Striped awnings make me so happy!

Pity I didn't plan any for my house.

More than I ever even wanted to know about awnings...very informative.

I know, Annie, right???

Jujubean, we have a round black awning over a side door and this wonderful retractable one over our MBR deck:

Our use of that deck increased by 1000 percent once the awning was up.

Wow, that was amazing. I've always had a thing for awnings, even the "1964 on line two, they want their aluminum awnings back...." ones.

Thank you so much for posting this. I the guidelines at the end are helpful. Who knew? I didn't.

I agree graywings, some of those aluminum awnings still look good! Most older ones look dented by hail, baseballs, etc., but the pristine ones are a nice bit of vernacular on older bungalows. I think Sears still sells them.

I love awnings too & have a large window on the side of our home that's a good candidate for an awning. Thanks for posting, kswl.

I love awnings - thanks for posting this! They are so underutilized these days (at least in my area) that my 10yo just last month asked me what they were. I described them to her but we didn't drive by any examples for days. I am going to show this to her!

I would love a retractable awning for my back deck, but there are too many other repairs that need to happen first. Thanks for the link.

I adore awnings of all types! :) Thanks for the wonderful photos!

I remember my Dad carefully washing and hanging the cream-and-dark-brown striped awnings on our house every spring --- really helped with heat control in the summer! :)

Thanks for this link. Yes, underutilized awnings. I went outside to see if and where I could place an awning. Alas, if I could only remove the pergola and make a retractable cantilevered ... oh, no. The roses, the roses, the roses. What to do, what to do, what to do. LOL.

We have red and white striped metal awnings on the west side of the house. They really do keep the sun and heat out in the summer, plus they're cute!

I wonder why most people don't use awnings anymore?

Awnings were almost a must have in climates with strong sun or houses with a certain orientation to the sun, back before central AC was the norm. I believe more people would employ awnings and other conservation techniques and home improvements if they understood the energy savings that would result.

And I agree, Oak, it's not just about the bottom line, they do add style to a home's appearance! I like awnings so much I used them over the plantation shutters in the public rooms of our first Florida house. They were traditional green and white stripe canvas and were the driving design element of that house. The dining room had French doors that opened onto a walled courtyard with a tiled fountain, and the interior awning made the space look like a cafe... I still miss it.

I am not an awning fan.....Over a patio/deck in back of your house, maybe but never over front windows....that is what heavy drapes are made for. Just my likes, or not likes, I guess.

Great post. Thanks for posting it.

Thanks for sharing this I am contemplating a retractable awning or a shade sail for my deck and this is timely.