Need to cool off this summer? Whilst we all love the sun, sometimes you just need a breather and the chance to cool off a little. If your garden is a real sun trap then you may be finding it difficult to find shade, particularly when the weather is exceptionally hot. If this is you, we’ve got plenty of innovative garden shade ideas for keeping you cool this summer. Let’s find out what they are…
Create A Cool Al Fresco Dining Set Up
Firing up the BBQ and enjoying dinner outside is definitely one of the best things about summer. The only problem is, it’s no fun trying to enjoy a tasty meal when you’re boiling hot. That’s why creating an al fresco dining area is one of our top garden shade ideas. This is easily done with a garden dining set from IOL. Many of our outdoor dining sets come with integrated parasols that provide the perfect amount of shade to keep you and your guests cool at the table. For larger outdoor areas, the Hartman Capri 8 Seater Outdoor Dining Table Set is ideal, featuring a beautifully ornate cast aluminium design and a 3m adjustable parasol to provide overhead shade. If you struggle to find dining furniture and seating options for your smaller garden space, something like the Bramblecrest Monterey 4 Seat Outdoor Dining Table Set is perfect for creating a compact dining area. The garden parasol is easy to secure in the middle of the table, to provide relief from the hot sun.
Create A Pergola Lounge Area
Another one of the most practical yet stylish, garden shade ideas is to set up a comfy, shaded lounge area with a pergola. The Hartman Roma Pergola With Canopy And Shade Curtain provides the ultimate foundation for creating a blissful garden lounge area. A retractable roof is complemented by a canopy and shade curtain that’s operated via an easy-to-use rope and pulley system. This enables you to choose between full coverage from the sun or just partial coverage. The square design is the ideal shape for placing furniture underneath. This means that a sun lounger is simply a must, among plenty of comfy outdoor cushions – this is the ultimate garden snoozing setup, so you’ll want to have the right furniture to match. Furnish with a few touches of greenery, and you’ve got yourself a cool and calming chillout zone.
Party Under The Kettler Parasol With In-Built Speaker
Don’t let the high temperatures ruin your fun! Continue the party this summer in the comfort of the shade with the innovative Kettler Garden Parasol which features an in-built speaker. The bluetooth speaker is cleverly integrated into the underside of the canopy. All you need to do is connect your phone or device to get the tunes going! That’s not the only reason this is one of the most fun garden shade ideas. This garden parasol also has LED track lighting built into the canopy frame so that you can continue the party long into the night. The canopy itself is UPF50+ and is able to rotate a full 360° so that you can shelter from the sun at different angles. It is 3.5m, offering generous shade for 8 seater garden furniture sets or lounge sets.
Make The Most Of Foliage And Trees
Many of the best garden shade ideas will also involve using the natural shade that’s already present in your outdoor space. Overhanging foliage that we’d usually consider to be a nuisance, can become your best friend in hot weather. Start by working out which areas of your garden get the most natural shade from existing plants and foliage, and create a cooling garden shade area around this. You may need to plant more trees and foliage, or use tall, large pot plants and place them on stands to create a quick fix. Planting new trees or foliage will serve you through upcoming summer’s too. You may also want to place a freestanding garden parasol amongst the foliage to provide additional coverage. After that, the only thing left to do is find plenty of comfortable seating options for the space. The Hartman Dubai 3 Seater Garden Sofa Set is the perfect addition to a shaded area like this, featuring a sleek coffee table, 3 seater sofa and 2 lounge chairs that are perfectly suited to more compact areas.
We hope you stay cool with these garden shade ideas – for more inspiration from the IOL range, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team!
