Include An Indoor/outdoor Area Rug
Think of your screened-in porch as a room in your house rather than simply an outdoor sitting area, and it makes total sense that a rug is essential. Adding an indoor/outdoor rug to the seating area goes a long way toward creating an inviting and cozy area.
Choose a rug suitable for the outdoors that the elements wont ruin. Simply power wash it off when it gets dirty, or at the beginning of each spring season!
Downsize And Keep It Simple
More square footage equals more money, so try to keep your screen porch smallwhether you’re building one from scratch or using a patio you already havefor a more budget-friendly project.
It might be tempting to add a bunch of cool features to your new screen porch, but keeping it simple will keep the price down. “While retractable or solar screens, patios or walkways, or temperature control can all be great additions to a porch, they will all add to the cost,” says Carson.
You can always personalize your porch with furniture and decor, which can be purchased secondhand for less. Moore suggests adding a full-size sofa and a bar cart to your new screen porch to make it cozy and perfect for relaxing or entertaining.
Start With The Rooms Purpose
Before you can really get into all the details of decorating, you need to think about how you intend to use your porch.
Will this mostly be a space for relaxing? Eating meals? Entertaining?
How you plan to use your space will help determine the best layout and the best type of furniture to use.
If you want to create an outdoor dining space, a big dining table is a must. If you plan to send your kids out here to play, make sure you leave plenty of room for them to play. And if you cant wait to curl up with a good book during the next rainstorm, make sure you have a cozy spot whether its a hammock, a sofa, or a cushy chair.
Photo Credit: Pretty Handy Girl
If you have a large porch, you can divide it into different zones for different purposes.
We have a very long porch so I divided it into three distinct areas an eating area with a dining table, a living area with a couch facing two chairs, and a napping zone with a daybed.
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Create Privacy With A Slatted Timber Screen
Design by Best Practice architects
‘Covered outdoor spaces are so important in the Pacific Northwest because everyone wants to be outside and close to nature while staying dry, explains Ian Butcher, founding partner of Best Practice architects.
This acts as an extension of the living area to create a true three-season space, which is closely tied to the lovely backyard garden. We designed it to feel open and connected to the lower yard, while maintaining privacy from the next-door neighbors, continues Ian, whose team blurred the line between traditional and contemporary architecture by painting the natural cedar screen in a cheerful mint-green hue.
Sport A Special Ceiling
If your situation allows for it, a vaulted or angled ceiling will add visual appeal. If youve got to go straight, consider installing a skylight for added illumination by day and stargazing at night. How you finish the ceiling counts, too. Beadboard will evoke tradition, while shiplap lends a more casual cabin vibe.
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Wood And White Paneling With An Angled Ceiling
The natural wood framing and wood-colored wicker furniture coordinate well in this porch. Also, notice the angled ceiling, complete with skylights and a ceiling fan. The carpet is a nice touch as well. When youre building or enclosing a porch, weigh the cost of changing the slope of the roof versus adding on to the existing roof. In a side porch like this, its easy to create an adjoining roof with a different slope than that of the rest of the house, and it adds a lot of visual appeal.
Classy Rustic Dining Room
This second-story enclosed balcony provides quite a view surrounded by evergreen trees. The butcher block table in the middle really gives the room a rustic feel. The stone tile floor keeps the room easy to keep clean, and the windows and chandelier ensure you always have enough light for your and your dinner guests to see by. The vents at the bottom of the walls allow fresh air in while keeping strong winds and rain out. If you want to follow this idea for airflow, we suggest adding a screen over the vents to keep the bugs out as well.
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Add A Wood Burner For An All
Design by The Brooklyn Studio
This Upstate New York house was built by architecture and interior design firm The Brooklyn Studio as a weekend retreat for its owners. The goal was to design a home that integrated seamlessly with its surroundings, says founding partner Brendan Coburn.
‘The centerpiece of the design is a 400-square-foot, screened-in cedar porch, which opens towards a bluestone ridge and is cantilevered over a stream, Brendan says of the inviting outdoor room, which includes a wood burner stove for the colder months. The porch allows the homeowners to enjoy the sounds and sights of nature while shielding them from both the bugs and the elements.
Indoor Porch Color Scheme
A patriotic-inspired color palette makes this indoor porch the perfect summertime entertainment station. Gentle reds and pastel pinks mingle with soft blues and crisp white to create a bright, all-American look. Heavy-duty indoor-outdoor fabrics ensure the furniture can stand up to everyday wear and tear.
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The Easiest Way To Find Decorating Inspiration For Your Screened
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With the grill out of the way and a small budget to purchase new porch furniture, I looked to the adjacent dining room for decorating inspiration.
