Impress with a quality outdoor space
This is a must-read guide if you’re designing an outdoor living area for your home. Where do you start? A lot of headaches creep in for many of us ‘homeowners-turned-exterior-designers’ – ineffective planning and corner-cutting can end up in an entertainer’s worst nightmare.
We’ve pulled together some information to help you design an outdoor space that you’ll be proud to entertain company in. Your companions will thank you and enjoy spending long hours in the night with you in your backyard.
Build the Perfect Outdoor Space
We’ve gathered valuable information to help you create an outdoor area you’ll be proud to show off. Your guests will appreciate and enjoy spending long, enjoyable hours in your designer backyard.
Choose the right fixings.
Based on your decisions on how you want to use the space, you need to consider what furniture and fixings you’ll require to make the headway towards your goal.
Think about what outdoor seating you’ll need, heating and cooking with barbecues and fire pits. Keep your plan in mind. To help you get started, here are the essentials for outdoor spaces.
A focus on protection
Relaxation under shade is a universal enjoyment. It’s important to know that just blocking the sun doesn’t correlate to UV protection – your shade must be also filtering out UV rays.
Investing in a shade solution that protects from less-than-ideal weather is also important to maximize the time you can spend outside.
Shadowspec Umbrellas filter out almost 100% of UV rays and protect from rain, wind and other conditions that would otherwise limit outdoor enjoyment. Look after your family they’re important.
Table & Chairs
The table is the centerpiece of all outdoor dining areas. It’s where families congregate and memories are created. Your first choice should always be the table and chairs.
Shade & Shelter
Create a shaded, comfortable outdoor area where you can spend plenty of time with your family by providing ample shelter. Sitting under a patio umbrella in summer? Perfect.
Warmth & Cooking
Food brings people together; include a fireplace, firepit or barbecue to generate warmth and provide food to impress.
Plants & Vegetation
Add a splash of colour and interest, plants provide nice fresh air and a nice organic balance to the other furnishings you’re selecting.
Easy-to-use luxury outdoor umbrellas
Create iconic outdoor spaces for friends and family with the modular shade solution, the Shadowspec Unity™. The coast of New Jersey is a popular destination for families looking to escape the hustle of the nearby megalopolises. Coastal living is defined by comfortable family areas, places that can be enjoyed all day and furniture like cantilever pool umbrellas that enhance the summer season.
6 Key Functional Considerations
Explore our extensive range of downloadable resources designed to enhance your experience with our products. From detailed assembly guides to comprehensive spec sheets, we provide everything you need at your fingertips. Access these valuable documents to ensure you make the most of your Shadowspec umbrella.
What Do You Want Your Space to Be?
What is your motivation for creating an outdoor area? Is it to spend time with family, establish a private oasis, or for dining? Set your goal early and stick to it, or procrastination and distractions may take over.
Existing Obstacles
The location of your new space is crucial for effective design and planning. Is it south-facing? Detached from the house? Are there limitations due to fences, pools, or other structures? Do you need to consider your neighbours? Instead of letting these factors deter you, incorporate them into your design and make them features.
Seasonality
Is your space intended for just the summer months, or do you plan to use it throughout the year? Take into account the weather, sun positioning, and prevailing winds in your planning. Setting up a new patio in a spot where the sun never reaches will be of little use, which is suboptimal in the long run.
Size & Shape
Maximising the use of your space is crucial; every inch should be considered during the planning phase. Think about the various uses you’ll want throughout the life of your property, including space for dining, drinking, relaxing, and playing with the kids. The shape of the area is also important—consider how you can utilise the natural curves and lines of your space.
Continuity & Consistency
If you’ve invested time and money into the design and enhancements around your home, ensure that your outdoor space complements this. Creating a seamless experience will make everything feel cohesive and well thought-out.
Budget
When setting your budget, determine how much you’re willing to spend and how you want to allocate it. While it’s tempting to look for cheaper options, avoid cutting too many corners. There are aspects of an outdoor area where compromising on quality is not advisable.
Outdoor Shade Options
Outdoor shade is so important to enjoyment. Here’s a few solutions to outdoor shade.
Outdoor Umbrellas
Umbrellas are a very popular choice because they’ve got all the key features homeowners need. They’re stylish, flexible and provide UV protection while remaining very easy and cost-free to maintain and can last 10 years or more when you purchase a quality solution. Outdoor patio umbrellas are popular all over the globe.
Shade Sails
A popular permanent solution for shade, you can use them to create interesting shapes. They can be difficult to get down to clean and maintain, and their large coverage area tends to collect a lot of foliage.
Awnings
Wall mounted awnings are quite practical for deployment but the excessive moving parts and strain from the weight can cause them to become damaged, twisted and not work all too often. Great for covering a deck that’s lined up right next to your home.
Pergolas
These are permanent structures topped with open rafters. They look good but may not be the best solution if you need full shade. They also need regular re-staining or re-painting to maintain. Best paired with an outdoor umbrella or another shade solution to provide comfortable shade.
