While spending time outside may be both soothing and therapeutic, not everyone is comfortable with or should be exposed to the sun’s rays. Sometimes it’s simply too hot to be outside. When designing an outdoor room or setting, incorporate at least one source of shade in your plans. Place these in areas of activity where you can benefit from the fresh air without being in direct sunlight and make sure that it is well ventilated.
Here are some elements to make a shaded area:
Courtyard
While block walls were designed to block the sun and offer shade, lava veneer may be used on the front elevation of a house to help absorb and radiate heat, which can assist in cooling things down even further. On the flat roof, a cantilevered steel butterfly-shaped shade structure was erected, which provides shade and absorbs and redirects the sun’s rays.
The use of soft lighting, fans, and misters may keep diners cool on hot summer evenings. You can even choose to convert a weather-tight closet into an indoor or outdoor kitchenette accessible from the courtyard dining area to act as a handy alternative to the bigger interior cooking space.
Pergola
Pergolas are permanent structures that are built, constructed, and placed with an open roof system. In terms of complementing a range of architectural types, they are very adaptable. They also have the ability to improve the aesthetic attractiveness of outdoor living spaces significantly. As a result, they have become a popular option, and we are seeing more and more of them all the time.
Another reason they are so popular is that there are choices available for virtually any price, making them a shade structure that is within reach of the majority of homeowners. In addition, there are many pergola designs and kits available at home improvement shops, allowing homeowners to do this home improvement project as a do-it-yourself job with little difficulty.
By themselves, pergolas provide a patchy shade, but adding a cloth covering may increase and make it more substantial. When it comes to covering the top of a pergola, the two most popular choices are fabric lengths that are permanently attached to the structure and fabric that is put on a ring or bar system that enables you to cover and uncover the pergola as needed.
Upgraded Awning
Even though your grandparents lived in a 1950s tract house with tin awnings, they’ve come a long way from the days when door-to-door salespeople competed for the business of new homeowners. Awnings nowadays are softer, composed of more flexible and long-lasting materials, and, quite simply, they are more attractive than their predecessors. White fabric panels that can be adjusted over the outdoor dining table using a pulley system are available as an option.
Big Trees
A tree, particularly a good large one with twisting, sculptural branches, is the original and most ancient source of shade on the planet. When the backyard tree was artistically trimmed to enable dappled light to flow through, the house changed from excessively shaded to just-right. During the summer months, a tree may reduce the temperature of a house by as much as 20 degrees or more, depending on the species. Before cutting one down and replacing it with a patio cover, please give it some serious consideration—it won’t be easy to grow another one to a large size!
Pull-down Shades
Sometimes the brightness comes at you from every direction, and you can’t seem to get away from it. Most shade structures, including an attached pergola, offer shelter above the shelter, but they do nothing to block the intense rays of the setting sun, which may be particularly damaging. Roll-up shades come in helpful in this situation; draw them down when required and retract them when there is no glare.
Patio Umbrellas
Sometimes your budget or available space does not allow for the construction of a shade structure. Umbrellas have been around for a long time and aren’t likely to disappear any time soon. Purchase an outdoor umbrella from a reputable supplier, measure your area to verify that it will fit, and know what to look for when selecting a nice outdoor umbrella to use in your yard.
Final Thoughts
It is not necessary to spend all of your time outdoors soaking up the rays—in fact, it isn’t recommended. Instead, enjoy the breeze in a shaded area away from the sun’s harsh rays. There are a variety of options for providing shade in an outdoor area. You may incorporate a shade screen into new standalone construction or an existing patio or pergola to improve its appearance.
If you are looking for the best residential awning and shade covers supplier in Los Angeles, you can always rely on Van Nuys Awning Co. We have over 100 years of service by providing custom-made awning, retractable awning and more. Give us a call today so we can provide what you are looking for!