A covered seating area in your garden can be created in several ways — from a retractable patio awning for instant, flexible shelter to a fully enclosed louvered pergola for year-round outdoor living. The right choice depends on your garden size, how you use the space, and how much weather protection you need.
Transform your garden into a year-round outdoor living space with a beautifully designed covered seating area. Whether you dream of lazy summer afternoons, al fresco dining, or cosy evening gatherings, the right covered space can extend your home’s living area while creating a stunning focal point in your garden.
Let’s explore how to create the perfect outdoor seating area that combines style, comfort, and functionality.
Which Type of Covered Seating Area is Right for You?
Before choosing a product, it helps to understand what each option offers. Here is a quick comparison of the main ways to create a covered garden seating area:
| Option | Best for | Weather protection | Permanence | Planning needed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patio Awning | Flexible shade over a patio or terrace | Sun & light rain | Retractable — wall-mounted | Usually not |
| Louvered Pergola | Year-round outdoor room, dining, entertaining | Full rain, wind & sun control | Permanent freestanding or wall-mounted | Check with local authority |
| Veranda or Canopy | Fixed overhead cover attached to the house | Rain & sun | Permanent — attached structure | Sometimes |
| External Blinds | Adding privacy and shade to an existing structure | Glare, heat & wind | Retractable — fixed to frame | Usually not |
The Benefits of Outdoor Living
Creating a sheltered area in your garden offers countless advantages beyond simple weather protection. A well-designed covered seating area becomes an extension of your home. Enjoying fresh air and natural surroundings while remaining protected from the elements transforms how you use your garden. This additional living space can serve multiple purposes throughout the year while also increasing your property’s value.
Essential Elements of an Outdoor Seating Area
Location and Orientation
Choosing the perfect spot for your covered seating area requires careful consideration of several factors. Understanding how the sun moves across your garden throughout the day will help determine the best position for your seating area. Consider morning sun for breakfast spots and afternoon shade for relaxation areas.
Comfort and Functionality
The success of your outdoor seating area depends on comfort. Consider how you’ll use the space throughout different seasons. Will it primarily be for dining, relaxation, or entertainment? Your intended use will influence everything from garden furniture selection to lighting choices. Ensure adequate space for movement around furniture and consider storage solutions for cushions and accessories.
Style and Atmosphere
Your covered seating area should be a natural extension of your home’s style. Choose materials and colours that complement your house’s exterior while creating a distinct outdoor atmosphere. Natural materials like wood and stone can help bridge the gap between indoor and outdoor spaces, while carefully chosen outdoor furniture can add personality and comfort.
Creating Coverage with Patio Awnings
What is an Awning?
A patio awning is a retractable fabric cover that extends from your house wall to create instant shelter. Like most of our range, modern awnings are motorised for easy operation and come with smart features for automatic response to weather conditions, providing flexible coverage.
Let’s examine some of our awnings and the type of covered outdoor seating areas they can help create.
Anguilla Awning
Our entry-level Anguilla Awning offers an elegant solution for creating cosy outdoor spaces. Spanning up to 5m wide with a 3m projection, it’s ideal for intimate breakfast nooks, coffee corners, or small family seating areas. The streamlined cylindrical cassette discreetly conceals the awning when not in use, while robust spring-loaded arms ensure optimal fabric tension. This awning is perfect for transforming small gardens and patio areas. When using lightweight or foldable patio furniture combined with this awning, the space can easily be popped up when needed and then hidden when not.
Perfect for creating:
- Morning coffee spots with bistro sets
- A covered patio area
- Compact reading nooks
- Small family dining areas
- Sheltered entranceway seating
This is our only awning available with manual operation via a gearbox and a handle, but it can also be upgraded to remote control operation.
Tortola Awning
Our most popular residential awning, the Tortola, combines sophisticated design with outstanding functionality. It can span up to 5m wide and is fully motorised. It features our streamlined cylindrical cassette and powerful folding arms that can withstand winds up to 24mph. Its narrow dimensions make it perfect for modern homes with limited wall space.
Ideal for creating:
- Family dining zones
- Relaxed lounge areas
- Protected play areas for children
With built-in Somfy motor technology, operation via remote control or smartphone app comes as standard, making it easy to choose the exact coverage you need.
Cuba Awning
The Cuba awning, the crown jewel of our awning collection, offers the ultimate size and strength. Available up to 7m wide (or coupled to span 14m) with a 3.75m projection for extra coverage, it features a contemporary rectangular design that integrates seamlessly with your home. Its heavy-duty folding arms with quadruple springs can withstand winds up to 31mph, making it our most robust option.
Perfect for creating:
- Large-scale entertainment areas
- Outdoor party spaces
- Café-style dining zones
- Comprehensive outdoor living rooms
Awnings from Caribbean Blinds
All our awnings come with:
- Water-repellent fabrics
- Optional LED outdoor lighting
- Ultra-low glare infrared heating options
- Choice of hardware colours including Pure White and Anthracite Grey
- Versatile mounting options
- 5-year guarantee
Covered Areas with Louvered Pergolas
What is a Pergola?
A pergola is an outdoor structure featuring support columns and an adjustable roof system that provides adaptable shelter while creating a defined outdoor living space. Unlike traditional fixed structures, our modern pergolas offer complete control over light, shade, and ventilation through innovative rotating and sliding roof systems.
Let’s take a look at our durable aluminium Pergolas and what types of covered seating areas could be created with them.
Classic Pod and Classic Lite Pod
Our Classic Pod range offers two distinct options. The Classic Lite Pod comes in three set sizes: small (3.64m x 3.5m), medium (4.60m x 3.5m), and large (5.56m x 3.5m), while the Classic Pod is fully made to measure, available up to 5.95m in length and 4.5m in width. The rotating waterproof louvered roof, finished in sophisticated Anthracite Grey, offers complete control over your environment.
