New Porch Doors Open Up Entertaining Possibilities
A contractor, a designer and friends help a couple create a fun new barroom that serves a breezy space
With their kids off at college, this couple were ready to expand the possibilities for entertaining in their 1920s bungalow in Greenville, South Carolina. With help from Transformation Renovations and Duo Design Studio, they converted a back bedroom into a barroom and opened it up to the existing screened-in porch. The result is a spirited space where they can host friends, pour some bourbon and cheer on the Clemson Tigers.
“I was in love with the concept of using these doors,” Tribble says. “And I was delighted that the homeowners wanted to go for it.” She says that although they were significantly more expensive than French doors, the results were worth it, giving the homeowners maximum flexibility. Part of the construction included adding a load-bearing header above the doors for structural stability.
Browse outdoor lounge furniture in the Houzz Shop
Browse outdoor lounge furniture in the Houzz Shop
Opening the doors completely transforms the two spaces into one large lounge, with comfy sectional sofa seating on the porch and bar seating indoors. It’s easy to call out a drink order from the porch to whoever’s tending bar, or to catch a game on the porch’s TV from inside.
The wife hired an interior designer friend from Duo Design Studio to help pick the lighting and finishes and to design the bar. The bar includes a beverage fridge, an ice maker, a bar sink, two large open shelves for bottles and glassware and plenty of cabinet storage. A high-top table, textured wallpaper and wood beams connect indoors to out. So does the reflection of the porch in the bar’s mirrored backsplash. A star-design wallpaper on the ceiling references the sky. Antiqued brass pendant lights add some glamour, nod to the home’s era and play off the stars on the ceiling.
The husband crafted the high-top table from a live-edge slab and a welder buddy made the base and helped him bolt it to the floor. “It was a really neat project to work on because we all just kind of did our own thing, and everything came together as if it had been a close collaboration,” Tribble says.
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The husband crafted the high-top table from a live-edge slab and a welder buddy made the base and helped him bolt it to the floor. “It was a really neat project to work on because we all just kind of did our own thing, and everything came together as if it had been a close collaboration,” Tribble says.
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The builders also removed the wall between the barroom and the hallway — the wood beam marks where it used to be. “We added this faux beam to add a sense of separation between the bar and the hallway. And to give the wallpaper on the ceiling a natural place to end,” Tribble says.
The existing 1950s pine floorboards in the barroom were already different from the narrower 1920s planks in the hallway. This was one of those quirks that tells the story of the evolution of the house, and everyone was on board with keeping it that way. “And the change in flooring lets the eye know that you are entering a different space, even though the wall is gone,” Tribble says.
The photograph is of the Poinsett Hotel, a historical landmark in downtown Greenville. At 12 stories high, it was one of the first “skyscrapers” in the city. Construction of the hotel was completed in 1925, around the same time the house was built. The photo was shot by local photographer Chris Bruner.
Browse bar sinks in the Houzz Shop
The existing 1950s pine floorboards in the barroom were already different from the narrower 1920s planks in the hallway. This was one of those quirks that tells the story of the evolution of the house, and everyone was on board with keeping it that way. “And the change in flooring lets the eye know that you are entering a different space, even though the wall is gone,” Tribble says.
The photograph is of the Poinsett Hotel, a historical landmark in downtown Greenville. At 12 stories high, it was one of the first “skyscrapers” in the city. Construction of the hotel was completed in 1925, around the same time the house was built. The photo was shot by local photographer Chris Bruner.
Browse bar sinks in the Houzz Shop
“The hallway runs straight back from the front door. Because we opened up the walls, now you can see peripherally to the porch from the front entry. It piques people’s interest and entices them toward the openness in the back,” Tribble says. The closed door leads to the homeowners’ bedroom. The owners can pour a nightcap and enjoy it on the breezy porch before heading to bed.
This side of the porch has a media console and wall-mounted TV. It’s flanked by a take on South Carolina’s state flag on one side and a Clemson Tigers paw print on the other.
This side of the porch has a media console and wall-mounted TV. It’s flanked by a take on South Carolina’s state flag on one side and a Clemson Tigers paw print on the other.
“This renovation really elevated their home,” Tribble says. “And it elevated the way they can entertain.”
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Browse screened-in porch photos
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More on Houzz
Browse screened-in porch photos
Find a design pro on Houzz
Shop for your home
Project at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with kids in college
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Porch size: 360 square feet (33 square meters); barroom size: 180 square feet (17 square meters)
Designer: Duo Design Studio
Contractor: Transformation Renovations
When the homeowners bought the house, there were windows between what was a back bedroom and the porch. The entry door to the porch was off a narrow hallway on the left.
The previous homeowners had this back bedroom set up as a gym, but before the new homeowners had even closed on the house, they had a different vision for the space.
“They were considering turning it into a bar, and they wanted me to consult on adding some French doors between it and the porch,” says Nicole Tribble of Transformation Renovations.
Tribble had another idea for glass doors that she thought would be perfect for the space: a wall of folding patio doors made up of individual panels that could be opened individually or stacked together and slid to one side of the room. The clients were open to that, and Tribble supplied information and three cost options. Now the wall between the house and the porch disappears when the doors are open.
Doors: Panoramic Doors
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