Beachfront residential installation.
Finding a shady spot in the Texas summer is like playing a game of Where’s Waldo. Game over, Waldo, because I’ve discovered Infinity Canopy.
I’ve been searching high and low for ways to add more shade to my backyard for years. A large pecan tree provides a lot of coverage but there’s a patio you dare not walk barefoot on. I’d tried the obvious options like umbrellas. With hail and wind, they are far from effective, long-term solutions. I was about to give up.
Then my friend and interior designer, Mary Alice Ayers called to tell me about her latest project. Mary Alice does her research more thoroughly than anyone I’ve met. She was a designer for the Veteran’s Administration in Dallas for many years so she’s a whiz at resourcing long-lasting and cost-effective products. She also has the same sun issues I have.
The inspiration for Ayers project
“Our back deck has constant sun exposure,” Ayers said. “The plants fry and the furniture cushions fade. I’ve tried umbrellas and they don’t provide enough coverage. I’ve never liked crank out awnings, so there did not seem to be an an answer.”
On a trip to Austin, she noticed the local Restoration Hardware store had outdoor furniture displayed with a sliding canopy shading everything.
“I loved the look,” Ayers said. “I began researching it, and happened upon the Infinity Canopy website. As a designer, I loved everything about it. I could see it would last in Texas, which is rare, and to have a system where you can replace one section if a falling branch or hail pierces it, is phenomenal.
My curiosity level was off the charts, so I called the company expecting to get a sales rep. Instead the owner, Alan Shargani answered. I got the inside skinny on how this product launched, and boy is it the best “build a better mousetrap” story.
Shargani is a successful serial entrepreneur with the same household issues we all encounter. But, of course, he solves them.
“We bought a house with a nice patio, put some umbrellas out, and realized they didn’t provide enough shade,”Shargani said. “So we got a pergola. That seemed like a good idea but is didn’t provide much shade either. As we were trying to solve the problem, I researched awnings. I found they were expensive and if they get damaged you have no option but to purchase a new one. There had to be an easier way. I also wondered why these products had to be one piece of fabric. So, I made what I wanted. Family and friends kept commenting on it, and I realized I had a product that appealed to others.”
How does it work? The Infinity Canopy website has all the answers but here are the most salient points:
Infinity Canopy’s patented slide-on-wire design is the most versatile of its kind in the world. Crafted with the goal to provide clients with customizable and dynamic designs, the canopy’s modular designs allows it to be adapted to any space, color configuration, and style. It can be changed within minutes to create a new pattern or color scheme to match evolving tastes—even on existing pergolas. The canopy can also be modified to become a motorized canopy or be updated with a variety of retraction and operational accessories.
Today the Infinity Canopy is found everywhere. Although Shargani began solving a residential issue, commercial customers discovered the product. You can find custom applications from The Metropolitian Musuem of Art and Pier 17 in Manhatten to Villa Sarbonne, the newest mega-mansion in California.
But remember, this is a company rooted in solving residential issues , and Shargani ensures even the smallest jobs are treated as if they were mega-mansion projects. Both commercial and residential products are of the same quality. DIY was kept in mind when Shargani designed the Infinity Canopy and a typical residential installation can easily be put up or taken down in about 15 minutes. If DIY is not in your vocabulary, no worries, there are local installers everywhere.
“The other options I looked at were running two to three times the cost, and the fabric was not the quality we needed,” Ayers said. “And, our canopy is arriving in three to four weeks. Infinity Canopy solved all of our problems.”
It’s going to solve mine as well. Stay tuned for an update when we both have ours installed!
You can choose between premium Phifertex Plus Mesh with Sunbrella fabric or Phifertex Standard Mesh. Canopy prices start at $519. Visit InfinityCanopy.com for more information.
