Dubai Garden Project

What is an illuminated parasol 

An illuminated parasol is just that, a canvas garden umbrella where the spokes that keep the canvas stretched into the umbrella shape are illuminated! The spokes are illuminated using LED lights and the easy to use touch controls allow you to set the lights at a level to suit your mood for the evening. Imagine dimming your evening garden light!

Dubai has done it again, the first illuminated parasol in the world now available for your Dubai garden. But this umbrella’s price reflects it’s luxurious, sustainable and very versatile Japanese, Scandinavian design.

Why am I writing about an illuminated parasol 

These illuminated parasols were on display at the Hotel Show in Dubai,where I recently did a live broadcast for my slot on The Ticket (Dubai Eye 103.8)  radio show featuring Food News.

These parasols caught my eye as I was wandering around the exhibition, which was principally for the hotel trade. I thought they would look incredible in a Dubai garden, a contemporary feature on a classically elegant design. A conversation and some emails later, I was loaned one so I could write an honest review of what I thought of a dimmer controlled, illuminated garden parasol. I had a khaki coloured one and then a turquoise blue one, which looked great in the daytime against the pool water.

Does it have to be illuminated all the time

No it doesn’t, and because the parasol is made with a heavy linen fabric it also provides good uv protection, so that’s an added bonus. It acts as a very good quality garden parasol, no one would know how it transforms into an elegant garden light at night with absolutely no fuss!

What’s also nice is that you can have the lights on even when the parasol is closed, so you still get an area of soft light without blocking out the sky!

You just need an outdoor power source that’s not more than about 3 meters away from where you’ll position your parasol so you can plug in the lights. 

Where is this illuminated parasol made 

The illuminated parasol is made by a company called Foxcat Design and it’s actually won a host of good design awards from around the world. It was the brain child of Hong Kong based designer Terry Chow who while on holiday in the Maldives saw that as the evening was drawing in, the natural light was diffused, so he decided to reimagine the classic parasol that would eventually be neither just for the day, nor just the night.

The NI Foxcat Illuminated Parasol was born and it’s 3 hallmarks are luxury, sustainability and minimalism, 3 qualities that really do appeal to me.

Have a look at the first of these videos that tell you more about how the product works.

How much would an illuminated parasol cost in Dubai 

Well that would depend on the exact size and specific base you wanted, but it’s fair to say that the ball park range is from AED 10, 000 to AED 14 000, depending on size, accessories etc. That’s a pretty penny if you ask me, but then if I spent most of my time in my garden and not out reviewing restaurants, I would consider a smaller version of these illuminated parasols as they are so versatile for both summer and winter.

I don’t think you’d need to worry about any extra garden lighting. The impress factor of course is difficult to put a price on, as this is Dubai! Moreover the company do offer a very long 3 year guarantee. So that’s reassuring.

DoinDubai subscribers get a comforting 10% discount on these illuminated parasols.

Make sure you’re a DoinDubai subscriber, then contact us saying you are interested in the parasols using the comment box below and we’ll send you a special code via email to use when you contact the distributors directly.

Where can I find out more about these award winning illuminated parasols in Dubai 

You can contact the distributors of the parasol here in Dubai, do mention you came to them via DoinDubai, but you’ll have to be a subscriber to get your 10% discount.

If you want to see these parasols up in Dubai in a real setting, well anyone in the Arabian Ranches can contact me till mid June and come to my garden! Or you can pop into the Steigenberger hotel in Downtown Dubai, a new hotel that has ordered 20 of them!

I think the flashing light on top is great for hotels as it’s a discrete way of calling your server to your sun bed wherever you’re located, don’t get any ideas at home though, Maybe mine will mean Do Not Disturb!

If you do decide to buy one, then rest assured, the Versatile staff come and do everything required for a very smooth set up, there isn’t really much to do, they just wheel in the equipment, they set up the parasol and then do a quick explanation of how it works. It’s very easy and the staff are extremely respectful as well as being very knowledgable for any questions you may have.

Contact Mr Ahmed El-Chafei or Mr AJ Maarouf on T: +971 4 258 3308

E: [email protected]

Versatile is the distribution company here in the Middle East that has an impressive range of prestigious, international dealerships in it’s portfolio, I liked the one connected to the outdoor decking, seems just what most Dubai gardens need. 

Thanks Monica.