Southwest Facade Deck and Shade
brise-soleil, French for "sun block" Think of a brise-soleil as blinds on the exterior of a home. It does the same heavy lifting of blocking out unwanted heat gain as interior blinds or curtains. Yet since the location is on the exterior, it blocks the heat from the sun's rays before they even hit the glass and enter the interior space, keeping your home cooler.
For a more modern look than your typical cloth awning hung above a window, consider unusual shapes and ways of hanging these go-to exterior shades. For example, in this San Diego home, five shade sails serve as a modern awning for the patio just off the living room. Mounted at regular intervals and hung to overlap each other, the triangular shades look almost like a line of sailboats or the white crests of waves.
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