Stand and Deliver

We played matchmaker to Boston’s small but handsome pool of available umbrella stands in search of lovely feminine umbrellas. These handsome couples are poised to stand at the altar (or at least adorn your foyer), come rain or shine!

---

Opposites Attract
The MFA’s fine art-inspired umbrella is ideally suited for Motley’s plastic, four-holed stand. She adores how his small frame and strong-yet-simple shape don’t rain on her parade. On paper, their pairing raises eyebrows: The stand, from New York-based Space M Projects, is all New Wave techy, while Miss MFA, with her Van Gogh print, was bred for the Brahmin set. But together, they achieve a James Carville–Mary Matalin sort of partisan harmony. Umbrella: $23, MFA Gift Shop, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617-369-3575, mfashop.com. Stand, $50, Motley, 623a Tremont St., Boston, 617- 247-6969, shopmotley.com.

A Match Made in Mod Heaven
Italian designer Gino Colombini created his funkadelic plastic stand for Kartell and capped it off with a removable ashtray top. Finnish designer Maija Isola splashed Marimekko’s groovy umbrella with her retro Unikko pattern (a spray of poppies). We hear that Unikko is a free spirit when it comes to love—she’s happy to share Gino with any of the other Marimekko gals, including a sultry raindrop-patterned umbrella. Umbrella, $50, Marimekko, 350 Huron Ave., Cambridge, 617-354-2800, marimekkocambridge.com. Stand, $140, Bliss Home, 121 Newbury St., Boston, 617-421-5544, blisshome.com.

Parasolmates
The romantic, girly Pare umbrella was born in Seattle, the city that invented rain, so don’t let her delicate appearance fool you. The Design Workshop stand was also built for real weather: His heavy, fogged-glass getup shows he’s serious about water and wear. For both, form is function: She digs him for his playful look but also for his strong, sturdy sensibility. He admires her soft feminine side and her steadfastness—when there’s stormy weather, she won’t leave him out in the cold. Umbrella, $72, Moxie, 51 Charles St., Boston, 617-557-9991, moxieboston.com. Stand, $106, Lavender Home & Table, 173 Newbury St., Boston, 617-437-1102, lavenderhomeandtable.com.

Sass Meets Class
The Lexon city umbrella is understated with her light-cranberry exterior and sturdy aluminum handle that offers a good, solid grip. Her no-nonsense, stiff-upper-lip attitude captivates the similarly traditional London Harness Company porcelain stand, from the oldest luggage retailer in the country. Standing a foot and a half tall, he’s stalwart and reliable, with a choice of classic patterns in line with his blueblood background. On their wedding day, London Harness was tickled to discover that Lexon had been deceptively demure: When popped open, she showed off her sassy, shimmery silver underbelly, with an impressive wingspan of 47 inches. Umbrella, $28, Abodeon, 1731 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-497-0137, abodeon.com. Stand, $60, The London Harness Company, 60 Franklin St., Boston, 617-542-9234.