Captivating Canopies

With the meteoric rise of the staycation, we’ve also seen the same rise in interest in multiple uses of outdoor spaces. Canopies and boutique tents are going to be the big thing for outdoor dining and alternative events spaces this summer. They’ve always been popular but we’ve really noticed an uplift in our Mela and Lotus Mahal, from restaurants taking advantage of outdoor space, independent hotels diversifying what they can offer on their grounds, and glampsites seeking to keep their guests socially distanced but with a high quality and beautiful option.

We tend to share the most pictures of our 5m and 6m Stargazer Lotus Belle tents the most on social media (as they are our bestsellers for a good reason!) , and so we’d like to take a moment to shine the spotlight on the Mela, our add-on extra-large porch, and the Lotus Mahal.

The Mela is a giant Lotus Belle roof, which was originally designed to create a 'linked up' communal space between several Lotus Belle tents. It makes a fantastic communal area when glamping with friends, but it also offers a fantastic opportunity to create space for outdoor dining without compromising on style.

Mela has a standing room diameter of about 11m square, and packs down into one box for easy storage between uses or in the off season.

We’ve seen the Mela canopy used for dining, alfresco yoga classes, mini festival stages and childrens parties - and we’re sure there’s many more uses out there! See more, including a short virtual explainer here.

If you already have a Lotus Belle (or are putting together your Lotus Belle configuration) an absolute must-have is our add-on extra-wide porch. Designed to work with any 4/5/6m Lotus Belle from any year, they’re a great way to extend your living area out front (and also at the rear of any deluxe model). They make a great place for keeping cooking equipment and storage of wet weather gear. So if you’re hosting a garden party or boutique event, you have somewhere for your guests to pop their personal effects, or you could use the extra space as the bar or kitchen area!

The porch is available in 3 colours, classic cream, olive or red - and of course, all in the high quality 360gsm fire, water, and rot resistant canvas that we use for the tents, plus a curved steel front pole.

Our Lotus Mahal is the ultimate in event structures! Essentially it is a small marquee in the same style as the classic Lotus Belle, which means it can be used as a fitting centrepiece in a village of Lotus Belles or as a standalone structure for a variety of events. The Mahal is super flexible in terms of configuration as the walls can be removed in sections to create varying open frontages. You also have the option of removing all the walls for a grand, open pavilion which is perfect for boutique style events like weddings, live music and alfresco dining. 

The Lotus Mahal has 65 square meters of standing height, so this offers a tremendous about of flexibility and useability. You can see more, and even take a virtual tour here.

Thinking of starting a pop-up glampsite? You should have a read of this. Want to know what's going to be big for 2021? Check out our blog here. To go back to the main blog page click here.