Weinor Awnings Arrive: The Shade End of the Range

Not every patio needs a roof. Sometimes all that stands between you and a usable terrace is three hours of fierce afternoon sun, and the right answer is something that gives you shade when you want it and gets out of the way when you do not.

Until now we did not have a proper answer for that, and at the start of August we fixed it. We have added Weinor, one of the most respected names in awnings anywhere in Europe.

Who Weinor Are

Weinor is a German manufacturer based in Cologne that has been making awnings and patio roofs for more than sixty years. That is all they do, and it shows in the engineering: the arms, the fabrics, the motors and the cassettes are developed together and built to be used every day for a very long time.

Awnings for the House Wall

The heart of the range is the folding arm awning, fixed to the wall above your doors and extended by remote control. The difference between models is largely in how the fabric is protected when it is rolled away. A cassette awning such as the Cassita II closes into a slim, sealed housing, so the fabric stays clean and dry all winter. The Opal Design II does the same with LED lighting built into the cassette, which turns the awning into the lighting for the terrace after dark.

For a house with a sheltered wall or a deep overhang, an open awning such as the Topas II is a simpler and equally well made choice. And if the house is modern and square-edged, the Kubata and the compact Smaila are cubic in shape, with clean lines that sit flat against a contemporary wall.

Made for Your Wall, in Your Colours

This is where Weinor becomes properly bespoke. Every awning is made to order at the width and projection your wall calls for. A single model such as the Semina Life offers more than 150 fabric patterns, from plain weaves to stripes, and 56 frame colours. Put those together and you have several thousand combinations before you have chosen anything else.

Then there are the details. Motor drive and remote control, with the option of running it from your phone. LED spotlights built into the cassette. A wind sensor that brings the awning in on its own if the weather turns while you are out. And a valance that drops from the front edge to stop low evening sun, the kind that gets under any awning in September.

When You Want More Than Shade

An awning is designed for sun and should be retracted in strong wind and heavy rain. If you want fabric overhead that copes with a shower and a breeze, a pergola awning is the next step up. The PergoTex II is a waterproof textile roof that runs out along a frame supported on posts, so it stays put in weather that would send an ordinary awning back into its cassette. You decide how much of the weather to let in.

There is shade for the sides as well. The VertiTex II is a vertical screen that drops at the front or side of a terrace to stop low evening sun and give you some privacy from next door.

Shade for Glass Roofs Too

If you already have a glass veranda or a conservatory, you will know that glass keeps the rain off and lets the heat in. Weinor makes awnings specifically for glass roofs and conservatories, designed to provide shade before the heat has a chance to build up, including rope-guided models for an awkward conservatory gable.

And for those who want Weinor engineering in the roof itself, the Terrazza glass patio roofs complete the picture.

How It Fits Together

This is the piece we were missing. We can now start with shade alone, in the form of an awning over the doors. We can provide shelter, with a veranda or a louvred pergola. And we can take it all the way to a living space, with a glass room you use in January. Shade, shelter, living: whichever stage suits your house and your budget, and with a sensible path to the next one.

If you are not sure which you need, tell us which way the patio faces and when you most want to use it. The answer usually follows quite quickly from that.