Umbrella stands are containers where to put one of the most functional among our everyday-use objects. They proof fundamental to welcome our guests in, in a rainy day, while keeping not only the entrance but all the spaces of our house clean and tidy. If our day starts by a sudden rain on our way to work, before we even reach our desk, we look for the office umbrella stand that will guard our cherished travel companion, with a hope to meet it again at the end of the day to walk together the way back home. Once we reach our apartment -the umbrella trickling for the water shower that surprised us- the umbrella stand will be the perfect ally to stop the rain at the doorstep and enjoy its soothing sound in the coziness of our home.
If we think that the entrance, like a business card, tells at a glance volumes about the taste and personality of the people living in the house, it is worth making it comfortable and choosing the furnishing elements that serve this function next to a plain aesthetic one. It is therefore necessary to know what are the must-have accessories to put together, regardless of the space available. A good way to approach it, is to retrace all the things we normally do right before leaving and once we are back, associating to every step the corresponding object in the design domain. We will need in the first place a shelf, a consolle for instance, with a pin tray where to put our everyday-use objects like the home or the car keys. In the second place, we will consider the necessity of a coat rack where to hang bags and jackets and of a mirror for a quick look before stepping out. Last, but not least, we need to choose a design umbrella stand to keep the first area of the house clean and tidy in the rainy days.
The choice of an umbrella stand can either follow the style of the surrounding space or that of the umbrella owned. Indeed, being a widely used object with a consolidated shape – passed on unchanged until our days –, a covering to shield from rain, bad whether and sun, umbrellas offer endless stylistic possibilities and often represent the owner’s status symbol. Those who own a valuable umbrella will certainly want to put it in an umbrella stand that makes it stand out, without overlooking the visual and tactile properties of the materials the umbrella stand is made of. Ceramic umbrella stands are ideal for those wishing to embellish the entrance with something evocative, of handcrafted manufacturing, aiming to convey a certain elegance and quality. If you prefer slenderer and more minimalist shapes you can consider metal umbrella stands. The gleam and manufacturing of such a material translate in a variety of shapes that easily adapt to any space, conferring sophistication and modernity. The latter represent a real classic of the public spaces furnishing, next to the everlasting wood umbrella stand. They both are ideal choices for spaces that need discreet objects, without giving up on design.
Regardless of the style of the environment where it will be placed, be it more suitable for a modern or a classic umbrella stand, the typical shape of this container is cylindrical. Its large use in domestic, office and public contexts has led project designers to rethink its design. The minimalist approach and the linked intention to reduce its shape to a minimum has brought to the creation of unobstructive and easy-to-carry willowy skeletons. This process has made it possible to convene on the primary shape and the key components that define an umbrella stand as such; floorstanding umbrella stands feature a structure that may vary in terms of volume and that bears a small tray for water-collection, with the main aim to collect water drops. After numerous formal experiments taking standard elements as a point of departure, an infinite number of versions have come out together with a variety of sizes suited to accommodate small to large-sized umbrellas.
Umbrella stands are at the same time functional and traditional items. In that sense it is impossible not to look at them as a characterizing element of an entrance style, next to being tremendously useful. Over time, the great relevance of this object has led to the creation of countless shape versions, including the most surprising and unusual, together with the possibility to choose the color that best fits our needs. In space design is widely known that attention to color counts as much as attention to shape. A great classic, ideal for any environment are gray umbrella stands; together with black, this color perfectly mingles with any kind of space. For those wishing to dare with an extravagant touch, red umbrella stands are the right choice. This vivid color is ideal for dynamic areas, where we want to catch and keep high the attention of the people entering the house or starting their working day at the office. Anyhow the list does not exhaust here, as there is the possibility to navigate a sea of shapes, materials and visual options. To the same extent as the space where it is placed, an umbrella stand contains all the emotions we want to welcome our guests with, through this important crossing point between the inside and the outside, the cut-off line where such different worlds meet.
