Awning Design Tips

Awnings will enhance the appearance of your home or business by adding shape, dimension and color. For a professionally designed look, start with careful consideration of your choice of both Style and Fabric:

Style: Style is a combination of type and shape. Choosing an awning type depends on your practical objective. Window awnings serve to protect interior furnishings from sun damage, to moderate interior temperatures and to enhance architectural appearance. Door awnings and entry canopies serve to protect doors and entryways from sun damage and rain as well as to enhance architectural appearance. Patio covers/canopies and free-standing cabanas serve to increase the usable living or working space of your property by protecting the covered area from sun and rain. Once the general type of awning has been selected to serve your practical purpose, the specific shape is chosen, usually using aesthetic criteria. Visit the photo galleries to see examples of residential, retractable, commercial and industrial awning styles.

Fabric: Choosing an awning fabric requires careful consideration, especially with so many colors and patterns available. View sample fabric swatches on our Sunbrella Fabric page. Visit our Links page for design tools which allow you to view different fabrics on an awning graphic. When selecting a fabric to complement your home, business or landscape, designers suggest the following ideas and guidelines:

1) Determine whether you want the awnings to blend with your facade or become a colorful focal point, and choose your color/pattern accordingly.

2) Consider your property's setting. Choose neutral and earthy hues for woodland areas and bright tones for sunny seashore or poolside patios.

For a classic old-time awning style, consider black-and-white stripes.

3) Peruse your awning contractor's project portfolio for style and fabric

options that work on homes or businesses similar in style to yours.

4) Look for fabrics that complement the architectural style of your home

or business. Traditional architecture often favors traditional colors such as forest green, neutrals or navy. Bar stripes are a good choice for colonials

and cottage-style homes. Beige, salmon, or terra-cotta solids and stripes

work well with Southwestern-style and stucco-sided buildings.

5) Dress up contemporary homes with a bright color or an unexpected contrast. Scalloped valances are a good choice for traditional homes and shops. Keep the awning design simple and the fabric solid on homes with multiple angled rooflines or architectural elements.

6) Pick patterns that are proportional to the size of your structure and your awning. Small stripes may look busy on a large expanse of fabric, while

wide-striped fabrics can overwhelm a small ranch-style home.

7) Coordinate awning fabrics and binding trim with exterior colors, such as the primary paint color, trim color, and/or shingles. Selecting valance binding to match masses of color in a nearby garden can offer subtle and creative continuity between your home and landscape.

8) Choose colors and patterns that reflect your interior style, especially

that of an interior foyer, to provide visual continuity upon entry.

9) If heat reduction is a motivation for your awning purchase, choose light colors to reflect direct sunlight.

10) Enjoy the process! Awnings should be a reflection of your personality.