Clever shade sail ideas are the latest way to help you make the most of your outdoor living space in summer. They offer a source of shade and even UV protection, keeping your family safe from the harsh rays during the summer months.
Waterproof shade sails can also protect against showers in rainy weather, allowing you to spend more time outside in comfort. These semi-permanent structures are an excellent addition to any garden or patio area as they are so easy to install and are available in various designs to suit all individual styles.
Whether you're looking to shelter a compact deck or a larger outdoor dining space, these practical and often budget-friendly designs are one of the best patio ideas out there.
1. Shield your interior space from the sun
Awnings are excellent for gardens that get bathed in sunshine as they provide shade right at the entrance to your property, the ideal location for a dining table. In doing so, this coverage allows you to leave your patio doors open without worrying that your home may overheat.
Their downside is that awnings are an expensive purchase, likely to set you back a fair amount. Luckily, you can create a similar patio cover set up with an inexpensive rectangular shade sail. Simply attach two fixtures to your exterior wall just above your patio doors, with the other two outer corners attached to nearby poles, trees or adjacent garden walls.
"A sail shade can be a more affordable option to an awning," says Evie Lane, former gardening expert at Primrose. "They also provide the benefit of being a more flexible garden addition than a permanent awning structure."
2. Shelter an outdoor living space with a sail shade
If you're not a fan of pergola ideas, a sail shade is a great alternative for creating shade where you need it most (which is usually your outdoor living area).
Add a design overhead and you will have a space that you can enjoy even when the sun is at its hottest and highest, while enhancing the feeling of having an ‘extra room’ outdoors.
Triangular sails work best for covering smaller or more precise areas, while square or rectangular sails provide greater coverage but require more space and stronger support.
3. Supersize your sail shade for sun safety
Go for a big design if you want to ensure your patio furniture space stays completely sheltered from the sun. The shade sail above by Wayfair offers 98% UV resistance, so you can stay warm alfresco without having to reapply sunscreen every couple of hours.
Alternatively, if you lack the space for a large sail, a mini version will work just as well. Small shade sail ideas are a stylish alternative to garden parasols and are perfect for sheltering a bistro set.
If you choose a waterproof option, ensure that one corner is lower to allow sufficient drainage.
4. Invest in a semi-permanent shade
Shade sails are often sold without the fixtures or poles needed to set them up in your garden as a freestanding design. Each shade sail set up has different needs depending on your outdoor space, so these can usually be purchased separately from the same company.
The gazebo/shade sail hybrid above, however, comes complete with all the fixtures and fittings required to install it freestanding in your garden right away. The frame is made from powder-coated steel and the sail is fixed on in multiple points to ensure a solid and taut shade.
We love how it creates a really simple yet stylish patio or decking cover, drawing attention to the main outdoor seating area in this urban back garden.
5. Try some colour overhead
While the majority of shade sails tend to be white, they do come in a variety of colours, just like you find with patio umbrellas and awnings.
If your garden needs a bit of a style boost whilst being kind to your bank balance, colourful shade sail ideas are perfect for creating a cheap garden shelter with a dash of warmth. They can also be a great way to create a BBQ shelter, offering protection from the sun when you are cooking alfresco.
Shop colourful shade sails
Get the look above with this burnt orange sun shade, offering 95% UV resistance and a waterproof design.
Available in four different shapes, this waterproof shade sail offers year round garden protection, tested to UPF50+.
This navy blue sail shade offers 98% UV protection and can be installed to walls, fences, posts and trees.
6. Shelter while you dine
The joy of dining outdoors can be somewhat kerbed if you’re sweating into your salad in the hot sun.
Although a pergola can be a wonderful shade-creating addition to an outdoor kitchen space, if you don't have the time and means to learn how to build a pergola, then a shade sail is a quick and cheap alternative.
Hanging a shade sail overhead means that you and your guests can enjoy the fresh air that outdoor dining affords, without feeling uncomfortable as you eat.
7. Zone a corner with a shade sail
A corner outdoor sofa placed against a garden wall or tall garden fence is perfectly matched with a triangular shade sail.
Depending on the size and length of your sofa, you may need to choose a triangular design that has two long sides and one short, or an equilateral shape to ensure everyone seated gets the most amount of shade when the sun is at its highest. Secure it to the wall or fence in the corner and to the far edges on the two outer sides.
8. Go small for both sun and shade options
Some people like to be bathed in sunshine, while others prefer to keep cool in the shade. Give everyone the luxury of both options by hanging a small triangular shade over a square or rectangular seating area.
In the example above, the shade partially covers the table, giving everyone the option to choose where they want to sit comfortably.
9. Choose a portable sail shade
One of the issues when going for a picnic or camping is the lack of shade while you relax outdoors. Unlike features such as garden arbours, shade sails are perfectly portable – all you need is a vertical surface or tree and a few lengths of rope to hang the corners from.
What’s more, they will also protect you from an unexpected rain shower, too. If the rain does make an appearance, just make sure that you tension your sail fully in order for the rainwater to run off.
FAQs
Which is the best shade sail design for my space?
Shade sails usually come in a range of shapes – square, rectangle, equilateral triangle and right-angled triangle.
"There is no size or shape that is any better than the next," explains Claire Maclean, Founder of Clara Shade Sails. "It all depends on the space you are trying to cover, where your fixing points are and how much shade and weather protection you want."
"You’ll want to order a shade sail that is slightly smaller than the area you want to cover," advises Nadia McCowan Hill, Resident Style Advisor at Wayfair. "A smaller size prevents the sail from blowing around in windy weather and causing structural damage to the attachment points."
"When installing the shade sail, you will pull it taut and stretch it as far as possible. It’s key that the material of your shade sail begins 30cm from your anchor point."
What can you use for shade sail posts?
"Once you've chosen the location for your shade sail that works best, you need to determine the attachment points. These can be trees, your house, a fence post, or any sturdy structure such as a pergola," says Nadia McCowan Hill.
How taut should a shade sail be?
"If you're just wanting a sail to create some temporary shade, then many of our customers are happy to just loosely tie their sails," says Claire Maclean. "Installing this way achieves more of a billowy look and, particularly with the smaller sails, this can look and work quite nicely in a garden and also inside in a conservatory."
"If, however, you are intending to use the sail during wet weather or are intending to leave it out as a more permanent addition to your patio then your sail should ideally be pulled very tight. The curved sides allow for this additional tension," Claire advises.
"One of our customers used the term 'tight as a drum' to describe her successful installation. Pulling them taut and installing them on an angle will make sure the water runs off and doesn’t pool or puddle on top."
Are shade sails good for rain?
"We recommend that shade sails are taken down during extreme weather such as high winds and very heavy rain,", advises Claire Maclean, Founder Director at Clara Shade Sails.
"If you are intending to use a shade sail during wet weather," continues Claire, "you must install your sail at an angle of 20-30 degrees, depending on the size of your sail, to allow any rain water to run off.
"Where some posts are higher than others, a diagonal line will be involved which will change the length of your measurement. If square or rectangle, two of the corners will need to be positioned lower than the others, and if a triangle, at least one of the corners. However, if water does collect on top, all is not lost. Just use a broom handle or similar to push from underneath to push the water off the top," she says.
Offering protection from the sun and rain, these innovative shade sail ideas are a great addition to any garden space. Quicker and easier to install than more permanent patio covers, they're a cost-effective way to create a more comfortable outdoor living area.
Adding a shade sail is also a way of creating a more private outdoor space during the warmer months. For a more permanent garden screening idea, you might want to consider investing in one of the best trees for privacy too.
