Garden Umbrellas: Types and Brands from IKEA to Leroy Merlin

Garden umbrellas , essential for creating a perfect relaxation and conversation corner. In fact, umbrellas are structures designed to cover and create a shaded area outside our homes. It is certainly part of a traditional garden set and is useful for sheltering from the sun’s rays. With the arrival of heat and beautiful days, you immediately want to enjoy the sun , if not by the sea, at least in the garden or on the terrace, perhaps sipping a Spritz or a nice iced martini and listening to good music in the background.

Even suntan lovers , however, know that it is always better to shelter from the scorching sun and UV rays during peak hours, in order to avoid unpleasant damage to the skin both immediately such as sunburn and sun spots and in the long term such as premature aging and wrinkles. .

This is why in this period it becomes absolutely essential to buy a garden umbrella that protects us from the harmful rays of the sun, gives us coolness, offers us a comfortable shaded area where we can have lunch on Sunday with the family, but at the same time also protects us from prying eyes. of curious neighbors or nosy passers-by.

Garden Umbrellas: Types?

Choosing a garden umbrella, as well as garden chairs , is much more complex than it seems. In addition to the budget at your disposal, at the time of purchase you must take into account a whole series of variables, one more important than the other.

The first focus of attention goes to the space available in the garden or on the terrace and which determines the location of our umbrella and conditions the choice of the right model for us. We can create a real relaxation corner, to be protected also with a garden fence .
The second element to consider is the quality of the fabric which must be durable, resistant, in addition to UV rays, to tears, mold, humidity and water repellent. There are also many options for Ikea curtains .

Regarding the size, a lot depends on how we want to position our umbrella and the size of our garden. Generally speaking, we take into account that garden umbrellas can be both circular and square. In the first case, the most common measures are 2.50, 3.00 and 3.50 in diameter . As for square structures, the most common are 4 × 4, 3 × 3 and 2 × 2 . There are also double umbrellas: from a single particularly solid base, the cover is double.

Value for money

The quality-price ratio must always be carefully analyzed to avoid falling into the trap of too advantageous offers that actually hide products of poor quality and not lasting or even dangerous. When choosing, the style of the umbrella should not be neglected, which must be perfectly in harmony with that of the outdoors and not create a clear break that is not pleasing to the eye and harmful to the furniture as a whole. An in-depth discussion deserves the choice of the color of the marquee .

Speaking of exteriors and gardens, we cannot fail to consider the above ground pools

Colors

The two most popular colors are obviously the black and white evergreens . But be careful because white, while synonymous with elegant and sober style, gets dirty easily, while black, sublime and refined, tends to fade in the long run due to the sun. Our advice is therefore to opt for alternative colors (always taking into account the dominant pantone of the outdoor furniture) such as cream or sand instead of white and anthracite gray instead of black.

The base of the umbrella deserves great importance, which must be made of concrete, plastic or steel, solid and sturdy, in order to avoid damage to things or people and transform moments of pure relaxation into collective stress.

Speaking of garden furniture solutions, Conforama offers many solutions at excellent prices.

Form

We now come to the shape of the umbrella which can be round, rectangular, off-center or half-moon and which obviously depends not so much on personal taste, but on the space available in the garden or on the terrace to create our corner of relaxation . Another factor to consider is the practicality of the opening system which must be as comfortable and simple as possible among the alternatives offered by the market and not complicate our life. Usually all the umbrellas are equipped with the crank system and almost none the classic opening from the main shaft.

Garden Umbrellas: Prices and Brands

Having found that our terrace absolutely needs a shaded area, how much does a garden umbrella cost ? To get a general idea, prices range from € 40 up to € 400 and vary depending on the model, size and brand chosen. The basic idea is not to save too much, to avoid having to replace the umbrella too often.

Among the brands that we recommend there are certainly IKEA, Leroy Merlin, OBI, Brico and of course Amazon. The latter, speaking of e-commerce where the only source of information are customer reviews, is the best site to compare prices, brands and different models.

IKEA Garden Umbrellas

IKEA offers a nice choice of models and embraces different price ranges, from the cheapest (20 €) to the most expensive (229 €). The color variants of the tarpaulin are mainly gray, white and black and it is also possible to buy only the base. Among the best-selling models we find SEGLARÖ , a suspension umbrella, in beige color and with a tilting model. The dimensions, in this case, are 330 × 240 cm and the cost is € 199.

The fabric of this parasol offers excellent UV protection thanks to the UPF factor of 50+, which allows it to block 98% of ultraviolet rays. In addition, the ventilation hole reduces heat and wind pressure. The parasol rotates 360 ° to protect different areas of your outdoor space from the sun.

Another popular model is HÖGÖN (pictured here), a hanging parasol with base in light gray. The square dimensions are 270 cm, sold at a price of € 160. The protection factor is 25+, withstands long exposure to the sun without fading and the removable and machine washable canopy is easy to keep clean. Also great to combine with a wooden garden table .

Leroy Merlin garden umbrellas

On the Leroy Merlin website there is a wide choice of prices and models under “garden umbrellas”. Prices range from € 39 to € 399 and it is possible to refine the choice by putting variables such as:

pole material (aluminum, wood, steel)
pole color (anthracite, white, silver, aluminum, gray, metallic)
cloth material (cotton, polyester, acrylic, textline)
fabric color (white, blue, yellow, gray, ecru, anthracite)
shape (square, rectangular, hexagonal, 1/2 circle, octagonal)
fabric width (in m)
height (in cm)
rain resistance of the fabric (in g / m²)
plus (rotating pole, telescopic, lateral rotation)
base type (without base, fillable, cross spacer)

Among the best-selling models we find the Aura NATERIAL decentralized pole umbrella, with dimensions 286 x 286 cm and a dove – gray, blue, red, anthracite, turquoise and white cloth . Equipped with a fabric with anti-UV protection treatment and windproof system, it can be tilted and swiveled at 360 degrees. The cost of Aura is 209 euros.

Brico garden umbrellas

This brand, compared to the previous one, offers a more limited choice of models and prices. There are not many details provided but among the most purchased models we find, with a cost of 129 euros, the rectangular umbrella , 3 × 2 m with a height of 2.5 m and an aluminum structure. The base is cross and the color of the fabric is gray. Another model is the 3 × 3 square meter ecru umbrella , equipped with a side arm. With a steel structure, it can be tilted in different positions and equipped with a crank. The cost in this case is 99 euros.

We do not recommend the cheaper models, to avoid running into little resistant and sufficiently solid garden umbrellas.

OBI garden umbrellas

Like Leroy Merlin, OBI also offers a very rich catalog in terms of umbrellas and on the site it is possible to filter the choice based on a whole series of parameters: