Home Interior: Market Umbrellas; Which Colour is the Right one for You?

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Market Umbrellas; Which Colour is the Right one for You?

Last year I needed a new umbrella for my garden. The first one I bought was bright orange (it was on sale). “I like orange” I thought, “I’m sure it will be great in my garden patio”. The next morning before I even looked outside, I noticed an orange glow coming from my windows and the first thing my eye was drawn to was the orange umbrella, it had become the focal point of my garden! Back it went and I came home with a white one (which is what I originally thought it should be anyway).

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I love my white umbrella, it matches all the white flowers in my garden (below) – although I do have colour there as well! And it matches the black and white fabric my outdoor 50’s dining chairs are covered in. I can dress the table any colour I want and I don’t have to worry about coordinating the decor to the umbrella.

Photo by Maria Killam

Another white umbrella that matches the flowers and the trim of this particular house, which is also another way to choose the colour. It also looks like the garden is the focal point here which is why a white umbrella makes sense.

Annabel Bartlett

And of course here in this outdoor market in New Mexico (I fell in love with this image from flickr so I had to include it) the blankets remain the most important element with the white umbrellas in the background.

And these turquoise umbrellas are so beautiful with the fresh yellow (we will ignore the muddy pink colour on the right) and the turquoise buildings as the backdrop!

Here these periwinkle blue umbrellas look so stunning as they work so well with the blue pool and windows!

Here, there is nothing to see except grass beyond the patio, so the graphic patterned yellow on this umbrella with the matching cushions are fabulous!

You know when a great colour as the best idea? If you want to take the attention away from a garden, balcony, or patio area that isn't that attractive (or not yet at the level you want it to be). Find an umbrella and some patio cushions in your favourite colour, and it will instantly bring your garden to life!

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This navy umbrella from House Beautiful is perfect on the dock to go with the lake!

This black umbrella is great in this poolside patio from David Jimenez where the focal point is definitely the umbrella with the coordinating cushions as the only thing behind the view is a simple tall hedge which provides a lovely backdrop for this outdoor vignette! No flowers or a busy garden here to create confusion with the umbrella colour. This 1/2 umbrella for balconies is such a great idea! I like the way they picked black to go with the railing! Also black looks so great with orange bricks! If you are buying an umbrella for your balcony, matching the trim in the building or the railing as shown here is a good place to look for the colour!

Notice that I’m only showing market umbrellas for your balcony or patio? That’s because these cheap ones (shown below) belong ONLY in the sand at the beach! Never in your patio.