With the summer having begun in its earnest down here in the Southern Hemisphere, many people are beginning to bring out their beach gear as they prepare to enjoy their summer holidays to the fullest. Of course, whilst the beach, the lakes or the mountains are the usual holidays for many, there always remain some people who are either too busy or too lazy to go outside (or who knows, they prefer the comfort of their home better!) – For such people too, basking in the sunlight is possible. But how? Simply by being out in your garden or veranda, of course! Nonetheless, people need to take care to shield themselves from excessive sunlight, and accordingly, you might want to throw some shade to your outdoor space. Here are five trendy and popular ideas that are all the rage at the moment:

1.    Deck Umbrellas – what else can remind you of a beach better than a deck umbrella, a reclining chair under it and an inflatable pool next to it? Probably nothing but the beach itself. Deck umbrellas are an ideal shade structure that you can easily set up in the comfort of your home. Coming in different circumferences and heights, the best point about the deck umbrellas is in their mobility: you can easily move them from place to place and even tilt them to match with the changing position of the sun throughout the day.

2.    Pergolas – pergolas are structures composed of a ceiling – which may be made either of fabric or solid materials – supported by four pillars. Most pergolas that you can purchase from shops nowadays come with fabric ceilings, but you can also hunt around for ones with a solid roof.

3.    Shade Sails – have you ever seen triangle-shaped large shade structures Brisbane made out of fabric hanging above the patio of a house? Well, they are known as ‘shade sails’, thanks to the fact that they sort of resemble the sails of ships in their shape. Shade sails need to be suspended above the space you wish to give shade to by tying them to three different posts – which can be trees or any other structure which can serve the purpose.

4.    Awnings – and to conclude, a way to bring the shade even to your apartment building or flat: the awnings. Awnings are fabric structures mounted onto rigid metal frames that can act as semi-permanent roofs to your verandas. They usually come in two varieties, non-retractable and retractable. As the name suggests, the former cannot be pulled back, whereas the other can be rolled back when not needed.