TUUCI

TUUCI builds shade using boatyard methods. Dougan Clarke rigged high-performance yachts in Miami before establishing the company in 1998, and that background shows in the products: marine-grade aluminium, fibreglass, stainless steel, reinforced rib joints, and every part replaceable.

The acronym states the ambition: The Ultimate Umbrella Company. The range has widened to pergolas and cabanas, sun loungers, outdoor tables and sofas, but the parasol remains the centre of it. The Ocean Master collection, built around a patented independently supported hub, comes as M1 Classic, Voilare, Pagoda, Manta and Cupola.

The company is American, which sets it apart from the rest of the selection: headquarters in Miami, operations in the Netherlands and Vietnam, more than four hundred staff.

Artopia carries TUUCI in Geneva. On an exposed terrace the deciding factor is not the drawing but how the structure holds in wind, which is exactly where this house makes its case.