Nine Cool Patio Shade Ideas for Summer

As summer quickly approaches, you might be considering how you can prepare your outdoor patio space to maximize your comfort during the hottest season of the year.

A great way to escape the heat and the sun’s harmful UV rays is by adding shade-providing structures or umbrellas to your outdoor living spaces. Keep reading for nine stylish and refreshing ways to add more shade to your patio.

1. A slatted pergola provides just enough shade, while also letting some sunlight through.

The play of sunlight and shade can create an almost magical effect in an outdoor space. And a latticed, open air structure like a pergola is a great way to achieve that effect. Pergolas can be constructed in virtually any size, and they can be attached to the side of your home or exist as freestanding structures in your yard.

Add some climbing vines or trailing, flowering plants to heighten the beauty of your pergola, incorporate color, and fill the air with the scents of nature.

2. Add a classic gazebo to stay shaded on sunny days, and dry when it rains.

While latticed shade structures like pergolas provide a delightful combination of shade and sunlight, they’re not so great at sheltering a space from more inclement weather, like rain.

A gazebo, however, can offer shade in the summer and a covered shelter when it rains. The protection offered by a gazebo makes it a perfect place to arrange a seating or dining area so you can enjoy outdoor living longer.

3. An open gazebo with fabric panels provides versatile adjustable shade.

If you want to have full control over the amount of shade and sunlight on your patio, an open gazebo that is draped with moveable fabric panels might be the way to go.

The fabric panels on the sides function just like curtains, so you can fully close them for privacy or open them to maximize sunlight and airflow, or you can choose something in between. The overhead panels can also be adjusted from side to side, allowing as little or as much sunlight into the gazebo as you prefer.

4. You can’t go wrong with a classic market umbrella!

A staple of backyards and outdoor restaurants all over, it’s hard to find something that is more classically summer than eating under a classic market umbrella. Not only do they provide ample shade to block harmful UV rays while you enjoy your outdoor meal. They’re also easily adjustable, so you can decide when you want your dining area shaded and when you don’t.

5. Offset the umbrella pole to free up space with a cantilever umbrella.

For more flexibility when it comes to furnishing the space below your outdoor umbrella, consider using a cantilever umbrella to shade your patio dining or lounge space. The canopy of a cantilever umbrella hangs off an extension arm, away from the pole and base, so the area underneath is entirely unobstructed.

The design of cantilever umbrellas make them extremely versatile. In addition to using them on your patio, you can move them around your yard to place over a pool or spa, above a play area, or over a garden to create your own personal shaded area.

6. Take advantage of natural shade.

When you’re seeking a relaxing and shady area to unwind, nature will surely provide. You can set up some blankets or chairs under a tree with a large canopy or place a dining area off the side of your house where the sun naturally creates shade as it moves through the sky.

If your backyard is currently shade-poor, consider planting fast-growing, shade- and privacy-giving trees like a magnificent northern red oak, a vibrant sun valley maple, or a versatile and hardy paper birch.

7. Add some flair with themed umbrellas.

Convert your backyard into a vacation getaway with a themed umbrella. Recreate the feel of lounging seaside with a blue- and white-striped beach umbrella.

Make your friends and family feel as if they’ve been transported to a tropical getaway under a thatched bamboo or seagrass umbrella. Or imagine you’re dining outdoors at a European café under a bistro umbrella.

8. Transform your shady umbrella into a light source at night with umbrella lights.

Umbrellas are meant to block out the sun, but just because the sun has set doesn’t mean your outdoor umbrella becomes useless.

An outdoor umbrella with LED lights built into the umbrella ribs, like this Starlight umbrella by Simply Shade, can add charm and illumination to your patio dining area.

9. Add adjustable shade over your patio with a freestanding awning.