How to Choose Fabric Colours and Styles for Your Home's Awnings
Fabric awnings are a great choice for your home's patio or deck area. They provide shade, some protection from a light rain and heavy winds, and can help insulate the space during cooler months if you use an outdoor fireplace or space heaters. The fabric you choose for awnings is very important, as this fabric needs to be durable but should also be very stylish and attractive. As with choosing interior window treatments, you might get very overwhelmed with your options for fabric colours and styles, so note a few tips for making that choice, and you'll be sure to wind up with exterior awnings you'll love for years to come:
Consider the setting
Is your home in a rural area, or in the city? Does it have a nice garden and landscaping, or a large pool next to the deck? In a rural area, you may want something more earthy, meaning a brown or green shade. For a city home, something more modern in a bold black, slate gray, or black and white stripe is better.
To complement the garden or landscaping, stick with greens, shades of red and yellow or a neutral white. If the awning is going to be installed over a deck or patio by the pool, opt for a nice blue shade to complement the water.
While making this choice, also note the colour of your home itself; you don't want white awnings against a white home, as they will then blend in and look dull. If your home is painted a strong colour such as green or red, avoid a strong black colour for the awnings, and choose something light and neutral, such as white or tan. Consider, too, that you want to avoid trying to coordinate different shades of the same colour, as this can be difficult; for example, don't choose blue awnings to be installed against a blue home, as those colour variations may easily clash.
Consider the home's architecture
If your home is square-shaped and without a lot of exterior accessories and features, you may want to dress up its exterior with a scalloped edge to the awning and a bold stripe. If the home has a lot of roof peaks and gables, shutters, and other such features, a bold awning may compete with those features and make the space seem busy and cluttered. Instead, opt for a square awning in a solid colour that will blend more easily and not clash with those features of your home.