Apex Park, Victoria, Australia

Twice in a row I visited the same lovely park with my 6 year old daughter Charlotte and on both days I admired the Shade Sails and the colour choices made, to add to the fun of the parks atmosphere.

There seems to be a wonderful array of colours to choose from and I always check them out when driving about in the countryside.

Some folks at the end of my street have just erected some in their front yard which was pretty bland before adding this new dimension.

Aswell as the variety of colours, they also come in a variety of sizes and the shade factor is always surprising.

They’re great in your back garden over the BBQ area for protection when your children (and you, too) are playing in the sandpit.

Have some Shade Sails erected over your backyard pool and lucky you if you have one or two or three!

NB I am in Australia, so the colours of shade sails may differ in your neck of the woods.

Photo (copyright) C. Holroyd

Have you seen outdoor window shades that look good? I’ve seen some in my neighborhood that are horrible… I mean “Tacky”. They just aren’t tidy looking and end up with shabby and saggy fabric after one season of heat.

I found this picture of a great looking Window Shade.  Doesn’t it look great?

Love the idea of filtered light without darkening the interior rooms and something that will protect my furniture from all the suns harmful rays.

You could use these CoolaRoo Window Shades as an indoor window shade – but really – why would you? These look elegant and the fabric is light and thin.

Anything that will block the suns heat and still allow air flow – just seems like it should help my home stay cooler and help reduce energy costs.

The Coolaroo Sun Shades is guaranteed to resist fading, mildew and mold. Plus – these shades should be easy to clean because the fabric is superior.

I’m a bit obsessed about the mechanics of a roller shade.  The reviews have stated that these shades are easy to install and the shade is easy to roll up.

These shades are available from Amazon – usually at a much cheaper price than the local Big Box Stores… and Amazon has FREE shipping! Who doesn’t love that?

Check Out Amazon Prices Now –>Coolaroo Premier Window Sun Shade.

It’s summer… It’s Hot… and we want shade and might be considering a Coolaroo Umbrella. You don’t want to waste time trying to find one in town… where do they sell these umbrellas? I’ve seen the cantilever umbrellas in the big box stores – but… are they the same quality as the Coolaroo brand?

I do have a patio with a built in shade structure… I also just lost two trees that provided shade in the grassy area. My “poochies” like to lay in the grass, but not in full sun. I will be planting new trees, and within a few years I will have my shaded backyard back. I’m looking for a solution that I don’t have to “install” anything.

Plus.. it would be nice if the shade was portable so I could move it around the yard to create different shaded areas. We just planted some new shrubs and in the 105 degree heat they need a bit of shade during part of the day. Wouldn’t it be great to have a large shade for these new plants?

I also would like to be able to put a table under the shade… I’d like to have a shady area to sit under when I’m taking a break from yard work. It’s much cooler where the grass and the breeze is rather than the patio which is cement floor and partially walled.

After looking at the bestselling cantilevered (portable) umbrellas I found that the Coolaroo Umbrella is easy to set up and move.

The CoolaRoo brand is famous for it’s breathable sunshade fabric, providing 90% sunblock and 5 year warranty!

One thing I’ve noticed in the reviews is the need for a different stand. Something with a bit more weight keeps the potential for wind damage to a minimum. Umbrella Stand.

If you are shopping locally, chances are you will have a hard time finding the Coolaroo Umbrella brand. Especially if you are looking for a specific color or size.

If you order a Coolaroo Umbrella through this link you can take advantage of Free shipping and a discounted price. Who doesn’t love having heavy stuff delivered right to their front door – Free!

I’ve lived in a home with out a patio cover or any shade trees… and can’t stand summers with out shade!  I thought the only options was to build a permanent shade (expensive) or wait for the tiny trees to grow (patience is not on my better qualities).

What is the alternative?  Everything I thought of seemed out of reach – budget wise or time wise.

Finally – I saw one of these Coolaroo  Shade Sails
and thought they looked so good and provided just enough shade.  I was worried that a sun shade sail like this would look to contemporary – but they seem to blend with any style home.

One of the most appealing factors is that the shade cloth is not opaque – you can actually see through the shade to enjoy any view it might other wise block.

Coolaroo Triangle Shade Sail

This shade is number 1 on the Amazon Bestseller list which always get’s my attention. Also – the 5 star rating is a great sign that this is a quantity product and customers have been very happy with their CoolaRoo Shade.

