Parasols & bases

A garden parasol provides shade and light shelter outdoors, helping you create a cooler, more comfortable spot for dining or relaxing. It can protect from the sun and take the edge off a passing shower, making patios and terraces more usable throughout the day. Used with a suitable parasol base, a parasol umbrella also helps define an outdoor seating area, bringing a calm, settled feel to garden dining sets and lounge spaces.

Choose the shape based on the space you want to shade and the look you prefer. Round parasols offer softer lines and are easy to position over smaller seating areas. Square and rectangular designs bring clean symmetry, working well over dining tables or longer seating arrangements. If your layout is more flexible, a garden parasol with a base can be moved as needed, so you can follow the sun and keep shade where it matters most.

A freestanding garden parasol has a central pole, which makes it well-suited to dining tables with a parasol hole and straightforward to position. A cantilever garden parasol has an offset arm, keeping the pole to one side so you have clearer space beneath the canopy. This style is useful beside outdoor sofas and lounge seating, where you want shade without a central pole in the way. Both require a stable parasol base for secure use.

The right size depends on the table or seating footprint and how much shade you want. The canopy should extend beyond the edges to cover seated guests comfortably, rather than only shading the tabletop. For longer dining tables, rectangular designs can provide more even coverage, while round and square parasols suit symmetrical settings. If you are using the parasol beside a lounge area, choose a size that shades the main seating zone without crowding the space.