Outdoor Decor: Shade Sails Save Energy and Look Great

Do you need some SPF for your home? Cutting down on sun exposure in your home will save you air cooling costs and UV damage to your decor and furnishings. Not only can you create some SPF, you can add an outdoor living space at the same time (or make a hot, sun-soaked deck liveable). Though there are many ways to add shade and outdoor living space, most solutions require a contractor or a very energetic Do-it-Yourselfer. My husband, Randall Barna and I discovered Shade Sails (originally an Aussie import) and use them with great results. (We're building a cool looking garden structure -- when we're done I'll post photos).

Available in a variety of colors and simple rectilinear shapes, Shade Sails can create an instant outdoor living area. Shade Sails are an inexpensive and stylish (I love it when those two concepts go together) addition to your home. Set up some furniture and a few potted plants under your Shade Sails and you'll be spending more time outdoors.

I write a column in Latina Style Magazine titled Su Casa (Your Home). My most recent piece on outdoor living featured outdoor furniture and ideas for easy-to-create outdoor living spaces. Here's an excerpt from that article:

Su Casa : Ask Cristina (Read the current issue of Latina Style Magazine for the full article.) By Cristina Acosta

Dear Cristina, The days are getting warmer. I have a nice backyard, but with just a concrete paver patio and grass, it isn’t very cozy. I’m ready to create an outdoor living space in my backyard that invites my friends and family to sit and relax. I also want something I can put together quickly. Any ideas? Rosita R.

It is easier than you think to make a great outdoor space. Outdoor living is the big trend in home décor and the new crop of products are stylish and durable. Because you already have a deck or patio and landscaping, you have a good foundation for your outdoor living area. Shelter from the sun and stylish comfortable furnishings will give you the sense of gaining more square footage without a home remodel. If you’re renting or on the move, the ideas I’m giving you will fit into either a temporary location or your permanent home.

Think of these ideas as layers. The first layer is your existing patio, the second layer is seating and the third layer is shade. Lets start with a layer of SPF for you and your furnishings. A little shade goes a long way to keeping both looking younger, longer! Pavilions and shade sails will shelter you from the sun with style.

Shade sails from ShadeSails.com are a stylish and simple idea that the sun-drenched Australians have perfected. Simple geometric shapes of rectangles and squares with gently curved edges in a selection of colored polyethylene knit are striking modern accents to most any architecture. Pulled tight and attached to the home’s structure, or sturdy posts, they withstand most weather (except snow loads) for years. You’ll love the colors and the prices. Most ready-made designs are only about $100 dollars. At that price you can afford to layer a few in the same or different colors.

Pavilions (or cabanas) like this example from Tropitone are lush Sunbrella™ fabric rooms suspended from a wood or aluminum frame. Curtains complete the look and give you some flexibility for privacy or sun shading. You can take them anywhere! Set up a table and chairs or comfy seating that encourages a chat and you are ready to settle into the perfect setup for seasonal living. . . . . Contact Latina Style Magazine for more.

Read more of my Articles on my website www.CristinaAcosta.com
Thanks to www.ShadeSails.com for the photos.
Note: Sun Square System sells a high-end retractable sail the can be set to retract in high winds. Visit www.ShadeFla.com

Sacred Spaces In the Garden

My garden offers shelter to quail, rabbits, skunks and deer that wander through our 1/2 acre of Manzanita, Bitterbrush and Ponderosa pine near the city of Bend, Oregon. I've put out mineral salt licks, bird feeders and water features to support the wildlife. As you can imagine, I don't have much in the way of animal proof flora. What one animal doesn't eat, another one does. Mint and Shasta daisies resurface annually as none of the animals like them (except us -- we get great tea from our mint). It's ok with me -- I love watching the animals at the feeders and feel connected to supporting their presence in the continually developed surrounding lands.

Decorating my garden with art that can make it through the Bend, Oregon winters is tough. Metal and concrete make it through the extreme weather, so I use them to adorn the garden. During my trip to Oaxaca last February I found a small store that sold recycled aluminum recast into garden pieces. Made in Northern Mexico, the large pieces are light enough (compared to cast iron) to make it back home in my suitcase. I bought this 20" high aluminum cast Guadalupe.

When I got home I primed the piece with spray paint, then painted it in oils. My friend, Terry Scoville, an artisan woodworker mounted it on vintage panels she shaped and cut. My husband just hung the Madonna on the side of the house near the entrance to my studio and I adorned it with a shed horn and seashells I found along with some clay pieces my daughter made. My painted cast metal Guadalupe is a Retablo, presented on the wood panel in the Hispanic tradition of sacred art known as a Santos. See other examples of my ex-voto and santos style retablos on my website.