Every year comes with new clothing trends, food trends, colour trends, and so is the awnings industry with its new and exciting awning materials, colours and styles.

Whether your outdoor space is small or large, you want it to spice the character and beauty of your home.

Remember, the appearance of your outdoor environment reflects your lifestyle. So, what is trending for 2017 in both commercial and residential awnings?

1. Decked-out kitchens

Creating an outdoor kitchen will definitely limit your trips between your poolside BBQ and indoor kitchen. An outdoor kitchen will not only enable your friends and guests interact with the chef but can actively participate in preparing dinner while still enjoying that outdoor breeze.

In a nutshell, an outdoor kitchen takes things to a whole new level, bringing the entire cooking process outside. Talk of creating cooktops, sinks, cabinets, barbeques and installing fridges as well as proper lighting outdoors.

You can also spice up your outdoor kitchen with such items as fire pits and pizza ovens. Besides, if you want to get a little bit fancy, it makes sense to add another layer of luxury with drink stations and ice-makers.

For Sydney, weather resistant materials should be used to install all functional units if you want your investment to last longer.

2. Straight Drop Awnings

Since 2014, straight drop awnings have been garnering the favour of many homeowners, gaining popularity steadily, and the trend is likely to continue this year. Their ease to operate is perhaps the main reason why these systems are becoming a consumer’s favorite every day – they can be lowered or raised manually, or they can be fully motorised.

Moreover, their base bar and stainless-steel side guide that can complement all modern buildings makes them a ‘must-try’ design trend. Whether it is shading your balcony, veranda or pergola areas, straight drop awnings won’t disappoint you.

3. Motorised controls

High-tech sensors and controls have drastically cut down the modern awnings costs, thanks to the advances in technology that we have experienced over the past few years.

Awnings with modern motion sensors, remote controls, anemometers, timers and other state-of-the-art motorised controls have become easier and economical to install. So, why not take the advantage of this automated technology to make your outdoor space brighter?

4. Show-stopping lights

Clearly, the value of landscape lighting cannot be underestimated. In today’s homes, outdoor lighting is not only a way of prolonging outdoor activities after sunset but creating ambience and drawing attention to some landscape features as well. For instance, proper lighting comes in handy to light pathways and highlight colorful plants along them.

Path lights also ensure safe navigation to prevent any injuries and add some sense of elegance. However, there are various landscape techniques that can be used to highlight different landscape features, and you should go for one that matches your lifestyle and preference. For instance, if you are conscious about the environment, LED lights should be your number one priority.

5. Folding Arm Awnings

The ease of operation and price are arguably the leading factors that influence design trends for both commercial and residential applications. Folding arm awnings has been gaining prominence over the past few years because of these two factors. It features an open style, fully closed or half-closed cassette, which houses both the awning and its fittings.

Whether you want to be fancy or you want to be economical but still get value for your money, then this design trend is a must try.

Final verdict

At the end of the day, renovating your outdoor living area comes with a host of challenges, but I you are determined, it may not seem as hard as it looks at first. Clearly, if you are informed about the latest outdoor and awning design trends that embrace bringing the functionality of your home to that outdoor space, you will find it easier than you thought. We did a roundup of the best design trends in 2017, and came up with the aforementioned five tips. Try them and see how incredible the results will be. Good luck!