With summer in full swing and outdoor entertaining high on the agenda, it’s the perfect time to enhance your home’s outdoor areas for maximum comfort and versatility. Whether you’re looking to protect against the sun or keep your indoor spaces cooler, there are stylish shade solutions to suit every style of home from contemporary to coastal and country chic.

“Outdoor awnings not only extend your living space but also provide essential sun protection and airflow for a more enjoyable entertaining area,” says Diana Altiparmakova, Head of Product and Marketing – Luxaflex® Window Fashions.

“Windows are a major source of heat gain, with up to 87% of heat gained through uncovered windows. Stopping the heat of the sun from entering your home is significantly more efficient than attempting to cool your home after the heat has entered. By reflecting harsh Australian UV rays, awnings also help maintain a home’s internal temperature, offering both comfort and energy efficiency.”

“Maximising living spaces with a seamless indoor-outdoor transition has been a key home design trend over the past years, and shows no signs of slowing down. Choosing the right outdoor shading solution is a combination of functionality and design to create spaces that are comfortable as well as visually stunning to add long-term value to their properties.”

Finding the Perfect Awning

When selecting an awning, consider your home’s architectural style, the area you need shaded, and your preferences for colour, fabric, and functionality.

For Australia’s harsh climate, the Luxaflex® Evo Awning range is a versatile option with six different models designed to suit a variety of home styles and layouts, and a choice of fabrics, finishes, and operating systems to meet a homeowner’s unique needs. Luxaflex® Evo MagnaTrack® Awnings can – eliminate up to 95%2 of solar heat when paired with Luxaflex® Spectra Fibreglass Sunscreen fabric. This not only enhances comfort but also reduces cooling energy costs by up to 60%3, making it a smart choice for energy-conscious homeowners.

If you’re dealing with large openings or challenging weather conditions, the Luxaflex® Evo MagnaTrack® Awning is a standout option. Equipped with advanced Neodymium Magnet technology, it’s the most technologically advanced straight-drop outdoor awning on the market, offering superior wind resistance and stability.

Flexibility is key to creating functional outdoor spaces. For ultimate flexibility, retractable awnings like the Luxaflex® Folding Arm Awning provide shade on demand, allowing you to adjust based on the time of day or weather. In smaller spaces, Straight Drop Awnings add a stylish and contemporary finish while delivering privacy and sun protection. For a touch of traditional charm, Canopy Awnings pair beautifully with mid-century homes, adding classic appeal to doors and windows.

Styling Tips for Your Shade Solution

The right colour and fabric can transform your outdoor space.

• Modern Homes: Opt for sleek, minimalistic designs with neutral or solid-coloured fabrics that align with your home’s exterior palette.
• Coastal Homes: Consider marine-grade, weather-resistant materials in soft greys, whites, or sand tones. Darker fabrics reduce glare, while lighter colours are better for heat control.
• Country Homes: Classic striped or white canvas fabrics complement period features, offering a nostalgic Australian aesthetic.

Look for UV-resistant, water-repellent, and fade-resistant materials to ensure durability and longevity.

Smart Shading with Motorisation

Motorisation takes shading solutions to the next level. Automating awnings during the hottest parts of the day helps maintain cooler indoor temperatures effortlessly, adding convenience and energy efficiency to your home.

Style Meets Sustainability

Luxaflex® Awnings create inviting spaces for entertaining, relaxing, and enjoying alfresco living in style while blocking heat, reduce cooling costs, and elevating your home’s aesthetics, offering a sustainable and cost-effective way to beat the heat this summer.

For more information

Luxaflex

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Using the best of current innovations, you can hide elements of shading systems, creating both a seamless finish and an element of surprise. Over the years, Shade Factor has brought a large variety of blind and sun shading products to the Australian market, that reveal themselves when needed.

Starting from within the home, by motorising your internal roller blinds, cords are gone. Go one step further and conceal all your blind componentry by using Blindspace, an innovative blind concealment box, which is plastered into your ceilings. Working together with your builder and plasterer, Blindspace’s blind concealment system allows roller blinds to be completely concealed when retracted, giving you a clear and unobstructed view. With a simple press of a button, watch your retracted blinds magically and effortlessly lower from your ceiling. For a smart, modern curtain solution, Blindspace’s REESE curtain tracks are also plastered-in. This unique curtain track system gives a flush, streamline finish.

You can also consider mounting blinds on the exterior of your home. Not only does it declutter your living spaces, but there are additional sustainability benefits by keeping your house cooler in hot weather. Shade Factor’s flagship external venetian blinds from Warema are customised and designed to completely retract into a pelmet. To maximise views and natural light when the blinds are no longer required, a fine cable-guided option is available.

With some smart German-engineering from Warema and problem-solving by the Shade Factor team, external blinds can be adapted to asymmetric windows. Warema’s range of external venetian blinds is the perfect customisable solution, disappearing into custom-made pelmets for a seamless finish. As well as offering concealment, these outdoor blind innovations enable you to control how your house responds to the weather and the outdoor environment, in order to reduce heat gain, enhance comfort, promote health and achieve maximum energy efficiency.
If you’re after a clever retractable awning solution, Warema’s 700S recess folding arm awning is designed with a standard front panel, or can be mounted with a custom front panel that matches the building facade. All you’ll see is a minimal panel line, however, with the press of a button, a section of the building pops out and the awning opens.

While we normally think of concealment as hiding blinds and componentry so full windows are visible, motorised bi-fold screens hide windows and provide uninterrupted, bold architectural facades. These innovative screens are architectural elements in themselves and add to ultra-modern or monolithic buildings. Customise the motorised bi-fold screens to work with your exterior’s cladding so that when closed, your windows disappear.

