Awnings may bring to mind quaint shops along a quiet street, but they’re also useful for residential use. They come in a wide variety of designs, from fixed awnings to retractable and folding canopies. How can you use an awning to create a more exciting outdoor space? Let’s take a look.

Extend Your Living Space

With an awning over a patio or in front of sliding doors, you can easily open your home and step out into an extension of that space. The awning will protect the space from rain and sun, making it easy to enjoy a little outdoor living. You may choose to set up a permanent awning or one that you can retract on a nice day when the temperature is just right for enjoying the sun. Add some outdoor plants, a sitting area, and a table for drinks and snacks to create a living area outside.

Create a Shade Area

Awnings don’t necessarily need to be attached to your home. If you have an arch or a beam in your garden, you can add to the structure to create a shaded area. This is perfect for setting up a picnic bench that is protected away from the actual house. It also allows you to set up play structures for children, or even a bench swing that you can sit on rain or shine.

Use your imagination. What structures could you use with an awning to make them more usable? Even a garden shed with a bit of shade outside can be the ideal spot to work on your plants or to putter about on a rainy day.

Protect Your Indoor Space

The sun can cause quite a bit of damage when it pours through your windows all day. This is the main reason people use smaller window awnings over their south-facing windows. The shade created helps keep the sun from fading interior walls and furniture. It can also keep the rain away from the windows, which means they’ll need to be cleaned less frequently.

If you do use window awnings for this purpose, you may want to use the protected space to keep plants that cannot have too much water, such as succulents. It’s also a great spot to put seating that will stay out of the rain.

Keep Your Shopping Dry

Another way to use an awning is to set it up near your car. This will allow you to step out and take your purchases out of the vehicle without getting them soaking wet in the rain. Staying dry is much simpler with a cover like this. Awnings aren’t just for shops or RVs. They can be useful for your home and garden, as well. You can make good use of them with just a little innovation.

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