Going with canvas awnings provides you with shade and there are even retractable versions offered. It saves you a lot of expense in having to build in architecture for shade. It also helps you to add a covered entryway to your home inexpensively. In many instances its light weight enough that you won’t need to worry about a lot of supporting posts too and it’s a pretty cheap and lasting shade option as well.
The biggest trend we’ve seen in canvas awnings is just in the color palette. While these would typically be found in classic red and burgundies that’s all changing. The key is to be more neutral and more sophisticated so it doesn’t end up looking like a restaurant. It also helps to protect your investment just because it won’t become outdated as quickly.
Awnings aren’t just for windows and doors anymore. Tailored versions can fit on top of a pergola depending on the post structure that you have. It will be sleeker than a canopy and might have a retractable function. However, if you want to get a faux look that’s a lot cheaper then try to mimic the market edge or scallop treatment that’s so typical with awnings. This can be a fabric valance that you sew and apply around your pergola or covered porch to save money. It only works though if you already have all of the shade that you want.
My favorite use for canvas awnings is actually over a front door. You’ll want wider and grander awnings in this instance. It’s a chance to add in color and highlight your door. Also it’s cheaper than a covered porch but still welcomes your guests in. You can even add your house numbers onto this if the valance is wide enough. For a more sophisticated version match it to your door color or the color of your home. Canvas awnings provide you with shade on a budget; and it still looks like you spent a lot!
I find that black canvas awnings are the most chic and sophisticated. You can find a box canvas awning for a modern home. Stay away from scalloped borders or intricate bracket systems to keep it modern looking.
The other shade that’s traditional is called a quarter round awning. I’ve seen these both on brick and siding exteriors that otherwise looked totally uneventful. You can look for wrought iron lights to match this too. It’s ok if the dark color pops on a modern exterior. The idea of “pops of color” or bold accent colors first became popular with the modern style. However, for a more traditional awning you’re going to need to use the dark color in more than one area so it doesn’t seem too stark.
Another awning shape is the concave shape. You’ll usually find this the most often in metal but there are canvas options available. It almost looks like a tailored slope of fabric. There will be some support structure at the bottom. This might be wrought iron brackets or metal spears. It will usually have the least amount of frame work which makes it the easiest version to copy for a DIY project.
I also like canvas awnings because they can mimic much more expensive materials. One of my favorite looks is actually a burgundy or rust tone in a stripe. It needs to be a pretty structured awning if you really want to pull this off successfully. From far away though it looks just like a more expensive metal awning at a fraction of the price.
This can also help you to get a new look on your exterior. Sure, when you go to paint you have hundreds of tones available to you. However, you might be stuck with a bright green or red roof that just isn’t going to match your new neutral color scheme. Roof options seem to have become more neutral and more expensive in the last few decades. However, just adding in striped awnings with both the roof and new siding color instantly creates an entire scheme.
There are also certain decorating styles that are more expensive than others. The Tuscan look is all about opulence including heavy stones as well as rich fabrics. You’ll find rich wood tones too. While this is manageable in interior design the cost of doing a Tuscan style exterior is astronomical. Plus, there just aren’t that many places to use fabric; especially outside in a front yard. Just painting your exterior in a warm gold and adding in burgundy awnings gives you this classic Tuscan look without using all of the expensive material. You may need to stain your concrete to look more like natural stone though in this instance.
