29 Stylish Ways to Add Shade to Your Backyard

There's no denying that while integral to the health of our planet, the sun is a double-edged sword. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays can lead to premature skin damage and skin cancer, and it's especially important to protect children and their delicate skin from the intense power of the sun. Dermatologists advise wearing sunscreen and hats when outside and seeking shade during the peek UV hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Which is where we come in.

There are many ways to bring shade into your backyard, from creating a canopy of trees —as seen in this shade garden that lowers your temperature just looking at it. The ways to create shade are many, including gracious outdoor patios whose rooflines will keep both a portion of the outside and also the home's inside cooler. There are even options for renters to bring shade when a pergola or even a retractable awning isn't in the picture: think shade sails, umbrellas or even a clever improvished shelter. Read on for more ideas of how to bring the shade to your backyard space.

Outdoor projects are exciting, but can also be costly and disappointing when they aren't well planned. Before you sink a lot of money into a shady spot like this gorgeous outdoor building with a green roof, experts recommend that you do a little homework. Before buying a shade sail or building a gazebo, track the sun’s path in your yard from sunrise to sunset. That's the surest way to see where shadows will fall during the hottest parts of the day and ensure you choose your spot and your remedy wisely.

Sometimes the simplest solutions are best. This shaded spot on a Georgia attached deck is ideal for offering a handy respite from the sun. The eves are extended an additional 40 inches to keep the sun from beaming down below. When planning a home renovation or a backyard deck or patio, you can choose elements attached to the home or you may prefer freestanding shade structures.

An unusual backyard folly, outbuilding or gazebo can complement your home's architecture and beckon guests to relax in your garden. A gazebo not only offers shade, it creates an architectural focal point in the landscape and can be a wonderful place to anchor a party or event.

Lure children into the shade with an improvised, magical backyard tent that will fuel their imaginations and become a wonderful, memory-making hangout. Use nearby branches to support your tent, or a trellis, tomato cage, lawn chairs or other improvised supports.

And don't forget about your furry friends. Did you know pups actually need sunscreen if they are spending large amounts of time in the hot sun, especially light colored and white breeds. Give Rover a break from the heat in their very own DIY pup tent.

Temporary backyard shade solutions like this one can be great for renters who can't put up a more permanent structure but want to enjoy quality time outdoors safely. There are many ways to grab a bit of relief from the summer sun. Expansive outdoor umbrellas, collapsible pergolas and shade sails all offer a respite from the heat and can be taken to your next home with you. Or you can get creative and string up a colorful patterned length of fabric or even a sheet and create your own stylish shade. This striped, makeshift canopy not only provides shade; it makes a bold statement in color, is washable and can be removed at a moment's notice when rainy weather is threatening.

This backyard patio features an outdoor daybed with a retractable canopy top so you can feel like you are in the middle of the action and protected from the bright sun too. There are plenty of furniture options with shade built into their design.

While this pergola has gaps that allow some sunlight in, dappled shade does give you a break from intense sunshine, as well as cooler temperatures but should be combined with a hat to truly protect your skin.

There are some clever approaches to shade on view in the HGTV Smart Home 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. The smaller private deck off of the main suite (left) features a pergola with a clever retractable awning so you can keep out the sun during the hottest times of the day but enjoy the stars at night.

On the right is an epic double-decker deck. The upper portion features skylights to let in natural light but the skylights have retractable shades too, so you can control sun exposure and temperature. The nice thing about the spaced skylights is they allow for areas of sunshine and shade on this deck. The deck below has its own built in shade because of the deck above.

The backyard of Drew Scott and Linda Phan’s home in the Windsor Square neighborhood of Los Angeles, has—as one would expect—some clever and innovative design features including two ways shown here, to beat the sun. The rooftop patio features a pergola with a retractable awning and the home's back porch has a classic green and white striped awning with matching curtains that provides shade but more fundamentally, really suits the historic character of this beautiful home.

Hot weather can make your backyard unusable, especially in the South and Southwest. But a retractable, adjustable awning gives you some shade when you want it and lets you enjoy the sun when you don't want it. On the other end of this patio, an arbor provides partial shade and has hooks for hanging baskets.

This quaint and luxurious outdoor kitchen and dining area is the perfect spot to host an outdoor meal. Adding to the relaxing vibe and offering the opportunity to linger over a midday meal without being driven back inside by hot temperatures and too much sun, a wide umbrella shades the table. Adding to coverage from the sun are tall trees in this serene backyard to provide even more shade.

