Patios are usually designed to be placed in full sun. Not necessarily, in warmer areas, the heat of the midday sun, but enough sun to give you that good sense of relaxation and well being that we get when exposed to lots of vitamin D.

A place for friends to gather, children to play, cooking outdoors, and a number of other family activities, your patio can become one of the main centers of your home.

However, having too much sun can make the patio more uncomfortable than enjoyable. The addition of an awning in your patio design ideas makes it possible to enjoy the sun without getting a burn and also protects the patio from rain storms. Adding a patio awning, canopy, or shade can be a very smart decision for creating a comfortable outdoor atmosphere.

An awning can be either retracting or a fixed permanent type. A permanently fixed awning, as its named, stays in the same place and never moves. It’s usually a type of shade cloth that is attached to a permanent steel or aluminium frame. Retractable awnings can be swiftly stowed away, and are available in either powered or manually operated versions. In areas where the climate, home, or landscaping ideas where awnings must be dismantled and taken down before winter and set up again in spring, retractable awnings are quite handy.

A shade sail can be used as an alternative to installing a full awning. If you can’t find a shade sail to fit your needs, you can combine several smaller ones together or you can have them custom made. Shade sails are most often anchored to tension points which are then usually attached to walls or to the tops of portable poles. Sails have the advantage of being portable: if you happen to sell your home, you can take the it to your new home and reinstall it there.

Shade structures were once all made from canvas. However, today we have more choices. There are countless colourful acrylic fibers that are combined to create shade cloths. Along with decorating the garden and patio, the cloths are long lasting and tough, making damage from wind or storm unlikely. The space between weaves creates different levels of filtering, giving you more choice about the amount of protection you want. It also affects cost.

Sun protection from patio awnings and shade sails will help keep you safe from overexposure to the sun. They can also reduce glare, and can be found in colors to suit any existing color scheme.

Technorati Tags: awnings, patio ideas, patios, shade sail