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I love umbrellas, and not just because I grew up in England, where they are issued to four year olds on their first day at school, along with an instruction book on how to cook every kind of food (it's a short book, with just two words: "Boil it".)
The brolly is a miracle of minimal elegance. Lightweight spokes held in tension form a perfect, almost rigid canopy. And the cheap, $2 dime-store models are as good as the most expensive ones – they both last longer than it takes to lose them on the subway.
So the Outdoor Half-Umbrella must be even better. It uses half the parts and is therefor twice as minimal. The aluminum and acrylic semi-brolly is to be used as a summer shade for windows, a collapsible canopy to keep out the sun. This partial parasol also has a crank to raise and lower the awning. The rub? It costs $300, but at least you won't be leaving it on the bus.
Product page [Grandin Road via Book of Joe]