My goal was to create a better design flow between the dining room and porch, which are connected by a sliding door.
The easiest way to find decorating inspiration and create cohesion between rooms is to pick your favorite item from one room and use it as the building block.
Our dining room rug is filled with rich, vibrant colors including blue and bold pink, so I challenged myself to create a complementary outdoor space on a budget.
Make It An Extension Of Your Bedroom
The very picture of a dreamy retreat, this coastal-inspired suite features an attached private porch that’s outfitted with cushy upholstered furniture and overlooks the surrounding marshland. Ensuring bug-free breezes, the screened porch is connected to the bedroom with a massive double-hung door that can be left open for maximum airflow. See more of this space from HGTV Dream Home, below.
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Color The Ceiling Too
Painting porch ceilings in a soft shade of blue is a centuries-old tradition that originated in the coastal South but has now spread to many other regions. Commonly called ‘haint blue,’ this pale, watery shade is thought to keep ghosts or malicious spirits from entering the home, thanks to spirits’ inability to cross water. Other legends contend that the color was instead meant to mimic the open sky, tricking spiders and wasps into building their homes elsewhere.
And Don’t Forget A Fan
Whether your preference is for super-sleek and modern or vintage-inspired, no screened porch is complete without a ceiling fan to keep fresh air moving and lower the ambient temperature. Be sure to choose a fan that’s UL-listed for damp locations and choose a model that allows a minimum of eight to nine feet of clearance beneath it for safety. See more shopping tips, below.
Learn More: Porch Doors, Lights and Fans
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Ideas For Winterizing A Screened In Porch
If you are particularly looking for a winterized screened in porch, you should look for thicker fiberglass screens and stone flooring to prevent overmoisture and slipping. Here are some ideas that you can consider.
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This one here made use of white vinyl columns and narrow vinyl wood slats for the ceiling. Using white as the main color of the porch is strategic in getting natural light especially during the winter. Choosing a herringbone style flooring is also useful in adding friction to prevent slipping.
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You can also make the perfect winterized screen in porch by adding window and door treatments. They tend to filter the cooler air when the snowy breeze permeates through the fiberglass. The use of stained wood is also a good choice in making the vibe warmer especially during the winter.
Screened In Front Porch Ideas
A well-arranged screened in front porch is one of the focal points of an entire property. So, if you want a standout curb that would really add aesthetic value and real brokers value to your home, you should arrange a stunning screened in front porch.
For one, you can invest in a durable deck. This one is made of composite flooring out of wood fiber. The stone walls offer a warm and rustic contrast to the flooring and the lattice enclosure just makes everything chic and modern. What a way to welcome family and guests, right?
To make it posher, here is a good use for smart screens that you can automatically open and down if you want to allow more breeze, more natural light or to be protected from them during strong winds, rains, and frost.
You can also totally open it up to add more seating. Overall, it is a fine way for hanging out and just chilling with family and friends.
For a homey, low-key appeal to your front porch, you can arrange a bright screened porch using solar screen fabric. With the wood frame and trims, along with simple wood furniture and modern style, metal fixtures, you can fill a usually empty porch in no time. It is relaxing and down to earth. Simplicity and beauty is enforced in this one.
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Protect Your Porch Decor
Once you have your porch looking beautiful, think about how you can best protect the things on your porch.
Think about the weather where you live. If you get a lot of high winds, you probably wont want to leave breakables on your porch.
If you have a stormy season, youll want to bring anything that might be damaged inside during that time of year.
If you live where you will only be using your porch part of the year, during the off season you may want to bring your cushions and accessories inside or cover the furniture with furniture covers.
I hope these ideas have inspired you to make your own screened porch a more warm and inviting place to be!
Want more outdoor inspiration? Here are some outdoor DIY projects I think youll like:
Provide Seating For Everyone
Sectionals aren’t just for your indoor living room, they’re a crowd-pleasing pick for your outdoor living room, too. Durable, weatherproof synthetic wicker is a low-maintenance choice that also looks great but be forewarned, like so many other things, you get what you pay for. Carefully check all pieces for the quality of weaving, since any loose synthetic strips could quickly lead to unraveling. Read our outdoor furniture buying guide, below, for more tips.
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Add Accessories And Details
With the large elements in place, now its time to add the details that will bring your porch design together.
The addition of the details is what finally gave me the look that I was after on my porch! Think outside of the box when it comes to the details.
I filled a large blank wall and added lots of texture by propping a set of old bifold doors behind the chest and hanging a fabulous wreath on it.
