Screen Porch Heaven

Summer is prime time for using a screen porch, the ultimate indoor-outdoor room.

Like a gossamer cage, a screen porch encloses a space yet rarely limits it. Anyone who has spent a warm afternoon or a brisk evening in one of these airy rooms that magically exist without walls or window glass knows the joy of feeling the flow of air while enjoying the view. Naturally, the benefit of a modest screen porch such as this beautifully finished one on Long Island, is its proportions echoed in the Mission-style lantern ceiling lights and the fantasy of living outside while enjoying protection from tiny critters – particularly at night.

An elaborate, pine bead board Cathedral ceiling was used on this porch made from reclaimed wood, added to a 1930s stone house on a Canadian island. Brown Jordan wicker furniture seems like a necessity here. Serious canvas shades (I adore these!) roll down conveniently in case a rainstorm should whip up unexpectedly.

A more studied porch, designed in what Atlanta designer Suzanne Kasler describes as “log cabin vernacular” was added to the great room of an intentionally rustic estate in the Smoky Mountains. A blend of hickory furniture and antiques (os de mouton “lamb bone” armchairs, are the same style as Allison’s) mix easily with a contemporary Indian cotton rug and a view of the pond.

Another Long Island porch features an unfinished fir floor (which will amber beautifully over time) paired with a cypress ceiling. I happen to favor the clean, maximum-screen look of this porch which also incorporates a dining table, as so many do.

(Source: smithriverkitchens, Architectural Digest)

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