McClatchy Newspapers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. --Until recently there weren't many choices in patio umbrellas. You were limited to solid colors and the occasional stripe.

Now hundreds of options are available, thanks to the proliferation of solution-dyed acrylic fabrics such as Sunbrella. The choices allow you to personalize your outdoor decor as never before. New designs this year include sophisticated black-and-white jacquards and citrus-colored patterns.

"I think someone who hasn't bought an umbrella in a few years would be surprised," says Phil Lancaster, director of merchandising for the home furnishings catalog Ballard Designs. "You can really mix and match umbrellas with your outdoor furniture cushions."

Reversible fabrics are becoming popular for umbrellas. For example, you can have an umbrella that's red with white polka dots on top, while guests sitting underneath see white fabric with red polka dots.

OutdoorFabrics.com, an online store based in Miami, carries more than 500 fabrics that can be used for umbrellas, says Crystal Simon, assistant operations manager. Umbrellas in blues and greens are traditionally the most popular, as they are for most furniture companies. Sunbrella's Aruba, a solid aqua fabric, and Dolce Oasis, a multi-blue stripe, are top sellers.

"This year people have been ordering umbrellas with a black, white and red fabric combination," Simon says. Umbrellas with your choice of fabric start at $400.

The home furnishings catalog Frontgate has an interactive online design gallery for personalizing patio umbrellas. Pick a fabric, size, pole and base style. Voila! You get to see a picture of your umbrella creation. The customized price tag doesn't flash up until you click "view final details."

To really personalize an umbrella, you can have one handpainted. Karen Badalucco, owner of the online store Sage Garden Style based in north Kansas City, takes orders for solid Sunbrella fabrics to be painted in the customer's choice of graphic design, monogram or scene. The acrylic paint is protected from the elements with a marine-grade sealer.

"People are only limited by their imagination," Badalucco says. She commissioned one for her deck that's painted with European bistro motifs. "People can choose a theme they like, like the beach, or replicate a pattern they like in a fabric, or base a design off a photograph."

Custom handpainted designs start at $650. Badalucco also can order unpainted umbrellas made from Sunbrella fabrics starting at $300.

Badalucco has noticed a trend of people using more than one umbrella in the backyard. For example, one or two umbrellas might be different solid colors mixed with another that has a pattern.