My local Wal-Mart is selling Shade Cloth, "Coolaroo" Brand, available as either 70% or 90% shade shade factor. Coolaroo claims at least 10 years of UV resistance. I believe that Coolaroo is mostly an Aussie brand (manufactured in China and sold worldwide), so it is usually promoted as protecting people from excessive UV exposure. I really don't understand why Aussies worry about skin cancer; I just thought that Crocadile Dundee would just pull out his 12 inch knife and, all by himself, dig out any funny looking moles saying, "Ah melanoma, no big deal."! The late Crocadile Hunter (may God have mercy on his soul) would just hold out his kid in front of a crock saying "Here crocky, here crocky, bite out that melanoma, that's a good crocky, that' it". And any suburban Aussie, would just rub their pet toxic cane toad above any melanoma. Oops, I digress from the topic of this post. Sorry for the American stereotypes of Aussies. The Coolaroo display box also sells accessories, such as a sewing kit with a roll of black UV-resistant (my assumption) cord plus a special sewing needle. Shade cloth is available in two forms: woven or knitted; the Coolaroo product is knitted and does not fall apart if you cut it. I purchased a roll of green 90% shade. I attempted two methods of fabrication: sewing or silicone glue (caulking). Using the Coolaroo sewing kit with their 90% shade cloth is quite difficult. Both their cord and needle are just too big; in contrast, their needle and cord should be fine for the 70% shade cloth. Sewing the 90% shade with a smaller needle and a more light weight cord, or using an aluminum wire, are alternatives that may work. Using sticks of hot glue melt may work; but the sticks carried by Wal-Mart are not resistant to UV, as far as I know; I have not tried them for that reason. I also fabricated cylinders by pumping 1 or 2 strips of silicone caulking onto a two inch wide strip of the fabric, and pulling the fabric around over the silicone caulking and pushing down to form a 2 inch wide glued seam. There was plastic film underneath the seam to protect the garage floor from silicone. I pushed a seam roller (ie., those used for wall paper) over the glued joint. The pressure from the seam roller causes the caulk to ooze out from both layers of shade cloth- the two strips of plastic film intercept this ooze to form a thin layer of silicone on both outer surfaces of the seam. I soon remove the top plastic film so that air will induce the silicone caulk to cure. Once the silicone caulk cures, I remove the second roll of protective plastic film. Note that silicone does not glue the polyethylene (or polypropylene) shade cloth per se. Rather, as the silicone oozes around the plastic threads, a continuous matrix of cured silicone forms a mechanical layer that physically traps the two layers of shade cloth together. Gee... I'm going to have to photograph this gluing process to explain it. Be careful with the silicone. Some tubes, especially those for bathtubs, contain a biocide to kill mildew; who knows what that will do to plants or those that eat the plants. Silicone, as far as I know, is inherently resistant to mold; but silicone is not inherently toxic to mold, so mold can grow on top of silicone. Nothing prevents mold from growing on top of silicone in a bathtub, unless controlled release biocide is added. Silicone for aquariums would be best, but may be pricey. Since Wal-Mart didn't have the Aquarium Silicone; I bought the "all purpose" tube for $2.65, and a cheap caulking gun. The silicone method is the easiest method of fabricating cylinders of shade cloth from pieces cut from the roll. Now I have to figure out how to fold one end of the cylinder into a bottom of the pot. Either that, I cut out a circle and attach it to one end of the cylinder. Stay tuned for further adventures with shade cloth.

I totally would agree with hanging artwork on it. Use it as a "gallery wall"! It should be easy to change things out on it for a rotation of kids art or things you curate from travels. To blend it into your furnishings, I would add little pops of black metal in your accessories. Think of it a wearing "that little black dress" , paired with the right accessories to make it perfect! p.s. Every room needs a pop or two of black in it to ground it and make it feel polished.

You don't have to be afraid of bamboo :-) Many people are uninformed about this plant, have no idea about the many different varieties and that it comes in two forms - running (which can take over the planet and does need a containment system) and clumping. Clumping bamboo does not grow in the same manner as running bamboo and is very well behaved.......the clump just gradually increases in its spread over time like a large ornamental grass does. No travelling vast distances underground and popping up in your neighbor's garden!! Or under your foundation! It has zero invasive tendencies. And clumping bamboos tend to be some of the most cold hardy varieties, with several species rated for zone 5 gardens. They make excellent screening plants with a narrow profile and grow to height rapidly......much faster than a tree or shrub. Unfortunately, the best and most cold hardy varieties would prefer to be sited in more shade in more interior, continental locations, only tolerating a lot of sun here on the west coast. Not sure how well it would work in the OP's garden but it might be worth considering. Cold Hardy Clumping Bamboo The giant timber bamboo Flo referred to, Bambusa oldhamii, is a very popular form of clumping bamboo but it is restricted to warmer climates. But many of the Fargesia species referred to in my link will grow and thrive in cold winter climates, provided they are sited well and given the conditions they need.

Yes I understand the chairs can be bought separately. Is there a specific style you like? Have you seen these at Crate and Barrel. Really pretty and could could update your space I love pottery barn chairs too. They are made solid and sturdy. They worked for us when our children were small.