Commercial Awnings

As a commercial interior designer, I work with architects, builders and construction workers all the time. It’s my job to solve problems creatively, and to think of solutions and options for the customer that are attractive, economically feasible and that make sense. The architect plans and designs the structure, the builder and construction workers bring it together, and I, bring the interior (and occasionally the exterior) to life.

Recently I was asked to work on a project where we where involved in renovating an old building for a number of different tenants, including a floor level restaurant, with patio and sidewalk dining options. We needed a great solution for sun and weather exposure that would be attractive, cost effective and accent the building design. Commercial awnings were the perfect solution. Commercial awnings can come in a variety of styles and construction methods, which meant that we (the architect and I) could choose commercial awnings that would work both for the front of the building and the sidewalk dining options requested by the restaurant owner, as well as the patio dining area.

The sidewalk dining area was designed with attached commercial awnings to protect patrons from both sun and rain, so they were custom designed out of a long wearing, sustainable, color coated metal. These commercial awnings were created to extend the length of the building and to cover both entrance doors as well. We realized that these commercial awnings also offered an opportunity to add some cool design features and architectural interest to the building, as well as weather protection. Because commercial awnings have so many different functions and designs, it was easy to choose just the right one for our needs. And, we used commercial awnings as a form of additional signage, adding the restaurant name and address to it. Commercial awnings at the front of buildings are a great way to add style and design, as well as weather protection to a building, and provide a great opportunity to catch the eyes of passersby.
 

The commercial awnings needed for the back patio dining area was slightly different. The building landscaping required both attached and detached commercial awnings, as there were different patios, at different levels. So, the main patio received attached commercial awnings made with a heavy duty, durable fabric, in a complementary color and pattern. For the raised dining patio, freestanding commercial awnings were added, constructed with a wood clad metal frame for durability and good looks, as well as a removable durable, weatherproofed fabric canopy. These commercial awnings were repeated over each dining patio. The finished effect was really quite spectacular. The commercial awnings complemented the building architecture and gave diners the feeling of being in a secluded secret garden. The restaurant and building owners were delighted with the commercial awnings, and commercial awnings proved to be a more attractive and durable option than a number of small patio umbrellas.

Well thought out and designed commercial awnings can be a great solution to a number of design problems.