These classic pergolas create the perfect foundation for intimate outdoor living spaces.
This pergola could be placed close to the house to create a breakfast or lunch area. A circular dining table and comfortable chairs could be placed within for family and guests. An outdoor sideboard could store dining essentials and provide a perfect spot for a coffee station. The adjustable louvered roof lets you control the perfect amount of morning sunshine. As evening approaches, the optional LED lighting could change the atmosphere ready for intimate dinners, while infrared heating ensures you can enjoy your morning coffee even in the colder months.
For those opting for a larger pod, the additional space allows for an extended dining setup or the addition of a comfortable seating area.
Deluxe Pod and Deluxe + Pod
The Deluxe Pod is available up to 7m x 4.5m and can be linked to cover larger areas, making it ideal for expansive terraces, while the Deluxe + Pod offers an impressive 6m x 6m coverage with its innovative combination of fixed and rotating waterproof louvers. Both models are available in hundreds of colours to perfectly match your style.
These pergolas are often used and look great as a poolside area, creating a distinct zone for drying, lounging, changing and relaxing. Positioning sun loungers beneath the adjustable louvers allows for the perfect balance of sun and shade throughout the day. Include a luxurious outdoor sofa setup for post-swim relaxation, complemented by side tables for refreshments. The optional integrated windproof side screens protect from splashes while maintaining clear views of your pool and garden. As the sun sets, integrated LED lighting creates a sophisticated ambience, while infrared heating ensures comfortable temperatures for evening entertaining.
For those opting for the Deluxe + Pod, the combination of fixed and rotating louvers creates natural light patterns that add to the feel and comfort while providing consistent shade where needed.
Prestige Pod
Spanning up to 6m in length and 4m in width, the Prestige Pod represents the pinnacle of outdoor living space design. When desired, the ability to completely open the roof creates a true open-air experience.
One way to use these large pergolas is to create the ultimate outdoor dining area. You could include a high-end grill, preparation surfaces, and storage for the complete outdoor kitchen experience. Centre your space around an elegant dining table, perfect for long, leisurely al fresco meals with family and friends. The unique rotating and sliding roof system allows you to cook comfortably in any weather – fully open on beautiful summer evenings, partially closed for shade while grilling, or completely closed during worse weather. As evening falls, the integrated LED lighting creates the perfect ambience for extended dinner parties, while infrared heating ensures your guests remain comfortable late into the night. Optional windproof side screens can be raised and lowered as needed.
Pergolas from Caribbean Blinds
All our pergolas feature:
- Motorised remote/app control operation
- Optional LED lighting systems
- Infrared heating capabilities
- Wind resistance up to 78mph
- Optional windproof side screens
- 5-year guarantee
Our pergolas create outdoor living spaces that can be enjoyed throughout the year thanks to the combination of robust engineering, sophisticated design, and adaptable features.
Adding Privacy and Shade with External Blinds
What are External Blinds?
External blinds are motorised roller blinds that fix to the outside of a window, door frame, pergola or veranda. Rather than creating overhead cover, they add privacy, glare control and wind protection to the sides of an existing covered outdoor seating area.
They work particularly well when used alongside a louvered pergola or fixed canopy — enclosing the sides to create a fully sheltered space while maintaining the view when retracted. Our pergola and veranda blinds are designed specifically for this use.
Perfect for:
- Enclosing the sides of an existing pergola or veranda
- Adding privacy to a ground-floor patio seating area
- Reducing glare on south or west-facing gardens
- Protecting a seating area from wind without blocking light entirely
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a covered seating area in a garden need planning permission?
In most cases, no. Retractable awnings and freestanding pergolas typically fall within permitted development rights for residential properties in the UK, meaning planning permission is not required. However, rules vary depending on the size of the structure, your property type, and whether you live in a conservation area or listed building. We recommend checking with your local planning authority before installation if you are unsure.
What is the best covered seating area for a small garden?
For smaller gardens, a wall-mounted retractable awning is often the most practical choice — it provides shade and shelter when needed without permanently occupying garden space. If you want year-round use, a compact louvered pergola such as our Classic Lite Pod (from 3.64m x 3.5m) creates a fully weatherproof outdoor room without requiring a large footprint.
How do I make my covered garden seating area usable in winter?
The key is combining overhead weather protection with heating and lighting. Our louvered pergolas feature integrated infrared heating options and LED lighting as standard add-ons, allowing you to use your covered garden seating area comfortably throughout autumn and winter. A fully enclosed louvered roof that closes in rain combined with side screens creates a space that genuinely functions year-round.
Can I attach a covered seating area to my house?
Yes — all of our patio awnings are wall-mounted, and our louvered pergolas can be installed either freestanding or attached directly to the house wall. A wall-mounted pergola creates a seamless extension of your indoor living space and is often the most popular choice for covered patio seating areas adjacent to kitchen doors or bifold doors.
Contact Us
Creating the perfect covered seating area in your garden is about choosing the right combination of coverage and furnishings to suit your desired use. Whether you opt for the flexibility of our patio awnings or the comprehensive shelter of our louvered pergolas, we can help you create a more modern garden and an outdoor space that you’ll enjoy throughout the year.
The best way to envision your perfect garden seating area is to experience our products in person. That is why we’d love to invite you to our showsite. Our expert team will answer all your questions and help you explore the perfect addition for your home.
You can find us at – Woodhall Business Park, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 1WH.
Contact us now to discuss how we can help you create your perfect covered seating area. You can call us on 0333 255 2752, email us at info@cbsolarshading.co.uk or use our online contact form.
We can’t wait to transform your garden into something spectacular.
