By Stacy Downs
McClatchy Newspapers | Posted: Sunday, June 24, 2007 12:00 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Until recently there weren't many choices in patio umbrellas. You were limited to solid colors and the occasional stripe.
Now hundreds of options are available, thanks to the proliferation of solution-dyed acrylic fabrics such as Sunbrella. The choices allow you to personalize your outdoor decor as never before. New designs this year include sophisticated black-and-white jacquards and citrus-colored patterns.
"I think someone who hasn't bought an umbrella in a few years would be surprised,'' says Phil Lancaster, director of merchandising for the home furnishings catalog Ballard Designs. "You can really mix and match umbrellas with your outdoor furniture cushions.''
Reversible fabrics are becoming popular for umbrellas. For example, you can have an umbrella that's red with white polka dots on top, while guests sitting underneath see white fabric with red polka dots.
OutdoorFabrics.com, an online store based in Miami, carries more than 500 fabrics that can be used for umbrellas, says Crystal Simon, assistant operations manager. Umbrellas in blues and greens are traditionally the most popular, as they are for most furniture companies. Sunbrella's Aruba, a solid aqua fabric, and Dolce Oasis, a multi-blue stripe, are top sellers.
The home furnishings catalog Frontgate has an interactive online design gallery for personalizing patio umbrellas.
Step 1: Pick a fabric from choices that include Lilac, Gumdrop Butter or Mojito, to name a few.
Step 2: Pick a size for the canopy, either 7- or 9-foot. And pick a pole material, teak or aluminum with black, bronze or champagne finish.
Step 3: Pick a base, either smooth or ridged, or a faux stone table. Voila! You get to see a picture of your umbrella creation on a beach estate, but not in your own backyard. The customized price tag doesn't flash up until you click "view final details.''
To really personalize an umbrella, you can have one handpainted. Karen Badalucco, owner of the online store Sage Garden Style based in north Kansas City, takes orders for solid Sunbrella fabrics to be painted in the customer's choice of graphic design, monogram or scene. The acrylic paint is protected from the elements with a marine-grade sealer.
"People are only limited by their imagination,'' Badalucco says. She commissioned one for her deck that's painted with European bistro motifs. "People can choose a theme they like, like the beach, or replicate a pattern they like in a fabric, or base a design off a photograph.''
Custom handpainted designs start at $650. Badalucco also can order unpainted umbrellas made from Sunbrella fabrics starting at $300.
Badalucco has noticed a trend of people using more than one umbrella in the backyard. For example, one or two umbrellas might be different solid colors mixed with another that has a pattern.
"Patio umbrellas not only provide shelter from the sun,'' Badalucco says, "they transport you to another time and place. They create great ambience.''
ALL ABOUT UMBRELLAS
Clean using a sponge and a solution of 2 ounces mild dishwashing soap and 1 gallon warm water. To clean off mildew, add 1 cup bleach to the solution. To clean off tree sap, use 100 percent turpentine.
Store upright inside during the winter.
If you're shopping for an umbrella, make sure it can tilt, not just open and close. Ask about fabrics' resistance to fading and stains and for warranty information. Fabrics that have designs woven into them will last longer than those that are screen printed onto the surface.
Sources: Sunbrella; Karen Badalucco, Sage Garden Style; Phil Lancaster, Ballard Designs
FIND YOUR STYLE
These retailers carry a variety of umbrellas:
Ballard Designs, ballarddesigns.com, 800-536-7551
Frontgate, frontgate.com, 1-888-263-9850
Outdoor Fabrics, outdoorfabrics.com, 800-640-3539
Sage Garden Style, sagegardenstyle.com, 877-857-7243
(c) 2007, The Kansas City Star.
Visit The Star Web edition on the World Wide Web at http://www.kansascity.com.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
PHOTOS (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): umbrellas