I read in one of the reviews that Amazon was selling this shade for about 1/2 the price of the local hardware store.  That’s something to think about.

CoolaRoo shades come in a variety of colors and shapes… the Turquoise blue sun shade is so pretty and bright… I love it.

No direct sunlight should fall upon the desks of the pupils. Two roll up sun shades should be hung at the middle point of each window, one hung so as to roll down from the middle, and one so as to roll up by means of the cord and wheel made for this purpose.

The shade which unrolls toward the top should be hung below the one which unrolls towards the bottom, so that there will be no crack left between the shades when unrolled. The shade going up unrolls behind the rod of the one unrolling downward, and, of course, the one unrolling downward must unroll in front of and over the rod of the one which unrolls upwards. Notice this in the cut.

If one shade only is used, it should, by all means, be hung at the bottom of the window and roll up. If it is fastened at the top of the window, it is impossible to shut out the light from the lower half of the window without darkening the entire window. It is frequently desirable to darken only the bottom half of the window in order to shut off direct sunlight from the pupils near the window and still leave the upper half open for light. If the windows have been built so as to extend nearly to the ceiling this will still leave a large window surface, giving a strong diffused light, which is best. Furthermore, shades which must be let down from the top will often rattle and become very noisy when the windows are slightly lowered for ventilation.

The obvious objections to double shades hung at the middle of the windows are: 1st, they are not ornamental; and 2nd, they cast a disagreeable shadow in the room, when they are not unrolled. In spite of these objections, they are the best protection yet offered, unless an excellent quality of shade be fastened at the bottom of the window and made to roll up in well made grooves. A moderately cheap fixture will not stand the long roll from the bottom to the top of high windows without frequently getting out of fix. It is poor economy to buy cheap shades or fixtures. Heavy and dark colored opaque shades shut out too much light.

What is needed is something to soften and diffuse the direct sunlight. A light sage (bisque) and other lighter shades of the hand made tint and the Bancroft sun fast Hollands are considered by Eowe the most satisfactory. Morrison recommends highly a white muslin of light weight. The Texas sun is probably too bright and too hot for a white shade.

Unless the shades are fitted to run in grooves they should overlap the window sashes several inches, else annoying streaks of light will creep in on the sides as the wind blows the shade about. Venetian blinds are, perhaps, next best to good double shades fastened at the middle, or one excellent shade fastened at the bottom. The objections to Venetian blinds are that they are costly, harbor much dust, get out of fix and wear out easily. Inside blinds exclude too much light when one attempts to shut out the direct sunlight. They catch and hold dust and germs and are in the way of window gardens or other decorations for the windows.

It is a known fact that the patios of Spain are, as a rule, more beautiful and sumptuous than those of Latin America, but the latter have the attractiveness of their tropical flowers which remind one strongly of those of Andalusia, filled with the delicate perfumes of orange-trees and carnations.

The patios of Castile, Leon and Aragon are serious and magnificent in the old manorial houses as well as in the castles, and those of Andalusia are so extremely beautiful that they can never be cast into oblivion once a person has seen them.

In some cities, such as Seville, the patios are, in truth, their glory and pride, and there are some worthy, indeed, of the traditions of the Arabs, being so beautiful and attractive that it is still said in Spain that when a wealthy person of Seville would have a house built he would order the architect as follows: “Make me a patio, and with what is left, a house.” And thus the Spanish patios have become famous the world over. They combine the peace and silence of the monastic cloisters with the pagan gaiety and beauty of the Arabic and Pompeian yards.

Transplanted Patios

You will undoubtedly  understand why in all Latin America the patios constitute the most interesting themes and current topics of the day.

The Spanish conquerors and colonizers settled in America from California to the extreme South. Even today in the old cities on the Pacific Coast Americans are able to find vestiges of these patios.

Those of Mexico, Cuba and other Latin American countries remind us of the Spanish patios. They are generally made of rubblework, are whitewashed, and their pavement is made of brick.

Those of Spain have the columns of the gallery made of marble and in the walls of the interior of the gallery high friezes of Mooresque glazed tile, of vivid colors, precious drawings and iridescent reflections open to the light of the sun and moon, which can easily reach them.

