The Shade Sail: Summer’s Most Useful Quick Fix
Stretching a fabric cover over a patio can provide shade, privacy and a shot of color
Whatever its size and orientation, your yard can benefit from a shade sail. Perfect for making a colorful focal feature of a dining or lounging patio, this fabric shade, pulled taut and generally attached to three or four support points, will protect you from the elements and prying eyes. Extend the definition beyond the traditional sail (the selection below takes a little helpful artistic license), and you’ll have even more ideas to play with.
Crown a dining area. This outdoor dining area is reminiscent of a cozy restaurant booth, with the sail as its fabulous finishing touch.
Which sail shape should you pick? Taut and triangular looks highly contemporary; floaty and rectangular is a little more country.
10 Inspiring Setups for Outdoor Dining
Which sail shape should you pick? Taut and triangular looks highly contemporary; floaty and rectangular is a little more country.
10 Inspiring Setups for Outdoor Dining
Carve out a shaded spot. A white shade sail can provide just as much shade as a dark-colored one — it’s really just a case of making sure that the material is dense instead of transparent.
If you’d like your sail to keep a seating area dry, ensure that the fabric is waterproof and that the sail is taut and slightly angled. Otherwise, pockets of water will collect and then spill on you when the breeze picks up.
If you’d like your sail to keep a seating area dry, ensure that the fabric is waterproof and that the sail is taut and slightly angled. Otherwise, pockets of water will collect and then spill on you when the breeze picks up.
Make it adjustable. Sometimes you want to read in the shade; sometimes you want to lie in the sun. You could opt for a fixed shade sail or an umbrella, but let’s face it: A bit of you always pokes out of the umbrella’s round pool of shade, and the big ones are a pain to lift. So why not invest in a sail that you can open and close like an indoor window shade?
Create a stand-in for trees. It’s not always possible to put trees in a yard. Maybe yours is a tiny lot with little room for shade-providing plants, or a roof deck with nowhere for their roots to go. Or perhaps your neighbors are sensitive to losing light from trees. A sail can provide all the shade you need exactly where you need it.
Shade a sunny interior. If you built a south-facing glass addition only to regret that sunny days make the room too bright for TV viewing, a strategically placed shade sail can cut down on the glare.
Copy this cleverly designed sail’s subtle frame to minimize the impact on the yard and patio.
Copy this cleverly designed sail’s subtle frame to minimize the impact on the yard and patio.
Merge indoors and out. If you invested in sliding doors that open your interior to the yard, you can extend your livable space — both visually and practically — with a sail. Put yours over a dining area, outdoor kitchen or seating space but (note to self) not a barbecue.
Fill vertical space. This shade sail’s height adds interest to an otherwise low-level planting plan, while its boxy frame echoes that of the raised beds on both sides, creating pleasing symmetry.
On a practical level, it provides shade and shelter in a yard that’s otherwise free of trees.
On a practical level, it provides shade and shelter in a yard that’s otherwise free of trees.
Provide privacy. Even the best planting layouts in the most mature yards don’t always provide privacy from a neighbor’s upstairs windows. Shade sails can, though. Putting one on poles is a good solution if there aren’t any other places to attach one. A subtler solution is to combine your sail’s posts with the boundary fencing or walls, or to install attachments to the house.
Dress a pergola. If training climbing plants over a pergola is taking too long for your liking, why not fill the gaps with a shade sail? A purpose-made fabric is great for year-round use, but you can easily swap it for a pretty print if you’re aiming just for a temporary splash of color.
Tell us: Shelter, shade or privacy — how would a shade sail improve your outdoor space? And if not a sail, what would you use instead? Share your thoughts and photos in the Comments.
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Tell us: Shelter, shade or privacy — how would a shade sail improve your outdoor space? And if not a sail, what would you use instead? Share your thoughts and photos in the Comments.
More
6 Patio Cover Types to Shade You in Style
8 Stylish Ideas for Shady Outdoor Retreats
Browse awnings and shade sails
In this compact yard, having different levels adds interest — an effect the sail serves to enhance.
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