Structures to Inspire your Patio Setup
If you’re looking to invest in a new shade structure or to update your current patio setup, take a look at these nine ideas from around the world showing well-paired shade styles and patio furniture that set the stage for outdoor entertaining.
A shade structure made of wood boards mounted to a steel frame creates a pleasant cocoon-like feeling for this outdoor living room in Southern California. The design by Neumann Mendro Andrulaitis Architects makes a graphic statement in the side yard.
Proving that shade structures don’t have to cost a fortune to look good and serve their purpose, Adam Bresnick Architects used inexpensive camo netting to cast dappled light over a colorful seating area in Madrid. The lightweight material would move in the breeze, changing the shadow patterns below and creating the feeling of being beneath the branches of a shade tree. A brightly striped outdoor rug and stylish Acapulco chairs make the seating area even more enticing.
White linen, natural wood, black accents and green foliage define the palette for this villa, decorated by SwanfieldLiving, on the southwest coast of Turkey. The ceiling, constructed of white outdoor fabric strung between wood beams, casts shade over white sofas, a rustic wooden coffee table, a raw wood stool and potted plants that look like they’re straight out of a beach club.
An L-shaped outdoor sectional finds a home tucked in the corner of this Chicago roof terrace designed by Chicago Specialty Gardens. The pergola offers partial shade for the seating area, and an outdoor ceiling fan provides a cooling breeze. White latticework backing the seating area makes it feel more intimate and provides a trellis for climbing hydrangea.
Shade sails maintain an breezy, open feel for this outdoor lounge. Outdoor sofas made of weather-resistant resin wicker with off-white cushions pair well with the color and material of the shade sails. Finishing touches include the twinkle of criss-crossing cafe lights and a tile-printed outdoor rug, which pulls in the blue from the pool.
A rustic, asymmetrical cover made from wood beams and bamboo screens provides an intimate, shaded seating nook on this Parisian rooftop. Cane furniture and a built-in bench seat topped with cobalt-blue cushions neatly tuck into the shaded area amid potted shrubs, trailing vines and edible fruit trees. Designer Kevin Clare describes the sheltered area as being like an eagle’s nest, perched above the urban landscape.
While landscapes rich in sepia and orange tones are popular in the southwestern United States, landscape designer Elizabeth Przygoda-Montgomery of BOXHILL went in a different direction for this backyard in Tucson, Arizona. “Everything is white and gray, with a whisper of turquoise,” she says. “When you walk in, you feel like you’re in desert-beach.”
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This colorful, eclectic patio designed by Dipen Gada and Associates for a home in Gujarat, India, uses a pergola structure for shade, privacy and to mount a hanging chair. The minty-green paint for the wooden pergola and the terra cotta orange accents in the pillows and brickwork set a colorful scene for backyard lounging.
In this Woodside, California, garden by Bluewagon Landscape & Design, a shade pergola covers a pair of outdoor sofas and a fire feature, inviting one to pause and enjoy the view over the pool. The white fabric of the shade pergola billows like a cloud caught by the structure. Deep, low-backed sofas help emphasize the height of the outdoor ceiling and offer the promise of living room-quality comforts outside.
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