Homeowners are learning that big furniture requires big umbrellas.

A cushy deep-seating group loses some of its appeal when one or more people find themselves broiling while everyone else cools it in the shade. The solution is equal protection under the sun, best provided by a massive umbrella.

Umbrella makers report strong retail interest in large cantilever umbrellas. By large, we mean dimensions once used to describe the size of a typical bedroom – up to 13 feet square, perhaps a 13-foot octagon, or a 10-by-14-foot rectangle. Cantilever, of course, refers to engineering that places the umbrella pole off to the side. An overhead arm suspends the canopy, keeping the area below open and inviting.

Cantilever umbrellas are in the spotlight at Treasure Garden, which has enlarged its quick-ship program to cover additional cantilever models, says Jeff Dorough, vice president for Sales and Marketing. He notes that the company, founded in 1984, officially marks its 30th anniversary in May.

Treasure Garden’s top-of-the-line AKZ models come in 10-ft. square and 11-ft. and 13-ft. octagonal models. AKZ units feature Sunbrella solution-dyed acrylic fabrics, while Treasure Garden’s AG28 line features canopies of the company’s proprietary O’Bravia solution-dyed polyester.

Cantilever umbrella model 887 from Galtech International.

“The cantilevers are really where the markets are heading,” says Jeff Leisen, National Sales manager for Galtech International.

Debra Maytidu, retail sales manager for FiberBuilt Umbrellas, agrees. “Consumers are looking for bigger and better items,” she says.

Commercial customers find cantilevers appealing for the same reasons as residential customers do, Leisen says. Market umbrellas, either freestanding or integrated into tables, simply don’t provide the same uncluttered, elegant shade experience that a cantilever model offers.

Galtech’s innovations for 2014 include a redesigned base incorporating retractable wheels, Leisen says, making the units more portable and functional.

“It seems like the more features you can throw on, the more marketable it becomes,” he says.

The extra-sturdy construction required by an extremely large umbrella provides the strength to support additional components, such as lighting and even heating.

An infrared heating system is available for TUUCI’s Ocean Master Max product. Wiring is integrated into the mast, says Patrick Troy, vice president of Sales, Retail and Design. The heating system comes with a lighting package, which is available by itself, as well.

An integrated LED lighting system, called Elegance, is available for Caravita’s Big Ben line. The lights attach to the canopy’s supporting struts.

TUUCI’s Plantation Max cantilever line is constructed of aluminum but finished to resemble wood. Three new finishes are available for 2014, Troy says. They are Weathered Teak, Natural Teak, and a dark finish called Java.

Galtech, on the other hand, celebrates the gleam of polished aluminum in a new finish for its residential products. Leisen calls the chrome-like, anodized aluminum finish “kind of retro and contemporary at the same time,” noting that it offers the look of a commercial-grade product to the residential market.