In the center of the Spanish patio there is nearly always a well with artistic ironwork, and in those of Andalusia a fountain around which flowers and plants grow profusely.

In the patios of America there are flowers, too, and fountains, the latter being of Oriental origin and design.

These patios of classic Spanish architecture are reached from the street by the zaguan or corridor which is closed with a magnificent front door grating of iron.

Across the patio, in front of this entrance, is located another grating leading to the garden which extends itself behind the house.

When the house has a top floor, the stairway on one of the sides of the gallery leads one to the interior of the building, without detracting from the beauty of the patio.

This form of stairway, however, is rather an adaptation, made previously by the Spaniards themselves in the colonies, than the classic manner of developing the stairs in the native country. So it may truthfully be stated that the Spanish houses of Latin America have their origin in the Far East, having gone through a period of development in Greece and Pompeii, and having been inspired as well by the Arabic influence, which in Spain has left such wonderful works of art as the Alhambra of Granada and the Alcazar of Seville, these being in truth the realiza’tion of the Arabian Nights in all their glorious splendor of a phantasy lit by the legendary torch of Mahomet, for which the most celebrated artisans of India. Bagdad and Damascus came,—to finally reach the world of Columbus where their peculiar beauty is reproduced under the golden rays of the tropical sun and the moonlit nights of the western latitudes, in the midst of the splendors and sublimity of Mother Nature, astonishingly luxuriant.

The Outdoor Sun Shade is not merely a decorative device. It is of practical as well aa esthetic value, often serving as a modified outdoor living-room.

One of the important services the sun shade performs is to establish a definite connection, both literally and figuratively, between two distinct features of your garden.

Frequently it leads off into the lawn and sometimes to the garage, or terminates at a pond or miniature garden. At other times it will serve as a bridge, with columns at either end, in this way spanning an otherwise open ravine and adding to the architectural effects of the home. In country homes it has a special place, because of the expanse that many of the country abodes possess, thereby making its necessity more keenly felt.

Outdoor sun shades possesses useful features in addition to its attraction as an ornament, and, wherever erected, increases the charm of the setting. It serves as a bower, a retreat and a nook.

Thus we see that the sun shade is in reality a useful ornament, and one that is finding more general favor as home-builders come to realize its need.  The variety of materials with which it is built and the effects of the different types of architectural variations are widespread.

Its very popularity has been the fundamental reason why there are to-day a larger number of the structural materials used in its manufacture.

A rapidly increasing taste for the attractive shade structures of old-world, outdoor life in sunny countries where much of the time is spent outside the dwelling, and the introduction of the ” Italian garden ” idea, have given shade structures a popularity that rivals the “old shade tree”.

Ornamental structures over which vines are to be trained loosely with a view to tempering the sunshine rather than excluding it are popular.

The framework of a any shade structure, in general, is considered secondary to the effect produced by it when the vines we plant about it are covering the entire structure.

Shades and shaded areas  brings the attractive features of out-door life to the house, thus combining out- and in-door life more intimately. A Shade is located attached or near a  dwelling, for the purpose of furnishing shade to portions of it not provided with by permanent patio structures.

There are many homes that would be wonderfully improved by the addition of something of this kind, with very little trouble and expense.

In many instances, a shade can be made much more satisfactory than a small attached patio. It can be made larger—roomier, and there will be more of an out-door atmosphere about it because of its airiness, and the play of light and shade through the vines that clamber overhead.

Few people who pass attractive homes in the suburban districts of our large cities and the outlying country, realize that much of their charm is due to effects which require a comparatively small outlay in dollars and cents.

Good taste, combined with a degree of skill that is within reach of most of us, represent the chief part of the investment. And yet—these little, inexpensive things are the very ones that produce the pleasing effects we are all striving after in our efforts to make home attractive.

Most of them convey an impression of being made for use, not show.

They are in a class with the broad-seated, wide-armed ” old hickory ” rockers with which we make our modern patios comfortable nowadays, and the hammock swung in shady places, where one may lie  and forget everything but the fact that it is sometimes a pleasant thing to be lazy—frankly, unblushingly lazy.

It is a healthy indication that in  life when so many people use patio sun shades to get all the comfort they can from outdoors in summer.

Every home whose grounds are large enough to accommodate patio sun shades ought to have seating made for comfort, rather than looks that are suggestive of rest and relaxation.