Shade on demand for a narrow courtyard

When space is tight, a permanent patio roof isn't always the right call.

Lalitha had a narrow stretch of patio right outside her sliding doors. She needed shade to make the area usable during the day, but putting up a traditional pergola meant dropping posts right into the middle of the walkway. It would have permanently closed in the yard and darkened the view from the living room.

Instead, she went with a 3 x 2.5m Rainier Retractable Awning.

The real value of a full-cassette awning like this is how it behaves when you aren't using it. It rolls completely back into a slim, powder-coated aluminium casing mounted just under the gutter. The patio stays wide open, the house looks uncluttered, and the fabric is safely protected from the winter rain.

But when the sun hits the glass, a motor extends the folding arms outward, pushing 2.5 metres of shade over the doors. Because the entire structure is anchored to the wall, the ground below stays completely clear for furniture and foot traffic.

We used French Dickson® acrylic fabric for this canopy. It is solution-dyed, which means the dark grey colour is baked right into the fibres rather than just printed on top, so it won’t bleach out after a few heavy summers.

Lalitha also had dimmable, warm LED lighting built into the arms of the awning. It casts a soft 3000K glow over the patio, meaning the space works just as well for evening drinks without the need to drill extra floodlights into the brickwork.

It is simply shade exactly when you need it, and an open sky when you don't.

Working with a compact space? If you have a narrow courtyard or a pool area that needs cover, send us a photo of your back doors. We can see if a retractable setup makes sense for your wall.