I simply must stop right here and give a special shoutout to Ashley at 3 Little Greenwoods for creating the fabulous wreath for me that you see hanging above the gray chest and that so beautifully pulls all the colors on my porch together!
Ashley creates some of the most stunning wreaths, floral arrangements, lantern swags and other items that Ive ever seen and sells them in the 3 Little Greenwoods Etsy shop.
Ashley is extremely generous with her knowledge! , where she goes live twice every week, often demonstrating how you can make your own wreath, from start to finish. She has a free bow making tutorial which you can get access to HERE. Annnnndshe has a YouTube channel filled with even more free tutorials!
To help fill the large blank wall even more, I flanked the bifold doors with a pair of lanterns, containing battery operated candles, hanging from plant hooks. The lanterns looked skimpy by themselves, so I hung each one from a piece of scrap wood that I painted using my diy driftwood-look technique.
Other ways to add details are:
Screened In Porch Ideas With Deck
It is time for raised porches to get the spotlight. You might think of some reservations when it comes to what should be done to a decked screened porch because of the elevation, but really the options are limitless.
For instance, you can add a modern rustic, cabin touch to your decked screen porch using wood roofing and concrete flooring.
Related: 26+ Outdoor Deck Designs and Ideas
The high visibility fiberglass gives you an all-angle view and a seamless transition to the deck itself. With the string lights and minimalistic, wood furniture, you would not want to leave this porch anymore.
Following the same modern rustic vibe and feel, this is a larger decked porch complete with stone walls and porch partitions which the whole family can enjoy. Everything just exudes warmth on a clean, uniform, and polished look.
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Here is a suburban, colonial style screened deck porch for you. It has all the cabin look, the right contrast for the frame, trims, and walls. The subtle glow of this ornate chandelier here brings in all the sophistication and the rattan seating on a tan jute rug make it so minimalist yet stunning.
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Pump Up A Small Porch
Outfit a small, narrow screened porch with a space-saving bench or banquette against the house wall. Place a pair of chairs, perhaps at a round café table, on one end. A slender space may also be ideal as a coffee or cocktail bar. Pale colors will make it seem larger and avoid accessory overload, which will just read as clutter.
Farmhouse Screened In Porch Ideas
Old, worn out style, barn or farmhouse styles never disappoint. They are perfect for vacation homes by the lake or in forest or woodland locations. With the addition of old school gambrel or cupolas, all types of screen fabrics should go well with it.
Related: 20+ Cozy Farmhouse Porch Decor Ideas
For one, this small, barn house features a decked, screened in porch set as an extra dining space for friends and family. It comes in clean, farmhouse style, with half railing enclosure and fiberglass screens. This reclaimed wood table also adds to the overall farmhouse style of this idea.
To get a more coastal farmhouse appeal, you can add more teal or blue colors instead of the traditional white or wood colors.
This one here is floored with stained wood, blue green rails, a fiberglass door, and mesh screen fabric. The wicker furniture and coastal design rug give it both a barn style and coastal vibe.
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Is There Anything I Can Do To Puppy
Screened porches are wonderful outdoor spaces for every family memberincluding the ones with four paws. Nevertheless, ordinary screen material doesnt hold up well to a dogs energetic jumping and playing. Try one or more of these things to puppy proof your screen porch:
- Choose a sturdy screen material designed to hold up to anything dogs or cats can dish out. Look online specifically for pet screen or pet-proof screen material.
- Add screen grills over the lower half of each screen panel.
- Install a pet screen door that allows your dogs to go in and out on their own. This can help keep them from pawing at the screens.
Watch this video to learn how to make a simple screen dog door:
Indoor Porch Ideas With Inviting Appeal
Jessica Bennett is the digital assistant home editor at Better Homes & Gardens. With a knack for writing and editing, she covers decorating, home improvement, cleaning, organizing, and more for BHG.com. With nearly five years of combined experience in digital and magazine journalism, she has contributed over 800 articles for BHG.com to date, and her writing on interior design and decorating has been featured in 16 national print magazines, including Do It Yourself, Country Home, Beautiful Kitchens & Baths, Secrets of Getting Organized, and more. Jessica received a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism and mass communication from Iowa State University. She also completed a secondary major in French language studies. Prior to graduation, she was inducted into the Kappa Tau Alpha honor society, which recognizes academic excellence in the field of journalism. She is currently pursuing an interior design certificate from the New York Institute of Art + Design.
Porches that aren’t completely open to the elements provide more opportunities for outdoor living throughout the year. Whether it’s a three- or four-season room, enclosed porch, or sunroom, your porch can become an inviting gathering spot or at-home getaway with a few simple design tricks. Use these indoor porch ideas to extend your living space in style.
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