The Joy Of The Summer Porch
It’s traditional in many parts of the country to spend at least part of the summer sitting on the porch. Lazy nights watching the world go by and fireflies dip back and forth is one of the true meanings of summer. In urban environments and in small town ones, sitting on the front porch is a part of life. Many homeowners are starting to reassess porches that weren’t often used as an extension of the home.
Even on small porches, one simple and chic decorating project is to turn it into a dining area. With just a little protection from the weather, it isn’t necessary to have all the furniture or accessories be waterproof. Take an unused rug out and put a table on it. It only takes something that simple to jazz things up a bit. An outdoor table would be optimal, but not totally necessary if you don’t get blowing rain too often. Mixing traditional and either contemporary or industrial styled chairs looks great. Chairs that stack for easy storage are a plus too. Hang a new lantern or even a chandelier for some real pizazz.
The floors of porches look great with painted graphic designs. Adding designs to a simple repainting job is very easy to do too. Diamond patterns are the easiest. One coat of paint, and then mask off your design. Be walking on it a day later if you use latex deck paint or enamel. For late afternoon sun that’s bothersome, don’t even consider plastic roll-up shades. Hang weatherproof outdoor fabric in panels. You can use PVC plumbing pipes and extra large grommets for a very nice look. More expensive would be large panels of shutters. Not only are they moveable, but they can provide plenty of extra privacy.
If you live in a climate where furniture can be left out year round, you will probably want to invest more in your outdoor furniture. The diversity of styles today is huge, and is scaled to work in large or small spaces.
Both privacy and a lush ambiance can be obtained by the use of plants. Ferns and palms love being under the eaves of a porch, and look good too. Whether simple decorated or elaborately design, decorate your porch to reflect you. One way to go about it is to simply extend the decor of your home and the rooms opening onto the porch. Designing a look with similar styles and colors gives a look of continuity to the whole house. Sitting on the porch at night will never have been so good.
Gabriel Meriwether is a writer for BrooksidePatioFurniture.com. They offer balcony furniture, a beautiful wicker patio set collection, and an outdoor loveseat set.
Mail this post
Tags: porch, summer porch