To top it off, all of these solutions can link into your home automation system, helping create a highly responsive and comfortable living environment. Reach out to the Shade Factor team, who can help with everything from consultation and product advice, through to project planning and expert installation of high performing shade systems across Australia.

For more information

Shade Factor

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Zipscreen is the ultimate external screening solution for any window or outdoor area and is designed for the Australian love of entertaining outdoors. A great choice for areas such as pergolas, verandas and balconies offering privacy and protection from the sun, wind, rain and insects all year round.

Your custom designed system can be made in widths up to 5.5 metres giving you an outdoor solution suitable for almost any area. With fabric and hardware colours inspired by COLORBOND you can match to your home’s existing outdoor colour palette.

In addition to our Awnings, our durable Aluminium Shutters are designed for the outdoors. Sun, wind and waterproof, dollar curtains + blinds Aluminium Shutters are designed specifically for the Australian elements and allow you to control your privacy, views and airflow. Available in fixed, hinged, sliding and bi-fold designs ideal for creating an inviting outdoor space.

dc+b has specialized in manufacturing indoor and outdoor window coverings for over 50 years, all hand crafted in our own work rooms in Victoria.

You can book your Free Measure and Quote here: https://www.dollarcurtainsandblinds.com.au/how-can-we-help/free-design-measure-quote/. If you’re building a new home, then dc+b can also provide expert advice and a free quote off your house plans.

For more information

Dollar Curtains

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Rylock Commercial Series awning windows are ideal for living areas, bedrooms, bathrooms and highlight window applications to promote ventilation and light.

Determined by the awning product’s size and configuration, a large range of hardware options are available, including Truth Bar Operator and Chainwinder (both key lockable) and Electric Operators (single and double motor).

For unrivalled ease of operation, the Truth Bar Operator features a superior dual arm scissor action with key lock. Chainwinders are good for smaller sashes and also feature key locking, with both operators recessed neatly into the product to minimise obstruction of window furnishings.

Highlight awning windows can be achieved with an Electric Operator with concealed housing (with a Single or Double Motor), to promote cross-flow ventilation and expel warm air

Rylock Commercial Series awning windows offer exceptional strength and durability. The (openable) sash is controlled by stainless steel stays (or Hook Hinges for short and wide sashes), which comfortably support its’ weight, drawing it in tightly when closed.

Dual sash seals and adjustable snubbers ensure resistance against air and water infiltration for exceptional results in AS 2047 (Windows and External Glazed Doors) compliance testing.

Rylock awning windows are glazed in accordance with AS 1288 (Glass in Buildings) and whilst a large range of options are available, all products are glazed with Grade A safety glass and Low-e Toughened Double Glazing (Argon Fill) as a standard specification.

Extruded flyscreens are fitted as a standard inclusion, and products are powder coated in-house from a selection of 30 colours and textures; tested by the CSIRO for durability.

Rylock manufacture products designed to meet your particular site conditions and any existing requirements, to achieve the best results. Speak with a Rylock Sales Consultant about your home or next project to achieve a custom, high performance solution.

For more information

Rylock Windows & Doors

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Looking to enhance your home with an outdoor ‘room’ or to protect it from the harsh Australian weather, then dollar curtains + blinds have the perfect outdoor product range for you. All custom made to fit, look impressive, and add value to your home. Entertaining outside has never been more comfortable or stylish.

Window Awnings

dollar curtains + blinds Window Awnings’ provide the ultimate protection for your home. Reducing sunlight and glare on your windows, they protect the inside of your home from sun damage and greatly improve your home’s energy efficiency. Perfected for the Australian lifestyle by ensuring the design and quality are paramount.

Durable and practical, adjustable or retractable, we have three styles of Window Awnings – Automatic, Fixed Guide and Straight Drop. No matter what shape or size window, we can tailor make the perfect Awning to suit your exterior shade and location requirements.

Fabrics are available which block and reflect up to 95% of solar energy before it reaches the window, keeping your house cool and saving you energy and money.

Alfresco Awnings

Keep the sun, wind, rain and insects from your outdoor living area with Alfresco Awnings.

It’s never been easier to create an all-inclusive outdoor space that can be enjoyed 365 days a year. Perfected for the Australian lifestyle by ensuring the design and quality are paramount, they are essential for privacy and sun protection. Alfresco Awnings are a modern Awning system suited to all outdoor spaces.

Proven to reduce cooling energy costs by up to 60%*. Our Alfresco Awnings have been independently tested and proven to significantly reduce cooling energy costs by keeping a standard* home at a consistent and comfortable temperature throughout the summer months.

Zipscreen Awnings

Zipscreen is the ultimate external screening solution for any window or outdoor area.

Designed specifically for the Australian love of entertaining outdoors. It’s a great choice for areas such as pergolas, verandas and balconies because it offers privacy and protection from the sun, wind, rain and pesty insects all year round.

A sleek, secure, and durable alternative to more traditional Awnings, your custom designed system can be made in widths up to 5.5 metres giving you an outdoor solution suitable for almost any area. Fabric and hardware colours inspired by COLORBOND® so you can match to your home’s existing outdoor colour palette.

With the touch of a button.

All of our Outdoor Awnings can be Automated with an external motor which is tailor made for Window Awnings, Zipscreen and Alfresco Awnings. Automation reduces the time and effort normally required to operate outdoor window coverings, giving you flexibility and convenience outdoors.

The Awning motor connects to power, so with a permanent power supply there is no need to recharge. The motor can also be conveniently controlled using our Automate controllers such as remote control or right from your smart phone via our Pulse Hub. Control all of your indoor and outdoor window coverings via the one control.

With more than 30 retail stores in four states throughout Australia, we’re never far away. To book a free measure + quote or a free quote off house plans call 03 9237 1200 or book here.

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