Get everyone involved in the sun protection by supersizing your umbrella. The more modest 9-10 foot conventional umbrella that can work well for an outdoor table or to provide some coverage for a chaise lounge might not cut it when you have extensive outdoor real estate. In cases like this one, with multiple seating areas to shade, you might want to consider an 11 foot to even a 20 foot umbrella for full coverage.

It's all about technology these days, to make your outdoor space more livable and adaptable. When the sun becomes too much to bear, these homeowners can simply flick a switch and shades will lower from the ceiling. As a result this outdoor space stays cool and comfortable even in the middle of the day.

Whether you have neighbors right on top of you or you live on a 5-acre lot, outdoor curtains can be a great outdoor solution. They provide privacy and shade, so you can enjoy your outdoor living areas without having to endure the sun’s scorching rays.

If you really want to get serious about blocking out the sun (and the added advantage of protecting your outdoor furnishings from fading and wear and tear, then use a performance fabric like Sunbrella made to withstand all-weather conditions for your outdoors curtains.

Associate shade with gloominess? Think again when you have shade cover as stunning as this with a feeling of openness to the backyard thanks to the angular, irregular geometry of this outdoor roofline. A corrugated metal roof atop white painted beams and brushed concrete walls of varying heights create this enchanting shaded dining area and outdoor kitchen for an Arizona hillside residence.

Protection from the sun is not just about protecting your skin. It can also be a needed escape: a place to nap or take in a midday game on TV or bring the children for a snack (if you can lure them out of the pool). Here, white wood shutter doors give this poolside room even more connection to the outdoors and can be flung wide open, closed, or arranged somewhere inbetween to control the light.

Add a tropical look to your outdoor space with a palap, an open-sided, thatched-roof structure that can use dried palm leaves as its shade source. Here, one is used over a daybed, a great option for providing shade poolside as you grab a nap under the shade of the palapa.

A novel way to provide shade in an utterly unexpected place, this sunken lounge and pool is shaded to make hanging out a blessed relief.

Need shade? A classic striped blue and white awning is a nautical, sophisticated solution to the problem, and is especially welcome in dining areas where shade keeps the meal cool and keeps food fresher longer. An added advantage of awnings like these attached to the home itself, is that they help the indoor space stay cooler too.

This serene patio features a large deck with comfortable outdoor furniture, shaded by a large willow tree. Willow trees and maples are two fast-growing trees for adding some backyard shade a little more quickly. Trees are an eco-friendly shade solution with many environmental and aesthetic advantages: they provide a haven and home for wildlife, their presence cools not just your own backyard, but the entire planet and they bring a lovely and relaxing burst of green color that can boost your mental and physical health.

Trees overhead to provide shade are a no-brainer, but landscaping near your home can also import exceptional color, create privacy and add shade. Plants like this Emerald Green arborvitae (Thuja ‘Smaragd’) which grows up to 5 feet per year to its mature height of 8 to 12 feet are one way to add shade on the perimeter or side of the backyard. Plants including bamboo (though be aware it spreads easily and will need to be controlled with an underground barrier), hydrangea, forsythia and others plants can grow tall enough to shade your backyard.

Depending on your garden zone and how much sun your arbor or pergola gets, you can let vining plants grow around the columns and over the top of the structure for shade. Try moonflowers, Carolina jessamine, star jasmine, clematis, climbing roses and cape honeysuckle. These vining plants can also add delicious fragrance to your backyard. Just make sure your pergola is sturdy enough to support the vines and blossoms. Here, purple wisteria blankets a white pergola making this outdoor dining area the perfect spot for a comfortable, cool meal.

This charming pergola is used poolside for a little break from the sun but can be located wherever a bit of shade is needed in your yard. Just remember that shade coverings that have enough gaps to still let some light in need to be supplemented with a hat, an umbrella or additional sun protection.

Loggias feature a roof but open sides to offer a connection to the outdoors which means you get to enjoy the best of both worlds.

Transform a too hot, over-exposed patio or deck into a shady relaxation zone with a DIY shade sail. Just a few thoughtful details can take this project from looking strictly functional to stylishly designed.

A cheery striped awning covers this pop-up poolside cabana at a contemporary California home. Portable cabanas like this one can offer quick shade options poolside but can also be used for a number of other occasions, from backyard parties to weddings, and offer the additional benefit of protection from the rain.