Radiant Blinds & Awnings were back in the heart of London yesterday, completing a beautiful traditional Victorian awning recover for Hoppers in Frith Street, Soho. Rather than replacing the existing traditional awning, our experienced team carefully recovered the awning with a lovely beige fabric, giving the frontage a smart, fresh appearance while retaining the character and traditional styling of the original awning. Finished with a straight valance and bespoke hand painted signwriting by our own in house signwriter, the completed awning complements the Hoppers frontage beautifully.
Commercial Awning Recover for Hoppers, Soho
Hoppers is a popular restaurant group inspired by the food and culture of Sri Lanka and South India, with its Frith Street restaurant located in the heart of Soho. For hospitality businesses such as restaurants, cafés, pubs and hotels, an awning can form an important part of the overall appearance of the premises. As well as providing practical shelter and shading, a well presented awning can reinforce the character and branding of a business. The existing traditional Victorian awning at Hoppers provided the ideal framework for a professional awning recover, allowing us to rejuvenate its appearance without unnecessarily replacing the complete system. For this project, the new beige awning fabric provides an understated and sophisticated finish which works particularly well with the restaurant frontage.
Traditional Victorian Awning with a Straight Valance
A straight valance was chosen to complete the recover, maintaining the clean and classic appearance of the awning. Traditional Victorian awnings remain an extremely popular choice for commercial premises throughout London, particularly in areas such as Soho, Covent Garden, Mayfair, Fitzrovia, Chelsea and Kensington, where traditional architecture and distinctive shopfronts are such an important part of the streetscape. Their timeless appearance makes them particularly suitable for:
- Restaurants and cafés
- Pubs and bars
- Hotels
- Independent retailers
- Delicatessens and bakeries
- Boutiques and specialist shops
When the framework and operating mechanism of an existing awning remain serviceable, recovering a traditional awning can be a highly effective alternative to complete replacement.
In-House Awning Signwriting
One of the finishing touches on the Hoppers awning was the bespoke signwriting, completed by Radiant’s own in house signwriter. Traditional hand painted signwriting can transform a commercial awning into an extension of a company’s shopfront and branding. Having this specialist skill within our own team allows us to offer customers a complete service, from the manufacture and recovery of the awning through to the finishing details of the branding. For Hoppers, the signwriting was carefully applied to the new straight valance, creating a distinctive yet elegant finished appearance.
Why Recover an Existing Victorian Awning?
A good quality traditional awning can have a long working life, and faded or weathered fabric does not necessarily mean that the complete awning needs replacing. Where the existing structure is suitable, an awning recover can breathe new life into an older installation at a fraction of the disruption and expense associated with complete replacement. New fabric can dramatically transform the appearance of a commercial frontage, while new valances, signwriting and other refurbishment work can make an existing awning look refreshed and ready for many more years of service. It can also be a more sustainable approach, as serviceable components are retained rather than unnecessarily discarded.
Over 150 Years of Awning Experience
Radiant Blinds & Awnings is a family run British business with over 150 years of experience in the blinds and awnings trade. Traditional awnings are an important part of our heritage, and we continue to use the specialist skills and craftsmanship required to manufacture, recover, repair and maintain these classic systems. From our factory in Surbiton, Surrey, our team works with both commercial and residential customers throughout London, Surrey and the Home Counties. Our commercial projects range from independent shops, restaurants and cafés through to hotels, hospitality groups and major national brands.
Traditional Awning Recovers in London
The Hoppers project in Frith Street is another example of how an existing awning can be completely transformed simply by choosing the right replacement fabric and finishing details. The combination of the beautiful beige fabric, traditional Victorian awning, straight valance and hand painted Hoppers signwriting has resulted in a smart and timeless finish perfectly suited to this well-known Soho restaurant. If your existing commercial awning is beginning to look tired, faded or weathered, it may not need replacing. Radiant Blinds & Awnings can inspect existing awnings and advise whether a professional awning recover, repair or refurbishment could restore their appearance and extend their working life. With over 150 years of experience, traditional awning expertise and our own in-house signwriting service, Radiant can provide a complete solution for commercial awnings throughout London and the surrounding areas.