Louvre Systems
These structures function like interior blinds and are mounted above the area you are looking to shade. They are made of aluminum. Despite looking good, they are the most expensive shade system available and are inflexible. Difficult to maintain and repair, they’re best for outdoor rooms that convert to a full inside room during winter.
Retractable Screens
When the sun gets low or the wind blows, retractable screens are handy. They protect from angled sun rays and provide additional privacy. With the retractable option, they can be lifted when needed. Good, basic protection from low-angle sun, but they do require a permanent structure to mount off and are therefore another system that is best off having a symbiotic relationship with other shade solutions.
Garden Design Trends
Black is Back
Black is Back
Slick, sleek and ever-present. Black is back. At Shadowspec, we've seen an increase in people choosing black umbrellas. This is in line with outdoor design trends we have seen in outdoor design through our research.
Spaces to Share
Spaces to Share
Creating spaces for others is key to good outdoor design. Spaces you can share with friends and family with ample seating, shade and activities for everyone, you have the perfect outdoor space.
Low-maintenance Gardens
Low-maintenance Gardens
No one wants to spend too much time outdoors working. Patios and gardens should be for relaxing not working so choosing low-maintenance plants and garden designs is the best idea.
Outdoor Seating
Outdoor Seating
Outdoor and patio furniture is essential for any space. Comfort, class and style can be achieved with the correct outdoor furniture choices. We suggest lighter natural tones this year. These will offset the aforementioned black trend. Creating a comfortable juxtaposition.
Versatile Patio Furniture
Shadowspec Umbrellas fosters connection by designing outdoor umbrellas that bring people together and foster placemaking.We worked with Mike from Houston Texas to install a Shadowspec Serenity™ Rotating Cantilever Umbrella at their home. With the popular Free-standing Base with optional castor wheels installation, Mike was able to achieve comfort across two areas of his backyard.
Lights, Lights, Lights
Lights, Lights, Lights
Installing outdoor LED lights is essential to creating a luxury ambience. We suggest Wi-Fi or smart controllers to enable control over the temperature, colour and brightness of your outdoor lights.
Consistent Design Materials
Consistent Design Materials
When you are designing outdoor spaces and purchasing accessories, you must choose consistent materials and preferably sustainable materials. Decide on your theme early in the planning process and focus on bringing those core concepts throughout the design. If you are using oak wood on your bench tops, use oak wood throughout the space. This will tie everything together.
Dining Spaces
Dining Spaces
Outdoor eating is nice. Another outdoor trend is an increase in outdoor dining spaces that are comfortable and clean. We are big fans of wood and metal-styled furniture to create a faux-rustic feeling in your outdoor dining space.
Pizza Ovens
Pizza Ovens
Pomodoro, basilico, mozzarella, pizza. Your own, personal outdoor pizza oven will serve you all year round. Stylish and popular, pizza ovens will make you the talk of the town.
Where to Find Help Creating Your Outdoor Space
The first step in designing your ideal outdoor area is to have a vision of how you’re going to use it and to consider all the different aspects beforehand: location, purpose, weather elements, and of course budget.
Frustration can seep in when you’re trying to design the best possible outdoor space but don't have this in place.
When you have the inspiration and a bit of a plan, plenty of help is out there to help you get you to the right solution.
One little known secret is to invest in specialist guidance and selecting key fixings for signature features. Chat to an expert supplier about the products you’re looking to put in your space, and they'll guide you towards the right decision. By focusing on craft and quality over the price, you’ll have the confidence of working one on one with a professional and ensuring the products you invest in are built to last. You’ll also be able to take advantage of the knowledge and expertise of expert suppliers. Typically, one or two key design choices, along with the guidance of a specialist, will help the rest of your plans slot into place.
After that you will need to determine what type of furniture goes into that space, striving for three things: beauty, comfort and functionality. There’s no need to accept compromises: if you choose good quality products you can have all of them. An essential moment of your project will be how you decide to create shade. Try to be as flexible as possible here. Outdoor patio umbrellas are a popular choice in this case, as they can fit any scenario.
If this process sounds daunting, then the expert opinion from a professional supplier will be a great help.
When you’re creating your dream outdoor space, you want to talk to someone who knows what’s available on the market and can recommend the best solution for your needs.
Contact a Shade Specialist
Compare Umbrellas
Number of Canopies
1-4
Octagon Canopy
Yes
Square Canopy
Yes
Umbrella Tilts
No
Surface Plate
Yes
Smart Battery for LED Light
Yes
Number of Canopies
1
Octagon Canopy
Yes
Square Canopy
Yes
Umbrella Tilts
No
Surface Plate
Yes
Smart Battery for LED Light
Yes
Products
Mobile Apps
Discover Your Perfect Umbrella
Customize your perfect umbrella by selecting from our premium options designed to suit your style, space, and shade needs.
What do you need to shade?
Let’s define the area you’re working on:
What do you value in your umbrella?
Select up to 4:
What service is important to you?
Select up to 3:
Where are you at with your project?
What's the area your Home Project is going to cover ?
Choose an umbrella style
What's your location?
All Done!
We’ve found your perfect umbrella! Fill in your details for your shade solution.
