9 Stylish Shade Solutions for Patios and Small Garden Areas (2024)

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Suntek Awnings

1. Retractable Awning

Having the ability to cover or uncover a seating area with the touch of a button or with the turn of a hand crank gives ultimate flexibility for outdoor comfort. Lateral arm awnings, like the one by Suntek Awnings shown here, need to be attached to the side of a building. They make the most sense for porches, balconies and seating areas adjacent to the home.

Given that they are usually custom-made, lateral arm awnings can be entirely customized for your space. Fabrics treated to be waterproof can extend the awning’s function so that it can act as a light rain guard as well as a sunshade.

Timothy Whealon Inc.

The retractable awning over this balcony in New York by Timothy Whealon allows the homeowners to enjoy various degrees of sun or shade — and boosts privacy. The lateral arms fold inward when the awning retracts.

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Brickworks Building Products

2. Small Shade Tree

Planting a tree may not be the first thing you’d think of for shading a small patio, but trees can be a wonderful option to naturally cool down a courtyard. Look for smaller-scale trees that still form leafy canopies, such as fig, citrus, olive and crape myrtle. Give the tree as large a hole in the patio floor as you can to allow water and oxygen to reach the roots.

If your patio already has paving covering the majority of the surface, try growing a patio tree in an extra-large container. Container-grown trees will generally stay smaller than those grown in the ground, so you may want to supplement a potted tree with another source of shade.

10 Spectacular Trees for Courtyards and Tight Spaces

Red Dot Studio

3. Shade Sail

Shade sails — made of often triangular sheets of durable outdoor fabric strung on tension wires — allow you to position shade just where you need it on a small patio. Shade sails, like the ones in this project by Red Dot Studio, should be mounted on all corners to a fence post, tall tree, freestanding post or side of a building via hardware and tension wires.

Getting the tension right is a bit of an art form and best done with the help of a professional. In general, shade sails should be mounted angled away from the building for rainwater runoff, and should be taut enough to eliminate wrinkles in the fabric but still have enough flexibility for some movement in wind.

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Studio Hus

4. Extended Overhang

If you have a seating area alongside the home, adding an overhang can be a great way to provide shade without taking up deck floor space. To prevent a new overhang from looking stuck on the exterior, choose a style that complements the architecture of the building and materials used for the home, keeping in mind scale and proportion as well as angles used for rooflines.

For the modern home in Los Angeles seen here, by Studio Hus, the contemporary metal overhang looks perfectly in keeping with the home’s architecture and scale. The overhang partially shades the balcony seating area while providing a spot where vines can grow. It also offered a handy place where the homeowners could hang a swing.

Breeze Giannasio Interiors

5. Statement Umbrella

A standard patio umbrella will do the job of shading a seating area just fine, but consider making a statement with a bright color, a festive stripe or decorative tassels. For this Washington, D.C., terrace, Breeze Giannasio Interiors selected a white umbrella ringed with black tassels to help pull together the black-and-white theme for the outdoor seating area.

June Scott Design

6. Backyard Cabana

If you’re looking to bring the feeling of a beach vacation to your backyard, look no further than this dreamy setup in Southern California by June Scott Design. In this garden, a simple frame topped with a striped shade cloth covers a backyard daybed amid low-water plantings of palms and dwarf olives. The same style of shade structure could be used to cover a small outdoor table and bring instant atmosphere to a courtyard.

AAHA Studio

7. Petite Pergola

While pergolas made of heavy wood beams can look out of place in smaller backyards, this pared-down pergola by AAHA Studio shows how a lighter model can work with the scale of a smaller yard — or deck. The simple design and larger gaps between the ceiling beams keep it feeling light.

180 degrees

8. Covered Walkway

A trio of shade sails strung from wall to wall to cover this walkway in Phoenix provides a cooling respite from the sun’s intensity. The design, by 180 degrees, uses custom sun shades held on tension wires mounted to leave only small gaps between the sections of fabric. This forms a full-coverage solution appropriate to the desert climate.

Fergus Garber Architects

9. Vine-Topped Pergola

It’s hard to beat a trellis draped in vines for setting a romantic scene for courtyard dining, particularly in smaller, more intimate courtyards. Choose climbing plants suited for your climate and sun exposure, as well as the overall style you’d like to create. Climbing roses, jasmine, wisteria, clematis, grapes and even kiwis all work well. This design is by Fergus Garber Architects.

Urbanism Designs

Tell us: How do you bring shade to your small deck, balcony or patio? Share your pictures and ideas in the Comments.

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