May 6th, 2021 by Sarah Miles

If you plan to spend time in your outdoor space this summer, whether that be having friends and family over for barbecues, taking full advantage of working from home, or just enjoying your garden, as well as relishing the sunshine, there will also be times when you need some shade.

A parasol is the perfect way to achieve that: it’s affordable, it’s stylish, it can be moved around the garden (as the sun moves), and you can equally choose not to put it up (which is not something that can easily be done with a more permanent source of shade such as a pergola or canopy).

Parasols are widely available and it can be difficult to know which one to buy so here are some good features to look out for when shopping around:

Ease of use

For such a simple piece of garden equipment, some parasols can be very complicated – both to assemble and disassemble and to use. We’ve all battled with umbrellas on holidays and many of us have sustained trapped fingers and spoke-in-the-eye injuries, so you don’t need that at home. Mechanisms like a crank handle to put the umbrella up and push-button tilt functions tend to make it much easier.

Glamhaus Parasol - Green

Price: £59.99

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Sturdy manufacture

The British weather, even in summer, can make mincemeat of a flimsy parasol. To avoid having to worry about every slight breeze, choose a model that has a robust construction, ideally in steel or aluminium, and a tough, waterproof, tear-resistant umbrella fabric that can withstand typical weather conditions.

Ease of storage

If well cared for, a parasol will last many years, so that means storing it indoors over the harsher winter months. If you’re not lucky enough to have plenty of space in a garage or shed, that’s going to mean bringing it into the house and finding space for it there. One that dissembles into compact sections will be much easier to find room for than one that doesn’t. You can also easily take it on camping trips or even picnics!

Glamhaus Tilting Parasol - Cream

Price: £69.98

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Style

Functionality is important but let’s not forget about style! After all, this will be just as important a feature in your garden as your outdoor furniture. Basic parasol shape tends to be pretty standard across most models, but you can add style through the choice of colour and the look of the pole material. You can even get added details like solar LED lights to really make a feature of it in your garden.

LED Lights

LEDs on your parasol can have a stylish and practical purpose! Our solar-powered LEDs that line the ribs of the umbrella on the LED parasol are really eye-catching, adding brightness to your garden seating area. This has practical benefits, too – you can carry on your garden parties long into the night, or simply relax with a good book as the sun goes down.

Glamhaus Solar LED Parasol Dark Grey

Price: £94.99

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The Glamhaus parasol range

If you are wondering where you can find all these features, you don’t have to look any further as all our Glamhaus models tick every box listed! Fabricated in robust black steel or brushed aluminium and available in a choice of cream, green, or khaki colours, they can all be put together, taken apart, and used very easily. Operated using a crank handle, the tilt models have a push-button mechanism, and they’re all compact to store.

The range starts with the Glamhaus Garden Parasol at £49.99. The Glamhaus Tilting Parasol at £59.95 has all the features of the Garden Parasol with the addition of a tilt, so you can adjust your shade wherever the sun is. And finally, the Glamhaus Solar LED Garden Parasol at £79.99 has everything the first two have but with LED spotlights running along the spokes to create a magical effect once the sun goes down and helping your parties last long into the evening.